The body of a 29-year-old Chinese United Nations peacekeeping soldier serving as a combat engineer in Mali, Africa, who was killed in a recent attack on the UN mission camp there, has been flown to the city of Changchuns' Longjia International Airport, Jilin province, from which it was carried to his home in Yongji county, for cremation, on June 10.

Shen Liangliang joined the army in Jilin province after graduating from high school, 11 years ago, and he and 194 other members of his outfit left Changchun for the West African country, on May 18, on a one-year peacekeeping mission, as part of China's fourth peacekeeping group in that country, totaling 395, with the rest arriving on May 26.

Shen Liangliang (M), a 29-year-old Chinese peacekeeper, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Mali. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

Shen posted a message on his WeChat account, the Chinese social media app, several days before leaving on the Mali mission to which a fellow trooper, Wang Gang, responded, "I know it's a dangerous place so I suggest you not to go," because the country lies in the southern Sahara Desert and temperatures there can get as high as 50°C in summer.

And, it's not just the hot weather, but the deadly terrorist attacks on UN soldiers in recent years, which have taken the lives of more than 70 peacekeepers, since the troops were deployed in July 2013, leaving 300 others wounded, according to China Military Online, the People's Liberation Army's English website.

Shen's reply was a simple, "I'm on a mission, buddy, so I have to go."

Farewell ceremony for Chinese peacekeepers at Changchun Longjia International Airport, Jilin province, on May 25. The team are a part of China's 4th peacekeeping group of 395 going to Mali. [Photo/chinajialin.com.cn]

And he did his best with the Mali peacekeepers until the base came under mortar fire, on May 31, and he was killed in action that left5 other Chinese peacekeepers injured, according to China Daily.

When his buddy Wang got news of Shen's death on the night of June 1, he was a bit suspicious of what he'd been told but hardly slept a wink all night. And, when he got the truth the following morning, he was in a state of shock and remarked. "My mate's gone all of a sudden and he was only 29, that’s just not possible."

Shen Liangliang joining his regiment in Yongji county, Jilin province. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]

So, he was brought back home to Jilin and there was a ceremony at the airport, where Yi Xiaoguang, deputy chief of staff of the Central Military Commission, said, "Shen's sacrifice showed the heroic spirit and bravery of the Chinese soldier". The funeral service at home was held on June 10.

The Chinese joined the UN peacekeeping mission in January of 2014 with a total of 395 peacekeepers, engineers and medical personnel.

Shen Liangliang posts a message on WeChat, saying he's been in a sandstorm, on duty in Mali, on May 23. [Photo/chinajilin.com.cn]