Chinese crane manufacturer Henan Kuangshan Crane Co. handed out millions in year-end cash bonuses during a Lunar New Year gala on February 13th. About 7,000 employees filled a banquet hall with 800 tables as stacks of cash were brought out for a “cash-grab” segment. Staffers were given 15 minutes to tally notes and keep whatever they could count. Video from the event showed participants struggling to carry thick wads of bills, and one employee was said to have collected 100,000 yuan (approximately $13,000) in a single run. The company also issued other bonuses digitally, pushing total payouts to nearly 70% of the previous year’s net profit.
The company said the 2025 bonus pool exceeded 180 million yuan (about $26 million) out of roughly 270 million yuan (about $37–38 million) in net profit. That followed a 2024 allocation of 170 million yuan (approximately $24 million) from a net profit of about 260 million yuan (approximately $38 million). Chairman Cui Peijun also gave each employee an additional 20,000 yuan (about $2,800) as part of the celebration. In March 2025, the firm marked International Women’s Day by awarding 195,000 euro (about 1.5 million yuan) in bonuses shared among 2,000 female employees, after distributing about 1.6 million yuan (roughly 206,000–230,000 euros) to nearly 2,000 women on the same occasion the prior year. In 2023, the company awarded $8.5 million to its top 40 performers.
“Poverty should not be passed on”
Cui, who owns 98.88% of the company, said he switched from other businesses to crane manufacturing in 2002 after starting out in 1987. By 2024, his crane group reported tens of billions of yuan in revenue while exporting to 122 countries. Today, Henan Kuangshan Crane - also known as Henan Mine Machinery or Henan Mining Equipment - manufactures and leases cranes and material-handling equipment and says it operates in more than 130 countries worldwide. He has become known among Chinese netizens as “the boss who loves giving out money the most,” a nickname that tracked with this year’s onstage distributions and with his directive to use cash rather than consumer goods for rewards. “In previous years, we gave necklaces and rings. Why would we give washing machines? Bring cash and give it to everyone,” Cui said. “Poverty should not be passed on to the next generation,” he added, according to the Mirror.
The cash-heavy celebration prompted waves of online envy, but company leaders framed the move as practical support for workers. Cui explained his motivation: “It is not that I love giving out money. It is that young people today are burdened with car loans and mortgages. Any help we can offer improves their lives.” He also defended the decision to hand out physical cash rather than wire the money. “Some people ask, ‘Why not just send it to a card account?’ but money coming to a card is just cold numbers,” he said, and he instructed the finance team to avoid prizes like washing machines in favor of larger cash awards, the outlet reported, according to the Korea Economic Daily.https://youtube.com/shorts/HVMhuHGxzKM?si=Km6UeYeK3tcGWnKg