Photo Provided to China Daily

In a three-day test of survival skills in 2011, Fu led a group of six equipped with only basic supplies - maps, knives, compasses, salt and matches. One of his fellow officers, Ruan Honghai, gave him several cereal bars, but Fu refused to take the food, insisting on hunting and gathering his meals from the forest near the border.

"He said, 'if you don't take it seriously when practicing, you will lose in a real battle'," says Ruan, adding Fu's face was gaunt after the tough drill with little food.

Fu and his troops used to patrol the 40-kilometer border under their charge on foot. It is dangerous territory, where drug dealing and smuggling are rampant. Rivers, rough mountain roads and forests made their patrol particularly difficult.

But Fu usually chose the tougher route to patrol, sometimes even forging a new path by climbing onto a sharp mountain, soldier Li Chao recalls.

Fu wouldn't allow his solders to secretly reduce the weight of their patrol packs. He woke up earlier and went to sleep later than those under his command. His soldiers say he always led by example.

"Our commander was an iron man," says Yang Wanli, a soldier in Fu's company.

But despite his tough exterior, Fu had a softer side that won him the love and respect of those who knew him.

Even now, Yang's eyes fill with tears when talking about his commander.

Once, when Yang was doing daily exercises, a falling log left him with a swollen foot. Fu removed Yang's socks and treated the damaged foot despite the pungent smell. Fu applied medicine to Yang's foot every day until the swelling receded.