China says it will begin accepting military recruits who are heavier and those sporting visible tattoos, as part of an ongoing push to attract young people into military service.

The state-controlled China Daily newspaper said prospective enlistees in the People's Liberation Army with tattoos on the face or neck will no longer be rejected if the artwork is smaller than two centimeters in diameter.

Weight restrictions have also been relaxed at both the upper and lower ends. New regulations allow for body weight up to 25 percent greater or 15 percent lower than current requirements. Policy now bars those 20 percent heavier and 10 percent lighter than those standards.

The rules were revised this week in what the newspaper described as part of a push to entice more well-educated young people into China's 2.3 million-member army.