A brigade of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently set up a psychological consulting facility with the help of a civilian school in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China.

In recent years, soldiers and officers in the brigade increasingly experience psychological problems due to mounting pressure from society and their families, PLA sources said.

The leadership therefore decided to combine political education with psychological training by opening the consulting center and a special hot line, "to help soldiers and officers ease social pressures and get treatment for psychological problems."

The center has received more than 50 servicemen with psychological questions, and the hot line receives 15 calls a day.The center also receives about a dozen emails from soldiers every day.