1983, at the beginning of the establishment of the reserve forces, reserve officers and soldiers wore uniforms, liberation hats, red five-star and red collar badges consistent with those of the active forces. There is no difference in clothes between active duty troops and reserve troops.
1988, after the PLA resumed the rank system, the officers and men in active service changed into 87-style military uniforms. Subsequently, the General Staff Department stipulated that reserve officers and soldiers incorporated into the reserve forces should wear the 87-style training uniform of active troops, the cap badge of active soldiers, the service symbol and the special armband for reserve during military training and concentrated activities. At present, the special armband for reserve forces is the main symbol to identify active and reserve forces.
1996, according to the provisions of the Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) on Reserve Officers, reserve officers who were incorporated into the reserve forces and pre-assigned to the active forces were awarded the rank of reserve officers, and during military training and the performance of military duties, they wore 87-style summer clothes and 87-style land and summer training uniforms consistent with those of active soldiers. During this period, the epaulettes of reserve ranks had the capital letter "Y", which was the main distinguishing sign.
1999 reserve officers and soldiers who are incorporated into the reserve forces and pre-integrated into the active forces will replace the 87-type land summer training uniforms with the 87-type woodland camouflage training uniforms, and at the same time, new reserve armbands will be activated.
20 1 1, since May of 1, reserve officers and soldiers who have been incorporated into the reserve forces and pre-integrated into the active forces have changed into 07-type reserve uniforms to mark the difference between their clothes and the active forces.