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Millions of people on mainland social media have been reading the story of a Chinese man who won the prize of a year off work with pay at his company’s annual dinner with a tinge of envy. Photo: SCMP composite/Baidu

365 days of paid leave won by Chinese man at company dinner sends social media abuzz with excitement discussing if winner should encash or enjoy prize

  • Winner of ‘special’ award says it is the first time in his 14 years with the firm that he has scooped top prize at annual party
  • Shocked boss said he only put up the prize because he thought the odds of anyone winning it were so long

A lucky Chinese man has become the envy of 250 million people on mainland social media after he won a year off work with pay at an annual company dinner.

The April 9 event, in southern China’s Guangdong province, was the firm’s first annual party in three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, the boss decided to surprise everyone with a special prize, a member of staff from the company’s administrative department, surnamed Chen, told Daxiang News.

However, Chen said the boss was shocked when someone won it because he thought the odds were so low.

Another member of staff, surnamed Song, said the chance of hitting the jackpot was one in a thousand.

The lucky winner has worked for the company since he graduated 14 years ago. Photo: Baidu

Cash prizes were also up for grabs but they amounted to little compared with 365 days of paid leave.

A colleague of the winner, surnamed Li, posted a video of the man holding a cardboard resembling a cheque with “365 days paid leave” written on it, adding he was still clinging onto it long after the party was over.

Chen said the winner held a management-level position in the company and said his only question after scooping the prize was: “Who is going to do my work?”

The lucky man, surnamed Lu, later said on the video app Douyin that he has worked at the imported food company since his graduation from school 14 years ago. This was the first time he had won the top prize at the annual party.

Lu said the company let him choose between taking the 365 days off with full pay or receiving an extra yearly payment without taking the vacation.

The paid-leave-winning worker’s story has been viewed 250 million times on Weibo. Photo: Shutterstock

After Lu’s story topped Weibo’s hot search ranking list and had been viewed 250 million times by April 12, many online suggested Lu take the cash instead of the vacation.

Some worried that he “might find himself replaced or even out of work after resting for a year”.

Lu said he was still considering his options, adding that he had found his job “tiring” in recent years and could use the prize as an opportunity to spend some quality time with his family.

He said he trusted his company and did not fear they would use his good fortune as an excuse to kick him out.

Lu’s success is one of the few happy workplace stories to hit the headlines in China recently.

Earlier this month, a company in eastern China’s Zhejiang province reportedly awarded thousands of yuan to employees who show up for work first and stay the latest.

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