Recently, during an internal discussion and sharing session, Yu Donglai, the founder of Henan Pang Donglai Trading Group (Pang Donglai), openly reflected on operational management issues, with his statement “Actually, everyone is not worth that much money” sparking widespread discussions and trending on Weibo.
In a video released on June 10 by Pang Donglai, Yu Donglai was seen saying, “For the past 30 years in our company, we have basically been using salaries that exceed employees’ expectations. The good side of this is that it can ignite everyone’s passion, but the downside is indulgence. In reality, everyone is not worth that much money, but by giving you that much money, it creates a cognitive bias where you start believing you are worth that much money. On the positive side, within the company, because I am worth that much money, I feel proud and happy. On the negative side, once you leave Pang Donglai, it’s over.”
Yu Donglai also expressed his views on Pang Donglai’s salary system, stating, “Within the company, my expectation is that we establish a comparable and scientific salary system for the human resources, finance, and operations departments.”
Considering the current industry situation, Yu Donglai analyzed that the company will set a salary red line, and in the future, employees’ salaries can fluctuate between 10% to 20% above the industry fairness line. “Based on Pang Donglai’s current scale, employees’ wages should be 6,000 yuan, which is already very good. Anything above 6,000 yuan should not be taken.”
According to reports by Jiemian News, in June 2025, Yu Donglai announced the company’s employee benefits: With over 8,000 employees, the average after-tax monthly income at Pang Donglai was around 9,000 yuan; the estimated net profit was around 1.5 billion yuan, with an average distribution of about 100,000 yuan per employee, and an average distribution of around 700,000 yuan for management and technical personnel.
Comments related to statements like “Employees are not actually worth that much money” have sparked heated discussions online. Some opinions believe that this statement is discussing the rationality of the internal salary structure of companies, not denying the value of employees. While others think that this form of expression can be easily misinterpreted when taken out of context and might lead to emotional misinterpretation.
A netizen named “JonenMac” commented, “After listening to Yu Donglai’s speech, I feel he is referring to middle management personnel, not frontline staff.”
Another netizen “When will we not have to carry bricks anymore” said, “People who are truly grateful for their work will work with dedication, while those who are ungrateful will not appreciate it. Human nature is complicated – it can motivate, but should not indulge.”
And “Pick up the light leaves and woods” commented, “That’s right, sometimes sincerity cannot be exchanged for sincerity.”
As one of the more notable companies in the Chinese retail industry, Pang Donglai has been known for its relatively high wages and good benefits. Compared to the industry average, its employees generally earn higher incomes, making it a topic of discussion when talking about what makes a “good company.”
On June 11, Yu Donglai posted on social media, stating that there had been no policy changes at Pang Donglai regarding the rumors circulating online about employee salary issues. He clarified that Pang Donglai is focusing on guiding employees to continue learning and improving their personal qualities and professional skills during training, to align with the company’s operational standards, aiming to cultivate employees’ self-confidence and ability to lead fulfilling lives.
In response to the abundance of discussions on social media about topics like “Pang Donglai significantly cutting salaries, adjusting employee salaries,” “Employees are not worth that much money,” and “An income of 6,000 for employees is already very good,” Pang Donglai issued a statement on June 12.
Pang Donglai stated that there had been no decisions on reducing salaries. The salary policy is aimed at ensuring that income matches the value created on a fair and just basis, with the objective of developing and empowering individuals.