Yunnan Rural Credit Cooperatives Union (referred to as Yunnan Agricultural Credit Cooperative) released a campus recruitment announcement for 2026, but due to unusually strict and irrelevant additional requirements (such as requiring women to be 175cm tall), it sparked a backlash on social media. Netizens likened such tailored recruitment conditions to a “radish recruitment.”
The original recruitment announcement included requirements under the “other recruitment conditions” section that specified, “Must hold a national second-class or higher athlete certificate, must pass physical tests; possess strong professional skills and competitive levels in basketball, volleyball, or football events, proficient in basketball or volleyball, men must be 185cm or taller, women must be 175cm or taller.”
This recruitment requirement has raised strong doubts among netizens. Netizen “Tread Snow to Find Plum Blossoms” commented in the forum questioning why bank branch positions require athlete qualifications and height. Some netizens suggested that it would be simpler to directly specify identity card numbers. Another netizen wrote, calling it a “radish recruitment,” indicating the obvious favoritism.
Mr. Mei, a netizen from Kunming, expressed in an interview that these advertisements are clearly reserved for “insiders”: “It’s definitely positions prepared for their own people, why else would they require height and a national athlete certificate? It’s obvious that these positions are meant for their own people, probably someone’s son or daughter-in-law. After this recruitment news was reported in the news, they have already taken it down.”
Mr. Mei further mentioned that similar incidents have occurred in the region multiple times, citing an example from the previous year where a sports education bureau in Dehongzhou required female applicants to be 167cm tall, but after public outcry, the advertisement was withdrawn.
The news was reported on “The Beijing News” website on April 13th, stating that Yunnan Agricultural Credit Cooperative specified certain positions requiring national second-class or higher athlete certificates, specialized abilities in basketball or volleyball, and a height of at least 185cm for men and 175cm for women in their 2026 campus recruitment. A day later, Yunnan Agricultural Credit Cooperative responded by correcting the requirements for the recruitment positions involved and issued an apology to the public.
Mr. Tong, a netizen from Henan, commented to the reporter, noting that this incident reflects the widespread corruption within the Chinese Communist Party extending to every sector: “These kinds of ‘radish recruitments’ make it difficult for many young people with qualifications to find jobs. My niece wanted to apply for a civil service position, where 5000 people applied for two positions, but I heard the exams were just for show, they already had internal selections, and you never get a chance.”
Upon checking the bank recruitment platform, it was found that the aforementioned “2026 Yunnan Agricultural Credit Cooperative campus recruitment announcement” has been removed. The organization was established in 2005 with assets totaling around 1.28 trillion yuan. In January of this year, it initiated a merger and reorganization with 122 local cooperative societies.
Such recruitment practices with specific conditions have been observed in various parts of China. On July 14, 2025, a netizen questioned the recruitment of comprehensive management positions in the 2025 Huaide College at Changzhou University in Jiangsu for being a “radish position,” alleging favoritism towards the school’s own teachers in the qualification review list, implying that other applicants were disregarded.
On February 24, 2026, a blogger reflected that in the recruitment by a public institution in Yuxi, Yunnan, the sports teacher position in Eshan County required a “Yuxi native retired athlete who ranked second or third in the provincial games,” denouncing it as a personalized tailored position, suggesting the naming directly would have sufficed, rather than the complication.
On July 31, 2024, the Guizhou Tobacco Monopoly Bureau’s recruitment of client managers requiring a sports background and a second-class athlete certificate sparked criticism. On August 1, the Guizhou Tobacco Bureau responded, stating the recruitment was “legitimate and compliant.” Public records show that the organization had previously hired professionals in fields like performance and broadcasting.
Regarding these almost absurd entry requirements, netizen Song Yuchen stated, “It’s too normal; many counselors and office teachers in second-tier schools are already on the job during their third or doctoral studies, they’re just waiting for graduation.” He pointed out that the CCP’s power has formed internal cycles, and this decaying “nepotism system” will eventually collapse within its self-seclusion.