05-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Aircraft carrier ‘rainbow-men' add splash of colour to Hong Kong pupils' visit
Crew members from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong have introduced the colourful roles of 'deck rainbow-men' to more than 300 pupils at the PLA Stonecutters Island naval base in Hong Kong, prompting some to say a military career is inspiring.
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On the second day of the PLA Navy's Shandong carrier group's visit to Hong Kong, seven crew members explained their roles to pupils, teachers and youth uniformed groups through a lively lecture on Friday.
To help coordinate hundreds of personnel on the carrier's flight deck, crew members wear colour-coded vests – white, green, brown, purple, red, yellow and blue – each denoting a different role, 'resembling a rainbow between sea and sky'.
Lieutenant Gao Xiang, a green rainbow-man responsible for guiding fighter jet launches, said: 'This is my first time giving a defence lecture in Hong Kong, and it feels highly rewarding. Such interactions help young people absorb knowledge better, and I believe there will be plenty more opportunities in future.'
Students pose for a group photo during their visit to the Shandong on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
He said that, much like road traffic rules, a jet could only zip down the deck after the green rainbow-man gave the 'carrier-style' take-off gesture – a dramatic crouched pose with an arm pointing forward – which went viral online in 2012 after China's first successful launch of a J-15 fighter on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
