I attended a conference a few days ago and heard a statement that subverted my three views: bodyguarding is the safest profession in the world. In my subconscious, the word bodyguard has been full of dangers since its birth: assassination, protection, human shield, flying over walls and so on.
So why is bodyguard the safest profession in modern society? Let’s start with the history of the bodyguard industry.
The earliest bodyguards in China appeared in the Ming Dynasty. With Zheng He's voyages to the West, there were frequent exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations. A large amount of silver from the Ming government drained out, resulting in a shortage of domestic silver, so the bodyguard bureau came into being. The main business is to protect the circulation of silver among various banks, governments, and merchants. During the Qing Dynasty, with the rise of Shanxi merchants' bank accounts, the government's taxes and money were transferred through the bank accounts, which promoted the vigorous development of the bodyguard bureau.
For many readers, the first time they heard about escort agencies or escorts must be from Ming and Qing TV dramas or novels. I remember the novels or film and television works that I have read that describe the escort agency in detail, such as "Book and Sword Enmity", "Swordsman", "Longmen Escort Agency", "The Best Escort Agency in the World" and so on. Among these film and television works, there are three more common escort agencies, one is the Longmen Escort Agency, the other is the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, and the third is the Changfeng Escort Agency.
Of course, this does not mean that anyone can open an escort agency. To run an escort agency business, you must have three qualities: first, have a strong backing in the government; second, have strong connections in the green forest; third, have strong skills in the escorts themselves. , all three are indispensable. To sum up, the three main forms of ancient escort agencies are as follows:
1. Free combination (those with kung fu)
The martial arts people in society who have kung fu, through gathering and mutual exchange The introductions gradually came together, and then the escort agency was formed.
2. Martial arts family
Generations of Kung Fu families are the easiest and most united, and it is also easy to form a bodyguard family.
3. Veterans from the government
This is also easy to understand. Veterans who have been on the battlefield know kung fu to varying degrees, and they are recognized as the best when they have been in the army together. One of the relationships, the escort agency formed by this relationship is the most loyal, and the relationship with the government is not too bad.
Because social security in ancient times was relatively chaotic, robberies of escort fleets often occurred. In order to protect the target, many escorts sacrificed their lives. In order to better navigate the world, the escorts in the escort agency all have jargon. Although the words are a little less elegant, they are all necessary for traveling in the world. If you speak well, you can make friends. If you speak poorly, you will have a fight. In a fierce battle, maybe even if the dart is lost.
The bodyguards call their "bodyguards" "operators", "guard flags" as "eyes", "money chain" as "snake waist", and "a person" as "liu Ding" , "The door is ajar" is called "Ye Fan Ma San", "Gunpowder" is called "Master", "Foreign Gun" is called "Black Donkey", "Rich" is called "Hela", "No Money" is called " "Nianla" and so on.
In ancient times, bodyguards were definitely not the safest profession in the world. At that time, there was no insurance or medical conditions, and many bodyguards often died on the way to escorting them. In TV dramas, the skills of bodyguards are beautified. In fact, real bodyguards are cautious in their work, and their heads will move if they are not careful.
In modern society, the laws are relatively sound and logistics is very secure. The escort agencies have slowly withdrawn from the stage of history. Today's bodyguards are generally designed to protect important people or objects, and they mainly stand up to show off, and few are actually attacked.
National dignitaries, celebrities, entertainment stars, business owners, and banks are the places where bodyguards are currently common. Jet Li's early movie "The Bodyguard of Zhongnanhai" described the profession of modern bodyguards as mysterious and powerful. Later, due to indescribable reasons, the movie did not have a sequel.
Jack Ma’s bodyguard is also very famous. When Jack Ma went to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, he was by his side. When Jack Ma attended more important occasions, Li Tianjin was also there. How many personal bodyguards or security assistants does Jack Ma have? The answer is, there is only one Li Tianjin.
So how capable and capable is this Li Tianjin? Li Tianjin tells you that Tai Chi is not only a leisurely fitness technique for the elderly in the park, but also a technical attack technique that can easily defeat the enemy in fierce confrontations. Regarding the story of Li Tianjin, there is such a description in "This is Still Jack Ma" written by Ma Yun's assistant Chen Wei.
"In July 2011, Jack Ma and his party went to the Hulunbuir Prairie for inspection as members of the Nature Conservancy. During the period, they met a Mongolian wrestling master. The wrestler said: Come on, three of you, pick any one of us to fight. The result is, Li Tianjin walked out quietly: "Who among you has the best kung fu? Come and fight with me."
There is a popular saying in recent years: "The president of the United States is the best in the world." The most dangerous profession." Because of his values, the president of the United States has always been a key target of assassination by terrorists. Once the President of the United States visits a foreign country, the security measures are absolutely top-notch. Bulletproof vehicles, Air Force One, the CIA, etc. were all out. It is said that even retired U.S. presidents such as George W. Bush and Clinton have very high security levels. Bodyguards are always present during important events. They are absolutely safe and have absolutely no problems. This is a characteristic of the American bodyguard industry.
The development of modern technology has made the ancient profession of bodyguards increasingly safer. Radar, electronic jamming equipment, special-shaped pistols, bulletproof equipment, hacker networks and more. The traditional bodyguards who rely on their own skills and abilities have fallen behind. Bodyguards who master top-notch protective technology are now in hot demand.
Where do the best bodyguards in the world come from? Maybe no one would have thought that it was in Israel. Because Israel's turbulent political situation means that the security sector must constantly update the techniques and concepts for dealing with security issues. Therefore, Israel's internationally renowned security training attracts security personnel, bodyguards, and wannabes from all over the world. People who become bodyguards come here to receive training.
Finally, back to the topic, why is bodyguarding a relatively safe profession in modern society? First of all, they are in a relatively safe environment. After all, assassinations and assassinations are very rare events with low probability. In addition, according to the theory of "darkness under the light", the more dangerous the place, the safer it is. Finally, there is the development of modern protection technology. While these bodyguards are worried about their own safety, they seem to be even more worried about the safety of the people they protect.
From ancient times to modern times, bodyguards have been a mysterious profession. They use their lives to defend their promises to others, which is a very exciting thing.