Crouching guard, hidden danger for China security firms In sub-zero winter cold, trainees at an army base outside Beijing wake before dawn to practise martial arts and evasive driving, while a Portuguese ex-special forces soldier barks commands. roughly 40-strong group -- mostly with previous military experience -- are on a commercial training course to become elite bodyguards protecting Chinese firms as they seek ever more resources and contracts in some of the world's most unstable regions. Images and soundbites.