It looks like those female army officers goosestepping in hot pink miniskirts at the 60th Anniversary bash were a sign of things to come. As always seems to be the case with gender equality in China, the PLA's recent step forward (the country's first female fighter pilots) was just preparation to take two steps back. Witness: women trying to enter the army now must prove that they have "talents."

According to China Daily:

Female applicants for the army are being asked to showcase their talents in an interview process never before used and exclusively for women.

Aspiring female officers were surprised to learn from Wednesday last week that they are now required to perform a 'talent' as part of the country's current recruitment drive for the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The test of artistic ability was included for the first time as part of the standard face-to-face interview by recruiters on behalf of the PLA, which took place following stringent health screenings over recent weeks.

Even better - the talent show takes up a good chunk of the interview. Women now need to introduce themselves in 30 seconds and answer questions for about two-and-a-half minutes before springing into their two-minute show of song and dance (or art... though, as one artist complains after showing of her paintings "It's only two minutes; some talents cannot be presented in such a short time."). The interview is scored on a 30-point scale - "expression" is worth 12 points, "impression" is worth ten points and "talent" grabs you a max score of eight.

What do Glee club antics have to do with being in the army? No one can really give a straight answer, especially since male applicants don't have to go through the same process. The closest anyone does get is a vice battalion commander - female vice battalion commander who probably didn't have to exhibit her "talents," considering the how recently this new rule went into effect - "Female soldiers are a special element of the army - we want to find those candidates who are great in every field."

Well. We wonder if that need for a "special element" has anything to do with how well honey traps have been doing in the field.