A few days ago, a series of pictures from inside the first bodyguard school in Beijing have been published through the internet. You can see the pictures here. The school was founded by a former soldier called Chen Yongqing, and this is turning into a success story. Chen charges around RMB 500,000 a year for protection and this has become a rising trend among China’s elite to show bodyguards around them.
The company is called Tianjiao and is so successful that it might go throygh an IPO, this is as well the first Chinese bodyguard company. According to Chen, many of his clients want to have a bodyguard around just to show status, rather than because they really fear for their life. There is almost no kidnapping and related attacks in China, but some might fear it will come, so better be prepared. Maybe because of a widening gap between the richest people in China and the poor, some isolated incidents have been reported, but still, this would be something very new in China.
The company has hired professional trainers from other countries such as Israel and Russia, but it mainly depending on former Chinese militaries. There seem to be an endless source of good professionals coming from the retiring people of the Chinese army who don’t always have good reconversion choices. This school is a great opportunity for them. It seems that the Chinese army is satisfied with the scheme as well of having former soldiers embrace a new career such as bodyguard. Annual revenues hit a 100 million RMB last year, quite an achievement.
There is around 70 students enrolled at the academy, they are preparing for bodyguard missions both at home and abroad. Only the top students can join the related company, called Genghis Security Adviser in english. The 250 employees mostly work in China but deals have been signed in Africa and South America. Chinese companies are more and more enrolled abroad in some dangerous fields, such as mining in Africa where incidents have occurred. There is need of Chinese bodyguards, Mr. Chen has found a market niche. Even the department of foreign affairs has encouraged Chinese people to tale precautions when they go abroad in dangerous areas.
There is a whole new economic sector in China, including protecting ships from pirates, Mr. Chen is not that isolated. In mainland China, there is strong restrictions about firearms when the company is not state owned, and the practice is complicated as well. This is a growing industry, and certainly the training looks impressive.
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