PHOTOS- Young men forced to be naked for annual army recruitment drive in China

China has launched its annual military recruitment drive this month with thousands of young men across the country taking part in compulsory naked 'body tests'.

                             

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And, bizarrely, it appears many of those checks are carried out while the young recruits have no clothes on.They are checked over from head to toe by men in white coats overlooked by soldiers in uniform.

The mass body check-ups are apparently a regular first step in the recruitment process for the young men.

According to the Global Times, China this year shifted its annual conscription period from the beginning of October to the start of August, in the hope that 'more talented' people would sign up.

The new season falls immediately after the school graduation period; the State Council and the Central Military Commission hope new, clever graduates will be more likely to sign up in August than a few months later in October.

According to the news service, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has asked conscription authorities across the country to prioritise admissions of better-educated applicants, and believes this change will bring in a higher calibre recruit.

It appears to be no changes to the health and body examination.While it might seem at best odd, and at worst, unnecessary, the naked check-ups remain a standard part of the procedure.