The television series Shibing tuji, Soldiers Sortie, first aired on Xi’an Television on December 24, 2006. Written by Lan Xiaolong and directed by Kang Honglei, its 30 episodes follow the growth of an ordinary soldier, Xu Sanduo, played by Wang Baoqiang. A shy village boy sent into the army, he becomes a top reconnaissance soldier.
After the Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008, a line from the series became a motto for the rescue effort: bu paoqi, bu fangqi, never abandon, never give up.