"I wanted to see the ocean and liked the PLA navy's uniforms very much, so I decided to join when I saw a notice on a local TV program that the navy was recruiting female sailors from the Uygur ethnic group."
She was successful and sent to the Jinggangshan in the South Sea Fleet with Xukrat and another three Uygur women.
The women said they spent six months overcoming seasickness after joining the ship on Aug 26.
Xukrat said:"Just one week after we boarded the ship, we started a long-distance voyage, which enabled us to see what the sea is really like." She added that she never imagined she would serve on a large ship thousands of kilometers from home in Turpan.
"When I applied to join the navy, we were taken to a recruitment office in my university and shown a large map of China," she said. "A PLA draft officer pointed at the sea and told us: 'This is where you are going to be, and it is very far from here'.
"Finally, I was chosen and the other students ruled out because each university only has a limited quota," she said.
She suspended her studies at Xinjiang Normal University to prepare for a new life at sea.
She said before joining the navy, she often wondered what her new life was going to be like. But although the training is arduous, all the crew are cared for well and can enjoy a variety of entertainment in their spare time.
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