The Shenyang Military Region, which covers northeast China’s Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang provinces and part of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has appointed its first ever female master sergeant.

Yan Ping, who has served in the army for six years, was formerly a staff sergeant in a telecommunications regiment in the region. She earned the promotion on June 4 after going through the rigorous assessment and approval procedures.

Her promotion to master sergeant makes it a record for a female soldier in the Chinese army. China has adjusted the military ranking system to allow female sergeants to now be elevated to the higher posts of staff sergeant and senior non-commissioned officers.