ALTHOUGH reality TV has flourished in China for years, audiences are no longer satisfied with simple singing and dancing competitions. They want something more about emotions and humanity.

A documentary-style reality genre is now booming. These shows take lens at the experiences of ordinary people in special circumstances. Telling real-life stories around people, the genre is expected to become a new fad of domestic TV.

One of the productions, “The Story in ER,” has been widely hailed by critics, medical staff and netizens in Shanghai since its debut on Dragon TV on December 26.

Set in the emergency room of Shanghai No. 6 People’s Hospital, the series documents the laughs, tears, pain and stress people experience in the ER. From the perspectives of both patients and medical staff, the show also displays the current situation of China’s health-care system.

According to Wang Xinyi, director of the series, shooting started in October with 78 remotely controlled cameras in the hospital’s wards and lounges.

“This is a series of courage and understanding because all the true feelings and conditions in the emergency room are recorded in 24 hours,” Wang says. “We don’t have any script for the show. All that we want to present is truth and authenticity.”

Wang and her team are so close to these emergencies, facing blood and death along with the medical staff, that most of them also suffer anxiety and fatigue. Some take pills to help them sleep. Psychologists have been invited to ease the stress and anxiety of the production team.

In each episode of the weekly series, Wang Tao, director of the Emergency Department at Shanghai No. 6 People’s Hospital, also shares with the audience basic emergency treatment for stroke, suffocation and severe bleeding.

“Very soon we got used to the remotely controlled cameras,” says Wang. “When an emergency occurs, we do not have time to think about how we appear on the screen.

“In some way, the series can help ease medical disputes, improve mutual understanding and lubricate the relations between physicians and patients in China,” Wang notes.

A lot of viewers were moved by the medical team’s effort to save a man’s life using a cardiac defibrillator. Also, they worked out a treatment option that managed to retain the leg of an 11-year-old boy who was severely hurt in a traffic accident.

“Compared with reality talent competitions, this show is more heartwarming and genuine,” says Jessica Lu, an administrative assistant and TV fan.

“The series has inspired me to reconsider the way I live. When a family is hit by unexpected pain and suffering, what people really care about will not be money or fame, but only life. I will spend much more time with my family, cherish the love I have, and cherish the life I live,” she says.

“The Story in ER” is not the first reality TV show that Wang’s team has produced in a hospital. Last year, they also presented the sensational series “Come On, Baby,” which stirred up lots of controversies among viewers.

The series’ airing on Shenzhen Satellite TV was postponed by authorities until last month as its first episode depicting births — which debuted on May 9 last year — was criticized as frightening and gory. It was set in the Shanghai Red House Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital.

The newly revised series has cut off many scenes depicting screaming mothers writhing in the pain of giving birth. It focuses more on the touching family stories behind birthing, eschewing the emphasis on pain and blood.

Zeng Rong, producer of both “The Story in ER” and “Come On, Baby,” notes that the genre of documentary-style reality TV series requires more efforts to protect the privacy of participants. Bloody scenes of emergency operations have been blurred while the moan of patients has been processed. So far, more than 120 emergency patients have given their permission to be documented in “The Story in ER.”

“The 15 of Us,” another highly anticipated show in this genre, is now recruiting participants from all over the country, attracting more than 55,000 people so far. Fifteen of them will be selected to live together in a mountainous area for a year. They will have only a shed, an old-fashioned telephone, two cows, several chickens and a small amount of money.

The series will be airing from March on Dragon TV. It will be the first reality series to be shown daily and run throughout a whole year.

Li Mengying, a director on the show, calls the series one of the biggest productions of the city-based channel. To guarantee the safety of participants, a medical team will be standing by.

“With inadequate goods and funds, it will be an experimental yet exciting attempt in this genre of reality TV,” says Li. “We want to explore and display more facets of humanity as well as true emotions.”

Rules about living in a big city will be broken and new potentials of the applicants will be discovered, Li says. “They might appear to be very different from the general impression of them.”

Many of the applicants are city dwellers who don’t have much experience living in the wild. The final 15 contestants will be of different ages and varied backgrounds.

The show is also referred to as the Chinese version of “The Truman Show.” But in Li’s opinion, “The Truman Show” was a little bit depressing, while “‘The 15 of Us’ aims to convey a positive energy of perseverance and teamwork.”

The flourishing of documentary-style reality series in China is not a big surprise, experts say. This genre of reality TV can feature both celebrities and grass-roots people.

Professor Wu Gang, a TV and film expert from East China Normal University, notes that rapid economic development and social changes in China have raised concerns about living, love, career and relationships. TV shows dealing with these issues can relate to the emotions and concerns of audiences.

“People can easily project their feelings onto the characters,” Wu says. “However, it takes a lot of time and effort to present a really good and in-depth one. TV producers should spend much time on early surveys and research to learn what Chinese audiences truly need.”

• “The Story in ER”

Every Friday, 10pm, Dragon TV

• “Come On, Baby”

Every Friday, 9pm, Shenzhen Satellite TV

• “The 15 of Us”

Daily, from March, Dragon TV