Yang Yujun,

47, a spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense of China, recently resigned from both his post and military service, a move which came as a surprise to many.

In the last seven years, the former military spokesperson often drew media attention at regular press briefings by answering questions on difficult and complex topics.

After graduating from China Foreign Affairs University in 1993, Yang became an officer of the Ministry of National Defense. In 2010, he was promoted to the position of deputy director of the information bureau and became the fourth spokesperson of the ministry since its foundation.

In Western media, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is portrayed as veiled in mystery. Faced with various questions and suppositions, Yang did a good job in explaining China’s defense policy and clarifying facts. In answering tricky questions from media, his remarks were often full of wit, winning popularity among both the public and journalists.

Yang is the first person to have resigned from the post of senior military spokesperson. Although he mentioned nothing about his future, other government spokespersons have already set a precedent by resigning from their enviable positions.

For example, then spokesperson of the Supreme People’s Court Sun Jungong left his post last year and joined the Alibaba Group as vice president for public relations. And three months ago, Shen Danyang, then spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, resigned and took up a professorship at Xiamen University. With expertise and special experience, such former spokespersons can always find a bright future in their new careers.