An honor guard of 30 female soldiers from the PLA's naval, air and land forces made their debut at the Great Hall of the People on Monday afternoon.

Female members of the guard of honor receive an inspection in Beijing, capital of China, May 12, 2014. The first group of 13 female members of the People.

This was the first time a female honor guard took part in a top-level diplomatic event, on this occasion welcoming Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Most of them were selected from the Beijing Military Command.

Their captain says that despite the weight of the guns, after three months of training they are just as good as their male counterparts. Perhaps even better, since they also have to contend with high heels.