Chinese firm sparks buzz after handing employees Rs 239 crore in bonuses; viral video shows workers counting cash: WATCH

Cui Peijun, the company’s chairman, added to the spectacle by calling out to the finance team during the show. “Why are we giving out washing machines? Do you think gold prices have gone up? In previous years, we gave necklaces and rings. Bring up the cash and give everyone another 20,000 yuan ($2,800),” he was quoted by the Post as saying.

Watch the video:

A Chinese CEO reportedly placed 180 million yuan — about $26 million in cash — across 800 tables and invited his 7,000 employees to take what they could. He said many young workers are burdened by mortgages, car loans, and rising living costs, and that they need tangible support… pic.twitter.com/xrFYmGDlh0

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 26, 2026

Founded in September 2002, the company manufactures cranes and material-handling equipment and operates in more than 130 countries. Cui reportedly controls around 98.88 per cent of the firm’s shares.

The South China Morning Post reported that, including bonuses issued through online channels, total payouts crossed 180 million yuan. With the firm reporting profits of 270 million yuan in 2025, nearly 70 per cent of those earnings were shared with its workforce of about 7,000 employees.

The generous payouts are not a one-off. According to the South China Morning Post, the company posted net profits of 260 million yuan and distributed 170 million yuan to staff in 2024. It also handed nearly 1.6 million yuan in bonuses to 2,000 women employees on International Women’s Day last year.

The spectacle has fuelled lively discussion online.

One user suggested, “He could have just divided the money equally and deposited it into their accounts.” Another wrote, “Cool stunt, but it’s also a billboard. If your workers are drowning in mortgages, the fix is boring: higher base pay, profit sharing, and lower housing costs. Not a cash scramble for the cameras.”

Others were more impressed. “That’s leadership people remember. Real help, real cash, not speeches. Even in China, workers know results matter more than slogans,” read one comment.

A fourth user added, “That’s dramatic optics but also a quiet admission of economic strain. When a CEO dumps cash on tables, it’s because wages and cost of living aren’t aligning. Powerful gesture. Structural fix? Not quite.”