The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has recently deployed 10 female servicemen to the garrison that safeguards the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, as per the official statement by the PLA Navy.

In a press release issued on Monday afternoon, the Navy confirmed that this is the first instance of female servicemen being posted on the Nansha Islands, which mark the southernmost territories of the nation. They officially began their service on the Yongshu Reef starting Monday.

The group of women, whose average age is 23, consists of officers and sergeants, all holding a university degree. The press release further noted that they have been entrusted with various roles including staff, medical service, and communications.

Zhang Jiahong, the political commissar of the PLA Nansha Islands Garrison, disclosed in the press release that these servicewomen will be periodically returned to the mainland for rest to maintain their health.

Zhou Yaling, one of the deployed women, described Nansha as being more beautiful than they could have imagined. “With airports, harbors, streets, hospitals, and sports grounds, the islands are like a charming city on the sea,” she was quoted as saying in the press release.

Prior to this, there have been instances of female PLA members being stationed on the islands, but they were on short missions and still operated under the direction of the units that dispatched them, as learned by the China Daily reporter.