Trainees create a ‘sand storm’ as the morning training concludes

Trainees navigate sewage-contaminated water. Over six days and five nights, the volunteers to enter the ARP have to endure everything from long marches to hours in the water, with constant screaming by their instructors

Trainees sleep outside on a rough concrete floor. They may only end up with five minutes of sleep, huddled together on the floor under light green blankets, awoken with shrill whistle blasts

Trainees eat spiced garlic with their meal. Every six hours they have a one-hour break. In that time they have to eat – scarfing down bulbs of garlic to boost their immune systems

A trainer shouts at a trainee who cannot keep up with the exercises. ‘Are you a sleeping beauty? Are you skipping out on class?’ a trainer shouts at the wiry men, who have barely slept in days

A trainee dressed in camouflage wades through sewage-contaminated water

Ou Zhi-Xuan, 25, cries in pain as a fellow trainee helps him stretch

Ma Shuo-Fu, a trainee, is encouraged to stay on the program by his fellow trainees

Trainees do push-ups during a smoke bomb simulation

Trainees are sprayed with water to keep them awake

Wu Yu-wei, 26, cries as two fellow trainees leave the program. He says he considers it a ‘personal challenge’ to complete the course

Liu Zi-Xian, 25, has his blood pressure measured in an ambulance after falling ill

Xie Bo-Jun embraces his father after passing the course. Once across the ‘road to heaven’ finish line, and congratulated by Marine Corps commander Wang Jui-lin, the stress of the past week is too much for some of the marines, who burst into tears in the arms of proud family members invited to see them graduate