Charge of the light brigade

For example, one rescue team's captain said he was stunned to find a whole pig, slaughtered and presented on the ground outside the door of his office. Another rescue team leader felt moved when he was recognized in a queue waiting to buy steamed buns.

The interviews also helped Jiang and her fellow creators to obtain safety and first-aid tips, ranging from how to help a drowning person to the must-have gadgets for a trip into the wild.

Some of this knowledge is featured in short spin-off videos of the series, with each episode casting one actor or actress to perform in the role of a teacher explaining how to deal with emergencies like gas leaks and landslides.

The drama was mostly shot in Hengdian, Zhejiang province, and Suzhou, Jiangsu province, between July 5 and Oct 17 last year, with a total of 400 special-effects scenes tailored to showcase a variety of disasters and accidents and the race against time to save people's lives.

Su Li, one of the chief producers, recalls that one of the top challenges was shooting a snowy mountain rescue in the scorching and humid summer on a soundstage, when the local temperature reached more than 40 C.

"Our actors needed to put on thick winter clothes, performing their battle against the extreme cold whilst conducting a rescue mission. It was quite difficult to finish all the stunts," recalls Su.

In recent years, China has produced some influential rescue-themed films and TV dramas such as director Dante Lam's The Rescue. Su says this series has endeavored to seek a breakthrough with a greater focus on post-disaster mental health.

"What we care about most is not the disasters, but those who survive them. The drama aims to discuss how to better take care of the survivors to help them handle the psychological trauma," says Su.

Depicting the show as a tribute to the unsung heroes who volunteer to help others, Su adds that most of the civilian rescuers have full-time jobs, so they have sacrificed a great deal of family time for the public good.

"We hope the series can convey the spirit of positive, brave, upward and selfless dedication to young people, and make more viewers realize the devotion of China's civilian rescuers," he concludes.