In China, it’s now young women who are training to be the “must have” mercenaries — or bodyguards — to the country’s wealthiest. There are now at least 300 billionaires and almost 1 million millionaires in China. For many of them, having women serve as their private protection — not men – is the ultimate status symbol. Answering this rising demand is Chen Yongqing, who once worked as a bodyguard for superstar Jackie Chan. At his Genghis Security Academy in Sanya, Hainan, which Chen said is the first training camp of its kind in China, men and women train side-by-side for 30 days to become professional security details. Blood, sweat and tears are on the syllabus, but brute force — and no complaining — is what it takes to survive. Women here learn how to put attackers in a headlock, pin them to the ground and deliver a solid right hook. Hand-to-hand combat training is a key for any bodyguard in China, because the country has severe restrictions on gun ownership. |
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