Minifigure – a soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from the era of the Sino-Vietnamese War 2 (LEGO Compatible)

This image displays a toy minifigure representing a soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from the era of the Sino-Vietnamese War (1979) and the subsequent border conflicts of the 1980s. The Chinese text “南疆卫士” (Nán Jiāng Wèishì) translates to “Southern Border Defender.”

The figure is depicted in the standard olive-green uniform of the PLA from that period. He wears an olive-green combat helmet featuring the prominent red star insignia, the symbol of the PLA. His tunic has simple red collar tabs, which served as the universal insignia for all PLA personnel during that time, before formal ranks were reintroduced.

He is equipped with basic canvas webbing, including cross-straps for carrying gear. The soldier is armed with a toy replica of the Type 56 assault rifle. This Chinese variant of the Soviet AK-47 was the standard infantry weapon of the PLA during this conflict, recognizable by its hooded front sight and fixed wooden stock.

An alternative headwear piece is shown in the inset: an olive-green soft field cap (sometimes called a liberation cap), also bearing the red star insignia.

Historical Background: This figure represents a typical Chinese soldier who fought in the intense border war between China and Vietnam that began in 1979 and continued with skirmishes throughout the 1980s. The conflict took place in the difficult jungle and mountain terrain along China’s southern border (“Nan Jiang”). These soldiers, often wearing simple helmets or caps and armed with the rugged Type 56 rifle, engaged in challenging infantry combat that significantly influenced the PLA’s modernization in the years that followed.