Tag Archives: Guangdong

All Men Are Same!




BT. V. Antony Raj


The traditional Chinese New year holiday is absolutely the worst time to travel anywhere in China when millions head home to spend the traditional Chinese New year holiday at their parental homes, and railway stations like Guangzhou in Guangdong, a province in South China, see around 175,000 passengers daily.

The phrase “All Men Are Same!” was coined after a Chinese woman lost her husband in a crowd during the festive season.

It was a nightmare for the Chinese woman and her husband to reach their cosy hotel in an alleyway off the main tourist thoroughfare. They had to push and shove their way through the thick crowd of people who all looked the same, and got separated.

She desperately searched for her husband and ultimately went with a man to his home who too had lost his partner in the crowd.

Wisdom Gleaned from the Bank Robbery in Guangzhou



By T. V. Antony Raj

Do you know that we can learn a lot from robberies, especially bank robberies?

Guangzhou, known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in China. It still has one of the highest crime rates in the country.

Even way back on August 25, 2006, He Jing, the deputy director of the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Public Security declared: “Robberies are still a big public security problem in Guangzhou.”

“The number of robbery cases that involved breaking into local houses has also witnessed a growth this year, threatening local people’s lives and properties,” the official added.

On the brighter side, we can glean the wisdom of the Chinese and learn a lot from these robberies.


There was this bank robbery in Guangzhou


Well, there was this bank robbery in Guangzhou enacted by two robbers. The older guy, the leader, had only primary school education while the younger one was an MBA graduate.

As the two robbers barged in, the leader shouted: “All don’t move, lie down on the floor. The money belongs to the state, life belongs to you“.

Everyone in the bank laid down quietly.

Lesson: This is called “Mind Changing Concept –> Changing the conventional way of thinking”.

One middle-aged woman lay provocatively on the floor. The young robber hollered: “Madam, please behave. This is a bank, not a motel. We have come to rob the bank not to rape you!”

Lesson: This is called “Being Professional –> Focus only on what you are trained to do!”

On returning to their hideout after the robbery the young man said: “Uncle, shall we count and find out how much we got?”

The older robber rebutted and said: “Are you stupid? There is so much money and how can we count them? Tonight, news on TV will tell us how much we robbed from the bank!”

Lesson: This is called “Experience –> Currently experience is more important than paper qualifications!”

At the same time, after the robbers left, the bank manager asked the bank supervisor to call the police. The supervisor, being a wise person says: “Boss, wait. Let us add the 5 million CNY (Chinese Yuan Renminbi, the official currency of the People’s Republic of China) you and I embezzled hitherto into the amount the robbers robbed”.

Lesson: This is called “Swim with the tide –> converting an unfavourable situation to your advantage!”

The bank manager chuckled and said “Splendid idea. Won’t it be good if there is a robbery every month?”

Lesson: This is called “Killing boredom –> Happiness is most important.”

That night and on the following day, TV news reported that the bank was robbed of 500 million CNY.

At first, the robbers were elated. However, they started counting to verify before they divided the spoil among themselves. To their consternation, they counted only 100 million CNY.

The older robber remarked: “We risked our lives for 500 million CNY, but the bank manager took 400 million without straining a muscle. I think it’s better to be educated than be a thief!”

Lesson: This is called “Knowledge is worth as much as gold!”

The bank manager was smiling and happy because his embezzlement and subsequent purchase of SINOPEC (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation) shares under his wife’s name were now covered by this robbery.

Lesson: This is called “Seizing the opportunity –> daring to take risks!”

Now, tell me who are the real robbers in this episode?



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