Shenzhen Xiandinghui Technology Co., Ltd. was selling cooking robots for 21,800 yuan each (in Chinese currency, RMB) and claimed that the machines could be operated by the company, with monthly rent payments. They promised buyers that they would recoup the machine purchase price within ten months, but then stopped the repayments, leaving some people still not having received the machines they purchased. Recently, the company has also been listed as a judgment debtor and a bankruptcy application has been filed against it.
According to a report by “First Financial” on July 30, an investor named Su Xia (pseudonym) purchased 4 cooking robots for a total of 87,200 yuan. Xiandinghui claimed that the machines could be operated by the company and rented out to hotels, catering companies, or hospital restaurants, with the rental income paid monthly to the investors.
As per the company’s commitment, the total rental income received by investors in the first ten months was supposed to cover the machine purchase price, with the promise of continued profit afterwards. Based on the calculations made by “First Financial,” the annualized return rate in the first ten months was as high as 120%.
Su Xia stated that Xiandinghui initially refunded a portion of the amount, but then stopped making repayments, leaving her with more than 30,000 yuan still unrecovered. She has never seen the purchased machines and does not know who they were rented out to.
Other investors have collectively invested 400,000 yuan. A list compiled by the investors shows that at least 100 people are involved.
Xiandinghui also emphasized in its promotions its relationship with the Hong Kong-listed company China Art Finance. Public records indicate that Xiandinghui’s founder, Tian Rui, has served as the joint chairman of the board of China Art Finance since February 2024. In the same year, China Art Finance signed an agreement with Xiandinghui (FreshDinghui Co., Limited) and Zhonglian Digital Technology to establish a joint venture company with a registered capital of only 10,000 Hong Kong dollars.
An article from 2023 promoting a Jiangsu Xiandinghui project claimed that the investment return from the operation of cooking robots was “better than any financial products on the market.”
As of July this year, several restaurants listed as partners of Xiandinghui have either been transferred or closed down. One restaurant owner who is still operating said that the equipment was used in the shop but has since been discontinued. This type of equipment can only be considered a “semi-automatic pan with loading,” as manual stirring is still required during cooking.
Data released by the Shenzhen Nanshan District Human Resources Bureau on March 17, 2025, showed that Xiandinghui had not fully paid the wages of 11 employees from April to July 2024, totaling 206,100 yuan. Despite being ordered to correct this and failing to do so within the deadline, the company was fined 50,000 yuan. A staff member also mentioned that there were instances of the company failing to pay social insurance contributions.
Since July 2025, Xiandinghui has been sued several times over contract disputes. In May this year, the company was listed as a judgment debtor by the Shenzhen Nanshan District Court; and in July, the applicant Ren Mou applied to the Shenzhen Intermediate Court for bankruptcy liquidation. There is currently no information regarding the court’s acceptance or ruling on the bankruptcy of the company.
Xiandinghui founder Tian Rui has not responded to media inquiries.