This video shows a bank manager in China brutally spanking employees for not 'exceeding themselves'

A video on the Facebook page of China's People's Daily, the official media organisation of the Chinese Communist Party, apparently shows employees at a "Rural Commercial Bank" being spanked by their manager for not "exceeding themselves."

Details are scarce, but here's a camera-phone video purporting to show the punishment, which appears to be taking place at a work conference. The spankings take place on stage, according to the video:

The caption to the video reads: "Shocking: Manager spanks employees at a Rural Commercial Bank for not 'exceeding themselves' in Changzhi, N ?#?China?."

Far from being humorous, the spankings appear to be hard and deliberately painful. Employees watching are heard to shout out in surprise as the alleged manager goes down the line of workers administering the hits.

A comment on the video says "this is downright immoral way to treat employees with such punishment. Who should be blamed? Look deep into the standard practice instruction and it's limitations of right if the employees can do. Are they justifiable? I think the CEO or the spanker should be wiped and NOT spanked. Ridiculous."