Chinese bodyguard entrepreneur sees big profits from protection

Students at Tianjiao Special Guard/Security Consultant sing during a group dinner on the outskirts of Beijing December 14, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) - Former soldier Chen Yongqing has big ambitions for his bodyguard training school, charging 500,000 yuan (50,317.54 pounds) a year for each protector, as China's rich and famous look to bolster their safety and sense of importance.

Chen's company Tianjiao, which he says is China's first professional academy to train former soldiers and others as bodyguards, is doing so well that he is considering a stock market listing.