Splattered with dirt, students at China’s Tianjiao bodyguard school huddle together for warmth as they sleep during a break in high-intensity training.
Studying at the academy on the outskirts of Beijing is not for the faint-hearted. Trainees go through gruelling exercises, and can find themselves crawling through mud or being drenched with water as they are taught to protect China’s rich and famous.
14 Dec 2013 . BEIJING, China. REUTERS/Jason Lee
A group of students trains with replica 95 semi-automatic rifles at Tianjiao, a company run by ex-soldier Chen Yongqing.
Chen says the school is China's first professional academy to coach former soldiers and others as bodyguards.
The business has hired trainers from Israel and Russia, and is looking to France and Britain as well, Chen said, although it also works closely with the Chinese military.
14 Dec 2013 . BEIJING, China. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Zhang, a businessman pictured here with his wife and three-year-old son, now employs 18 bodyguards from Tianjiao.
"Apart from the security in my company, they are also responsible for the safety of my family," Zhang said. "Society is not stable nowadays."
14 Dec 2013 . BEIJING, China. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Chen, pictured here during a group dinner with his students, says that his company’s customers have changed over time.
"When we started our business, most of our clients were celebrities," Chen said. "Most of our clients now are rich entrepreneurs. It's all related to their business because I think bodyguards are also a status symbol."
Chen charges 500,000 yuan ($82,400) a year for each protector and says his company is doing so well that he is considering a stock market listing.