Second line of defence: Taiwan’s civilians train to resist invasion

Workshops teach public first aid and prepare them to assist armed forces in event of attack by China

On a quiet workday morning last week, air raid sirens rang out across Taiwan. The eerie wailing horn would be the first warning to the island's 23.5 million residents of an incoming attack by their neighbour across the Taiwan Strait, the People's Republic of China.

On the streets of the capital, Taipei, people carried on with their day, just as they did when an earthquake drill on Friday told them to stop, drop and hide" in mass text alerts, and just as they do when China sends dozens of air force planes screeching towards Taiwan.