A Chinese bank employee counts 100-yuan notes and 100-U.S. dollar bills at a bank counter in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China, on Aug. 6, 2019. STR/AFP via Getty Images
A recruitment notice from a rural banking institution in southwestern China has ignited a wave of online backlash—not for low pay or tough competition, but for unusual requirements, including one that said female applicants must be at least 175 centimeters (5 feet 9 inches) tall.
The posting, issued by the Yunnan Rural Credit Cooperatives Union, was part of the bank’s 2026 graduate recruitment drive, according to Chinese state-affiliated outlet The Beijing News on April 13. But what drew scrutiny was a set of additional qualifications attached to certain entry-level branch positions—requirements that critics say are not relevant to the actual job.
