Year-ender: 10 awe-inspiring stories in China

On March 10, firefighters in Hulunbuir, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, successfully rescued eight people trapped in a blizzard.

"We received a call for help at 12:46 pm, saying there were drivers stranded on the No 332 national highway in Hailaar district," said Qi Yuehua, who's in charge of a patrol spot of Xin Barag Left Banner Fire and Rescue Brigade.

At 2:18 pm, the rescue team arrived at the scene, finding that the snow accumulation was nearly one meter, and the stranded vehicle's tires were covered in snow. The firefighters immediately started rescue work, first digging through the snow car with a shovel, and then pushing the vehicle away with sheer manpower. After more than an hour of rescue work, all eight people trapped in three cars were rescued.

"Our firefighters are all young men who have been trained and are well-practiced. As the temperature at the patrol spot in winter is around minus 30-40 degrees Celsius, they often turn into 'frozen men', even when fighting grass fires. They are used to that and don't worry too much about their physical condition when working," Qi said.