Li Yufeng:SWAT Star

Members of the Communist Party of China （CPC） across the country are now studying and implementing the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress which was held in Beijing from October 18 to 24. After returning home from Beijing， delegate Li Yufeng， head of the SWAT （Special Weapons and Tactics） team of the Heilongjiang Corps of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force， has seized every opportunity to relay highlights of the congress to his fellow armed police officers.

“In his report at the 19th CPC National Congress， General Secretary Xi Jinping declared that the military is built to fight，” said Li. “I was particularly moved by this statement. As a SWAT officer， I must perpetually remain on my toes in case I must fight terrorism and safeguard national stability.”

Few would guess Li Yufeng’s profession based on his thin， shortish figure， and fewer would believe he can scale five floors via a drain pipe with his bare hands in just 10 seconds. With a gun， he can hit a target as small as a coin from 100 meters away， and he can reassemble a gun in 20 seconds blindfolded.

Li is known as Heilongjiang’s top special policeman. The 34-year-old joined the armed police force in 2002 and became a member of the SWAT team of the Heilongjiang Corps after a rigorous selection process the following year.

Born into a farming family， Li longed to serve as a police officer or soldier since childhood. After graduating from high school， Li signed up for the armed police but was not sure how he would achieve his goal. “I was so excited on the train to Harbin that I couldn’t sleep，” he recalled.“I was eager and enthusiastic， but actually I didn’t know what to do next.”

He found some answers in a training video that was screened the next day and soon became quite keen on the SWAT team. “I was shocked by the advanced weapons， highly-skilled members and breathtaking maneuvers，” Li revealed. “A presentation by some standout SWAT team members fueled my determination to join the team.”

However， he did not excel at the physical fitness tests at the beginning of his enlistment. He finished near the bottom on several 5-kilometer run tests， which upset him considerably. But he channeled his anger into greater efforts to improve. The young man started running two or three times a day while carrying 20-kilogram sandbags， double what other recruits were doing. A month later， Li finished the 5-kilometer run with one of the shortest times， below 18 minutes.

During sharpshooting training， Li employed several unique self-developed methods of focusing. To sharpen his concentration， every night Li practiced threading needles and poking holes in tiny grains of rice with a needle. After every target practice， Li recorded data about the ballistic trajectory and weather conditions， including wind power and wind direction. By analyzing data that filled six notebooks， Li learned the different rules of ballistic trajectory in different seasons， which greatly improved his shooting skills.

Due to his excellent performance， Li received numerous honors and prizes， the most important of which was the Loyal Guard award， one of the highest honors given to armed police officers. Every year， only 10 of the 700，000-strong force receive the honor. Li received the award in 2015 for his contributions to an eightmonth task force combatting terrorism and safeguarding stability in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

“As a grassroots Party member， I profoundly cherish the opportunity to attend the 19th CPC National Congress，”Li said. “Grassroots organizations have changed tremendously since the 18th CPC National Congress. Right now， it is greatly important to learn and understand the essence of the 19th CPC National Congress. As a special police force， we should combine theory with practice and integrate study with application. We should strive to fight for victory during every moment of training to enhance our military capabilities.”