Everyday heroes receive the attention they deserve in new TV series that focuses on the real lives of China's firefighters and rescue workers, Wang Xingwei reports.
Yang Yang plays a firefighter in the latest TV series by Li Muge, Fireworks of My Heart. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
They say there are a thousand heroes in a thousand people's eyes. For director Li Muge, a hero in peacetime like today is someone who can save people either physically or mentally and guard their dreams — just like the firefighters in his latest work Fireworks of My Heart.
The TV series, which began airing at home and abroad in July, has not only become a trendy topic on Chinese social media but also topped the most-searched list on a number of overseas websites including Google.
In Li's eyes, the story discusses the relationship between an individual and a city.
As a fire chief, the protagonist Song Yan dedicates his life to saving others in a fictional city called Yancheng. Going through fire and water, he happens to meet emergency doctor Xu Qin, who turns out to be his sweetheart back from his school days a decade ago. Brought together by their work, the two have to consider their relationships and reflect on their own career lives. And it's from there that the story unfolds.
"The hero and heroine, who are a firefighter and a doctor by profession, are more like the guardians of a city," Li noted. "People living there wouldn't be able to enjoy their safe and comfortable lives without the support of the guardians."
For instance, the TV series recreates the daily work of firefighters and rescue workers in China during disasters such as fires, typhoons and earthquakes. Li said that every rescue scene in the series was a big challenge for the production crew. "It was really difficult for us to film under extreme circumstances like flood and fire. I couldn't imagine how hard it is for real-time firefighters to rescue trapped people and to stand by around the clock."
On July 6, Duan Mingyu, a real-life firefighter from the fire and rescue detachment of Chaoyang District, Beijing, attended a press conference for the TV show as a guest. He said that he strongly identified with the character Song, since the fire service and rescue operations Song takes part in in the show are mostly based on the frontline work of real firefighters. "You can see a number of techniques and rescue schemes in the drama that we utilize in real life," he said.
Take the case of a house fire as an example. When Song and his teammates arrive at the site, they quickly analyze the fire behavior and take the right action. According to Duan, a house fire, especially in old residential communities, is usually quite complicated, requiring firefighters to do preliminary research well. "Research on fire fighting techniques is an important part of our daily work," he said. "We need to be very familiar with different types of buildings in the district we are responsible for so that when an emergency occurs, we can immediately respond to it."
Yang Yang plays a firefighter in the latest TV series by Li Muge, Fireworks of My Heart. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Physical training is also an integral part of firefighters' daily routine, which Yang Yang, the actor who plays Song, has experienced in order to better portray the role. "My military background allowed me to be mentally prepared for the training. But it's still hard to imagine how intense it is unless you have firsthand experience of it," he said.
Before and during the filming, according to Li and Yang, the crew had to spend some time in several fire stations, where they lived under the same roof with the frontline firefighters and received training. Yang still remembered how all actors went pale after climbing the stairs carrying heavy firefighting equipment like a fire hose. "For us actors, the training only lasts for a couple of months, but the firefighters stick to it for years on end," said Yang.
What impressed Yang most during the training was the spirit of Chinese firefighters. "I noticed that the firefighters we met were all young people, and everyone must be the apple of their family's eye. But in the face of danger, they are always the first to dash forward to protect others," he said.
The truth is, for firefighters like Duan, saving people's lives has already become their instinctive reaction. Duan once experienced a suicide attempt at work. At the moment when he dashed forward to stop that person from jumping off a building, he wasn't thinking of himself — the only thought in his mind was "I have to save this person".
"Whenever people are in danger, we would come to rescue without the slightest hesitation," he said. "Unflinching and unflappable personalities are a must for us firefighters. Our mission is to always serve the people wholeheartedly."
Though deeply touched by the heroic deeds of many firefighters, Li never intended to deify these heroes in his work.
"They are also ordinary people with flesh and blood and they share similar joys and sorrows in their daily lives with us," he said.
For example, in the show, despite excellent work performance, protagonist Song is not perfect in every respect. "Coming from a broken home, Song failed to get an impressive record in school and was even forced to leave the girl he loved. His life never ran smoothly," said Yang.
According to Li, it is such ordinariness that makes him more respectful of the firefighters who step forward in every rescue operation. "These ordinary people shoulder the responsibility and the honor brought by the firefighting profession, but I think they should also be guarded while guarding others," Li said. "There are always mutual respect and deep affection between these guardians and the residents in the city, and this is what I try to convey to the audiences through this series."
With deep reverence for the profession, Duan hopes to carry the spirit of Chinese firefighters in his lifetime. "Just as Song said in the first episode, once you put on this uniform, you can't tarnish its honor."
Contact the writer at wangxingwei@i21st.cn
