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Fran Lu

A food and drink tycoon in China has become mired in controversy for forcing new employees undergo “devil” military training.
The company, Jinmailang, which is based in northern China’s Hebei province, put 76 newly recruited management trainees through a tough seven-day training regime at a military base.
One participant told the media outlet China Philanthropist that they were required to do 80 push-ups the moment they arrived at the base.
The descriptor “devil” is widely used in China for military training of a harsh nature.
People were also instructed to do hundreds of deep squats, weight trekking for 60 kilometres and to climb mountains without supplies.

They were also asked to go to the homes of strangers to ask for small change and a meal, which was packaged as “urban survival” training.
A participant posted on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu that some people suffered heatstroke during the training.
The military base said the exercises were intended to foster “team working spirit”, and they were challenging because the company was training them to be “future leaders”.
It claimed medical staff were on standby and that no participant was forced to finish the training.
However, the base removed the training video it had posted on its social media account.
Observers on mainland social media refused to accept the explanation. They called it “gaslighting” and “obedience training”.
“It is so difficult for young people to get a proper job,” said one person on Weibo.
China’s jobless rate for the 16-24 age group, excluding college students, was 14.7 per cent in May, a drop from 15.3 per cent in April.
On mainland social media, new graduates were anxious about their future, saying they would compromise with 996 work culture – working 9am to 9pm, six days a week, and less pay to secure a place in the competitive job market.
Management trainees, who are usually new university graduates, are attracted to what seem like promising jobs with future management positions.

Chinese law requires university students to receive basic military training, generally lasting a few days. Company employees are not required to receive such training.
It is illegal for employees to be physically punished by the company.
Jinmailang had not reacted to the controversy at the time of writing.
Founded in 1994, it is one of China’s largest food and drink companies.
It has 25 factories and about 30,000 staff members across the nation.
The firm was listed as China’s top 500 private enterprises in the manufacturing industry in 2023 after it generated 19 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion) revenue the previous year.


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New recruits forced to endure tough 7-day regime that includes deep squats, push-ups and asking strangers for money


One of China’s biggest food and drink companies has come under fire for putting its management trainees through a tough physical training regime at an army base.


Top China food firm under fire over harsh ‘devil’ military training for new staff

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}New recruits forced to endure tough 7-day regime that includes deep squats, push-ups and asking strangers for money

New recruits forced to endure tough 7-day regime that includes deep squats, push-ups and asking strangers for money