Chinese exec fires employee who excluded mother from wedding over her looks

The chairman of a Chinese company has gone public about firing an employee who excluded his mother from his wedding because he was ashamed of her appearance, stirring controversy online.

According to the South China Morning Post, Cui Feijun, chairman of Henan Guangshan Crane in Xinxiang, Henan Province, spoke about the importance of filial piety at the opening ceremony of a summer internship and training program that began July 21.

Cui told the children of employees that "respecting one's parents is the most fundamental quality of a good person," and recounted how he had once fired a worker over the issue.

He said he learned that the employee had left his mother off the wedding guest list because he found her appearance embarrassing. Cui confronted him, saying: "Your father passed away when you were two years old, and your mother raised you alone. Is this how you treat her?"

The employee was ultimately fired. He later returned to the company, got down on his knees and begged to be reinstated after failing to find another job, but his appeal was rejected.

Cui reportedly told him at the time: "I don't respect you. I'm sorry, but you have to leave the company."

However, Cui offered the employee's mother a position in the company's logistics department at the same pay she had previously received, so she could support herself.

The story spread rapidly online in China, racking up more than 24 million views.

Reactions were divided. Some users backed Cui, saying "skills can be taught, but gratitude and filial piety are the most basic human virtues" and that it was "a justified decision to uphold the company's values."

Others were critical, arguing that "an employer firing someone based on their private life and moral character is an overreach of authority" and that "a chairman should not appoint himself a moral judge."

Meanwhile, Cui is also known in China for his employee welfare and generous compensation. In February, he prepared 60 million yuan ($8.89 million) in cash bonuses for staff at a company event, and his year-end performance bonus pool reportedly reached 180 million yuan.

He has also carried out philanthropic work since 2004, providing more than 35 million yuan in scholarships to about 4,800 low-income university students.