The whistle sounds and training begins; when it sounds again, it is time for the cheerful 'extra drills.' During the military training of the Class of 2026 freshmen at Dalian Maple Leaf College of Technology, alongside the rigorous formation drills, there are also moments of youthful joy.

Hula hoops no longer spin around the waist—they must pass through a whole chain of hand-holding people, and the moment one makes it through, the whole team cheers. Caps are passed along a line balanced on heads in a relay; the moment the call 'Peach Blossoms Bloom' rings out, the scattered crowd quickly huddles back into groups. Kites drift in the sky, and on the ground a circle of young people plays jubensha (a scripted murder-mystery game), their heads bowed in deduction with a focus that rivals standing at attention.

A long dragon is running across the training ground. The rules of 'run the train' are simple: link front to back and keep the same pace—running fast is easy, but running in unison is hard. Some laugh, some call out the beat, and the dragon's tail swings back and forth following its head. As for cooperation and looking out for one another, you learn it naturally just by playing.

None of these games has anything to do with formations, yet each one trains something formations cannot: coordination, rapport, turning a crowd of strangers into a crowd of friends. Training teaches them discipline and uniformity; the games teach them to grow close.