Over four years ago, director Hui Kaidong first laid eyes on the script of the TV series We Are Criminal Police, and was immediately drawn to its authentic and unembellished storytelling.

Commissioned by the News Media Center of the Ministry of Public Security, the program stirred his memories of a critically acclaimed 1999 drama based on a real-life case — which involved a police officer's tragic death in a car crash — leading to the theft of his service pistol and triggering a gripping sequence of events in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in 1997.

Hui, a seasoned veteran with over two decades in the television industry, previously worked as a cinematographer on the series. Since then, he nurtured a long-held aspiration to direct his own crime series.

"When I was filming the 1990s drama, I lived with the police officers who solved the case in Xi'an for several months. This experience left a deep impression on me regarding their dedication to safeguarding our people and society, sometimes risking their own lives," recalls Hui.

As an example, Hui recounts how the officers would often mention that they were on call even at night. "Whenever the phone rang, they would promptly get up and inform their wives or families, 'I need to go.' However, they never knew when they would return or if they would make it back home at all," he adds.