Minifigure – a soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from the era of the Sino-Vietnamese War (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 a soft field cap (sometimes called a liberation cap) with a prominent red star insignia, the symbol of the PLA. His tunic features simple red collar tabs, which were the standard insignia for all ranks in the PLA at that time, before the reintroduction of formal rank badges.

Over his tunic, he wears a Type 81 chest rig. This canvas rig, with multiple pouches secured by wooden toggles, was designed to carry ammunition magazines for assault rifles and became an iconic piece of PLA equipment.

The soldier is armed with a toy replica of the Type 56 assault rifle. The Type 56, a Chinese variant of the Soviet AK-47, was the standard infantry weapon of the PLA during this conflict and is easily recognizable by its fixed wooden stock and hooded front sight.

An alternative headwear piece is shown in the inset: a simple olive-green combat helmet, also bearing the red star insignia.

Historical Background: This figure represents one of the Chinese soldiers 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 rugged, jungle terrain along China’s southern border (“Nan Jiang”). These soldiers, often equipped with the reliable Type 56 rifle and the practical chest rig, engaged in difficult infantry combat that shaped the PLA’s tactics and modernization efforts in the following decades.