Chinese billionaire gives France vacation to 6,400 workers

Employees of the TIENS Group, a Chinese company, attend a parade organized by CEO Li Jinyuan as part of a four-day celebration weekend for the 20th anniversary of his company, on the Promenade des Anglais, Nice, southeastern France, Friday, May 8, 2015. Li Jinyuan is sending off half his team about 6,400 employees on a two-day trip to Paris and two-day trip in Nice, France. AP

NICE, France — The billionaire chief executive of the Chinese conglomerate Tiens has given 6,400 of his best salespeople a vacation that started in Paris and ended with a parade on France’s Cote d’Azur.

CEO Li Jinyuan said he was celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary by rewarding his staff and aimed for the world record in spelling out a phrase in human bodies.

As their vacation wound down, the employees on Friday massed on the coastal promenade in Nice and, dressed in identical sky blue hats and T-shirts, spelled out the words “Tiens’ dream is Nice in the Cote d’Azur.”

Jinyuan was greeted by France’s foreign affairs minister, Laurent Fabius, mid-week in Paris.

French media estimated the trip’s cost at 13-20 million euros ($14.5-$22.3 million).