Female soldiers in anti-hail battles

Female soldiers conduct an anti-hail drill in Long county of Baoji, Shaanxi province, Sept 20, 2010. Long county, with its pillar industry of agriculture, has long suffered from recurring hail attacks. In 1974, 48 young female soldiers, with an average age of 17, volunteered for anti-hail battles. The company climbed up to an uninhabited area 1,500 meters above sea level and set up anti-hail rockets to protect crops from being destroyed. Today's generation of the company still retains the hardworking ways in the tough environment. They carry grain and water on their shoulders up to the mountain and have to endure insect bites during scorching days. [Photo/CFP]