Why Chinese billionaires are hiring elite female bodyguards.

China’s booming billionaire population has developed a penchant for personal bodyguards, who often serve as status symbols as well as muscle.

Female guards, valued for their covert presence, precision, and elegance, are in particularly high demand at the moment.

Take a look at Beijing’s Yun Hai bodyguard training school to see how this fierce fighting force is trained.

The booming market for elite female bodyguards:

Chen Yongqing, the academy’s founder and former bodyguard, said he spotted an opening and decided to jump on what has become a booming market.

In 2013, China had 317 billionaires (in U.S. dollars), second only to the United States, according to a ranking compiled by the Hurun Report, a Chinese version of Forbes’ rich list.

“We not only give our bodyguards physical training, they are also provided training on things like wine tasting so that they can communicate effectively with their bosses,” he said.

“They not only serve as bodyguards, but sometimes as a boss’ personal assistant.”

Chen says that the number of female students is on the rise, adding that woman bodyguards have an advantage over their male counterparts, particularly as the number of female millionaires and billionaires increases.

“Female bodyguards are more appealing to female employers or family members of male employers,” he said.

Yang says that employers prefer female bodyguards because they don’t stand out.

“It’s easier for us to hide. People don’t realize we are bodyguards,” she says.

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“Some guys are really tall; you can easily tell that he is a bodyguard. Also, girls tend to be better at taking care of people.”

She is reluctant to divulge any details about her own boss, saying “loyalty is everything” in her job.

The training, which last for three weeks and costs up to 12,800 yuan ($2,100), is not for the faint-hearted and attracts women from different backgrounds.

Brutal training

Recent graduates Xu Si and Zhang Min both aspired to join the military when they were younger, but worked in sales and teaching before they became bodyguards.

Xu describes the training as brutal. In the first few days, she had to crawl through mud and jump into freezing water.

“I was trembling, and an 18-year boy quit in the middle,” said Xu, adding that the other female recruits were her biggest encouragement.

Others enroll simply for the experience.

Dong, a white-collar professional who only gave her family name, told CNN that she hasn’t decided whether she wants to be a bodyguard, but she believes the experience was valuable, allowing her to learn to be tough and persistent.
[source : cnn.com]