A restaurant owner in China has won widespread online admiration after gifting brand-new BMW cars to two of her best-performing employees, moved by the sight of them braving bitter cold on electric scooters during their daily commute.
According to the South China Morning Post, Ma Yanli, who owns a beef hotpot restaurant chain headquartered in Jiaozuo, in central China’s Henan province, bought the luxury cars as a gesture of appreciation for her staff. The vehicles, each costing around 300,000 yuan (approximately $45,000 or Rs 40 lakh), were purchased in full about two weeks before the employees collected them on September 24.
One of the recipients, Li Jie, was overwhelmed by the unexpected gift.
“I am so thrilled! I dared not think about this before,” Li was quoted as saying. Recalling the journey to the BMW showroom, she added, “On the way to the BMW showroom, Boss Ma just told me she would gift me a big toy.”
A new white BMW was registered in Li’s name the same day, without her having to pay anything. Ma did not ask her to sign an agreement in return for the gift.
Why did the Chinese boss gift BMWs to her employees?
The idea reportedly came to Ma last winter when she saw Li arriving at work after riding her electric scooter through the freezing weather. Li’s face was red from the cold, her ears had turned purple, and her hands were stiff from the chilly wind.
Li had worked at the restaurant for eight years.
The sight left Ma thinking about the difference between her own comfortable commute and the conditions her employees endured.
“I said to myself: I can sit in my car and enjoy warmth and convenience during transportation. Why can’t she?” Ma said.
The restaurateur, who has spent two decades in the catering industry, said her business’s success was the result of collective effort.
“I have achieved success in my career. But my company’s prosperity is attributed to the collective efforts of all my employees. So I must let my workers also benefit from the success of my company,” she added.
Another employee, Liu Yingying, received a grey BMW. “My boss told me you work hard and your performance is excellent. You deserve this car,” Liu told the media.
BMW gifts are not her first reward for employees
Ma has reportedly built a reputation for rewarding her staff, regularly giving them cash bonuses and daily essentials during traditional Chinese festivals.
Her gesture has also drawn attention to other generous employers in China. Cui Peijun, chairman of Henan Kuangshan Crane Company, reportedly distributed 180 million yuan ($27 million) in bonuses to employees before the Spring Festival last year. The amount was equivalent to about two-thirds of the company’s profits in the previous year.
Cui also gives each of his 2,000 female employees 800 yuan on International Women’s Day and provides a yearly subsidy to rural employees to help their families with the harvest.
Ma’s decision to gift luxury cars, however, stands out for the personal reason behind it: seeing a hardworking employee struggle in the cold prompted her to share the success of her business in a tangible way.