During the busiest periods of calls for police assistance, Wu Yanni has to stay at her post for 36 hours straight and can only take a nap for two to three hours.

"You have received a new call for police," blares an alert from a loudspeaker in the hall of Pozijie Police Station in Changsha, Hunan province, where Wu works.

As the night wears on, the calls for police increase, she said. The police station is situated in the city's most popular business, shopping and recreational center, which is home to around 500 bars, karaoke venues and hotels.

Although the area only has around 99,000 permanent residents, the daily number of visitors can reach 430,000. During holidays, the number can swell to 1 million to 2 million a day.

The central location of the police station and the large number of bizarre cases it handles are two of the major reasons The Guardians of Jiefangxi, a documentary series that centers on the daily lives of police officers, has captured the imagination of hordes of young viewers.

Since first airing in 2019, the series has become an internet sensation.

Produced by TVZone Media and Chinese online video-sharing platform Bilibili, the series, which is in its fifth season, has garnered 1.4 billion views on Bilibili. On the popular review site Douban, on a scale of 10, it has received scores ranging from 8.2 to 9.0 over the five seasons.

Wu said the police station receives around 100 to 200 calls every day, which is almost 10 times the number of calls for a regular station in Changsha.

"Sometimes, when I hear the alerts I have a mini mental breakdown. The calls never stop, especially late at night," she said. "The police station becomes a crowded supermarket in the early hours of the morning. It requires us to work under immense pressure."

Tourists descend

The documentary has turned the busy police station into a tourist attraction, with people coming from across the country, and even the world, to take photos on its doorstep.

Some visitors mimic a suspect being apprehended, with hands clasped behind their heads.

Yang Zhenzheng, a Beijing resident, watches the documentary series every Friday and has become an avid fan. He visited the station recently to tick it off his Changsha bucketlist. Yang took photos with the station in the background and said it was like seeing a TV icon in person.

However, police are wary of the intrusiveness of the tourists. They have turned off the loudspeaker to remind people to be civilized when taking photos and videos, said station head Shen Jiulin, as some of the uncooperative tourists get overexcited and do not follow police advice.

Shen is a fixture in the documentary series. He appears at the end of each episode to explain laws and regulations the suspects have violated, and reminds viewers to learn from the perpetrators' mistakes.

"What we want people to get from the series is that they can gain knowledge of the law through a more entertaining format, so they are reminded to not repeat other's mistakes," he said.

The police station received more than 25,000 calls last year, with the highest number 215 in a single day. The station only has about 130 officers and assistants, and is severely understaffed, Shen said.

They are unable to take a work break on Saturdays, and it is not guaranteed that they can do so on Sundays, he added.

Stress takes toll

The busy workload has taken a toll on the health of some station staff members, with three young officers diagnosed with cancer.

Another suffers from an undiagnosed brain problem while another has heart issues, Shen said.

Despite the pressures, the hectic work has also enabled officers to grow quickly into their roles. Pozijie Police Station has become the "gold standard" among all police stations in the city, Shen said, with the sense of pride in working there reaffirming officers' determination to succeed in the profession. There are also more promotion opportunities at the station, he added.

Due to the popularity of the series, the station's police officers have become used to carrying out law enforcement activities under close public scrutiny, Shen said.

"Compared with other types of police, the work of officers at grassroots police stations is fundamental, yet complicated and comprehensive. Without their dedication, the overall environment for public security cannot be good," he said.

Wu said due to the shortage of police officers, she sometimes has to take the lead in handling dangerous situations.

One time, she was called to deal with a drunk man who was wielding a big wooden stick to smash a car window. His girlfriend was inside the car and too scared to come out.

"I only had an intern with me, and as the man was clearly not in his right mind, reasoning with him would not help," she said. "I was also somewhat scared, and I needed to be smart so the man would not hurt anyone else at the scene."

She finally handcuffed the man with the help of security staff from a nearby shopping mall, she said.

Officer Ding Weike, 24, said dealing with drunks is one of the most common duties for police officers at the station as the area has a lot of bars.

There are all kinds of disputes and fighting. People behave irrationally after getting drunk and sometimes they even attack police, so it is important officers learn how to defend themselves, he said.

"I usually restrain suspects when I sense that they are about to attack me or others," he said.

"However, that is not to say that we are under attack all the time. Generally speaking, police officers are well-respected and loved by the people, thanks to the dedicated work of countless officers around the country."

Fan favorites

Ding appeared in the fifth season of the series, and as one of the station's new and younger faces he became a fan favorite.

Qi Xiangyu appeared in season three of the series and was an instant hit with viewers, mostly because of his good looks.

However, when he was being filmed, it was the first year of his police career, and the busy workload at Pozijie station almost broke him mentally.

When people seek help from the police, it is often at their most vulnerable times and they are sometimes hysterical. It is difficult for new police officers to not be affected by such situations, while trying to contain their own emotions and remain professional, he said.

"As the cases kept coming, whenever I was on duty there was no time for me to have a mental lapse or feel sorry for myself," he said. "There is nothing I can do. Emotion is a luxury at Pozijie."

Xiang Yifeng, 25, another popular police officer, said for young officers it is important for them to have all the facts and evidence before talking to a suspect if they want to obtain a confession to an alleged crime.

"I try to show my authoritative side in front of them, communicate with them with firsthand evidence, and respect them, so they are not dismissive of me," he said.

However, he is also acutely aware police officers cannot be everywhere at once.

For example, some underage offenders from broken homes tend to repeatedly commit minor crimes, as they know they are protected by the Law on Protection of Minors. There is not much that the police can do in these situations, Xiang said.

As a mother of two young children, Wu said she pays special attention to cases involving minors.

She has dealt with cases of children stealing at a very young age, and it is heartbreaking for her, she said.

"You just realize that not everyone is fortunate to be born into a happy family and small children are able to do bad things under the persuasion of others," she said.

Therefore, it is very important for police to talk and educate them as early as possible. Many of them are still afraid of the police and what they say matters to them, she said. "However, we are not their savior and we can only do so much," she said.

Qi now handles criminal investigations, but due to the popularity of the show he is sometimes recognized by members of the public while he is undercover.

"I do not consider myself a celebrity, and fame does not add much to the career of a police officer professionally, who are recognized and validated by their professional skills," he said.

Qi said his police career at the station and in criminal investigations has enabled him to understand the true complexity of humanity and society, so he does not judge anyone on first appearances. "I have seen too much and what is aired in the documentary is much less exciting and subdued than what is happening to real police officers," he said.

The profession has forced him to grow, and Qi believes he is much more realistic and mature than people of a similar age.

"There is still much to learn from seasoned police officers, but us in the younger generation are using new ways and information technology in assisting criminal investigations," he said.

zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn