Chinese national flag guards on Tiananmen Square recently finished a formation challenge on a reality TV show, and the stories behind their stunning performance moved the guest presenters to tears.

The challenge required the 36 guards to stand on exact points after taking 100 goose steps and 100 marching steps in formation.

It was the first time for the national flag guards to accept such a challenge after completing more than 25,000 national flag-raising missions on Tiananmen Square.

Upon perfect team play, the 36 guards arrived at the designated points with high precision. Their performance has won both applause and respect from viewers and the guest presenters.

Yang Bo, who has been a flag raiser for seven years, can only use his left hand to handle chopsticks, because his right arm has become stiff and numb after repeatedly raising the five-kilogram flag.

Twenty-four-year-old flag carrier Zhang Zixuan burst into tears when seeing his parents on a video call to the filming studio. He has not visited them during the Spring Festival for his entire seven-year military career due to his missions on Tiananmen Square.

Zhang’s father said he has hung a national flag on top of his house, explaining that seeing the flag is like seeing his son.

Chinese swimming superstar Sun Yang was one of the guest presenters. He was moved to tears by the selfless guards. Dong Qing, another guest presenter and a hostess of China Central Television, said it is one’s honor to improve the country’s image through his efforts.