A Chinese firm has set aside a staggering $26 million in cash for its annual year-end celebration, giving employees the chance to take home as much money as they can physically carry.

Henan Kuangshan Crane hosted its extravagant party on February 13, displaying the hefty cash sum across 800 banquet tables.

In the glow of vibrant lights, employees dressed in suits were seen eagerly eyeing the stacks of cash laid out before them.

The event reportedly drew a crowd of approximately 7,000 attendees, showcasing the company’s penchant for grand celebrations.

As reported by the Korean newspaper Chosun Daily, one particularly fortunate employee managed to leave the party with a remarkable $13,000 in cash.

Addressing the event, the company’s leader, Cui Peijun, humorously questioned the traditional gift choices, saying, “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 said of the unusual method of handing out bonuses: ‘Some people ask why we don’t just transfer the money to their accounts, but that way, it’s just cold numbers.’

A Chinese company has piled up $26million in cash for its end-of-year party, allowing employees to go home with as much as they can carry

An estimated 7,000 people attended the company’s lavish celebration

The firm’s boss, Cui Peijun, said: ‘Some people ask why we don’t just transfer the money to their accounts, but that way, it’s just cold numbers’

Cui holds 98.88 percent of the company’s shares, effectively returning a major portion of his dividends to employees. 

The company, which makes and hires out cranes, was set up in 2002 and has business operations in over 130 countries. 

It has a history of generosity towards its employees.  

In 2024, the company recorded a net profit of $38million, of which around $24million was given to employees. 

In 2023, the firm gave $8.5million to its 40 highest-performing workers, with the three best salespeople each earning $730,000.  

To celebrate International Women’s Day last March, it awarded bonuses totaling nearly $230,000 to nearly 2,000 female employees. 

Peijun has previously spoken out about his motivation for giving out so much money to his staff: ‘It is not that I love giving out money, it is that young people are burdened with car loans and mortgages and any relief we can offer helps.’

In 2022, he gave away $4.7million to over 4,000 university students from low-income backgrounds. 

Workers were seen counting out huge sums of money given to them by the crane company 

According to the South China Morning Post, Peijun himself was forced to cut his own education short as his family could not afford the fees. 

He said of his act of charity: ‘Poverty should not be passed down to the next generation. They shouldn’t be stopped from attending school because of poor living conditions.’

According to data from the World Bank, China has consistently outperformed both the UK and US in terms of GDP growth every year since 1977. 

In 2024, China achieved a 5 percent annual growth. The US saw a 2.8 percent growth, while the UK saw a paltry 1.1 percent increase in GDP. 

The IMF said in its World Economic Outlook in January that while the UK is expected to grow just 1.3 percent in 2026, China is set to grow by 4.5 percent. 

Despite this, China’s GDP per capita is still significantly lower than both the UK and US. 

The metric is often used as a measure of the standard of living in a nation. 

While the US currently has a GDP per capita of $84,534 and the UK has one of $53,246, China is far behind at just $13,303. 

But while China and the US have consistently seen their quality of life rise since at least 1968, the UK has been in a nearly two-decade stint of stagnation. 

Britain’s last peak was in 2007, just before the global financial crisis, when its GDP per capita was $50,629. 

It wasn’t until 2024 that this was surpassed.