Guardians of the plateau

Even decades later, it still makes the audience's skin crawl to witness the dangers faced by those who fought Tibetan antelope poachers.

In an early scene from Born to Be Alive — a hit television drama set in the high-altitude wilderness of Qinghai province during the 1990s — a policewoman and her companion, a mountain patroller, stop their truck in the dead of night. They fear they have accidentally struck a Tibetan antelope.

But what they find is far worse. Nearby, a herd of antelopes lies slaughtered, their bodies strewn across the frozen ground. Then the darkness ignites. Headlights from half a dozen trucks blaze to life, their beams cutting through the night. Poachers, rifles raised, have them surrounded. Gunshots ring out. The patroller collapses into a pool of blood.

As one of the most popular TV dramas this year, the program — inspired by the real-life stories of environmental defenders Sonam Dargye and his brother-in-law Drakpa Dorje, and others dedicated to the land — has amassed over 7.3 billion views of its episodes and related content since its premiere on China Central Television's CCTV-8 and streaming site iQiyi earlier this year.

An ethnic Tibetan who returned to his hometown to work as a county official, Sonam Dargye organized China's first armed anti-poaching team in 1992. Over 540 days, he and his team made 12 expeditions into the uninhabited wilds of Hoh Xil, or Kekexili, breaking up eight poaching gangs, seizing 12 vehicles, and confiscating more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

In 1994, he was ambushed while escorting captured poachers. After a fierce gunfight in which he faced 18 armed criminals alone, he was fatally shot. After his death, Drakpa Dorje carried on his legacy, reorganizing the team and naming it the "Wild Yak Brigade" — a name symbolizing that despite yaks being gentle-natured animals, they will fight back fearlessly if their territory is invaded.

The TV series stars actor Hu Ge as Dorje, a county deputy head inspired by the two real-life heroes, and actress Yang Zi as Bai Ju, a police officer tasked with escorting captured poachers and handling logistics for Dorje's mountain patrol team. After initial misunderstandings, the two grow closer and join forces with fellow team members to track down poachers. However, tragedy strikes when Dorje goes missing during a mission, prompting Bai to embark on a 17-year journey to uncover the truth behind his disappearance.