In the early hours of Feb 4, with a blizzard raging outside, a pregnant woman in a remote location in Yiling district called the emergency services because she felt she was going into labor.

The Sandouping Police Station took the call from Huajipo village on Huangniu Rock Mountain at 2:53 am. Clearly, the woman needed immediate medical attention.

Huajipo village is 800 meters up a mountain. After several days of continuous snowfall, the roads were icy.

An ambulance took off for the village but the weather conditions forced it to stop on the main road, 8 kilometers from the woman's home. Medical workers set out on foot while the woman's family members and fellow villagers walked with her towards the ambulance.

A police car also headed to the scene while officers talked to the pregnant woman on the phone. "It's too cold outside. Find a place to shelter. We're on our way," they told the woman and her family.

At 3:30 am, the police picked up the medics and they all headed towards the village. But the road was so steep and icy that even the police car, better-equipped for the treacherous conditions, could only advance another three kilometers. Police, medics and a doctor then went on foot, carrying medical equipment.

At 4:58 am, after a 40-minute trek in the biting air, the two groups met up and the woman was able to get into police car under the doctor's watchful eye.

At 5:30 am, the pregnant woman was transferred to the ambulance and driven to the nearest hospital, where she was treated. Later that same day she was able to return home in a stable condition.