It's a risky business in a lot of countries, despite good money

ZHENGZHOU - Li Jianguo found it hard to believe he was not in a movie when a man with a machine gun stepped out in front of his car in the middle of the night.

Li described the scene as "breathtaking and unforgettable", which is the only positive way of looking at being robbed at gunpoint while working in Tanzania. And he felt as surprised about the incident as he did fortunate to have escaped unharmed.

"I never thought that I might be robbed on that road because I was very familiar with it," said Li, 49, a project leader at the overseas department of the China Henan International Cooperation Group, which contracts international projects. It was the very road he was helping to build.

The gunman shone a flashlight in Li's face without saying a word, then snatched his mobile phone, money and watch.

"After stashing all my stuff away, the guy nudged my arm with the dull edge of his knife, motioning me to drive away," Li said. "I reported it to the local police, but there was no result."

An injured Chinese worker gets off a plane with the help of medical personnel at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb 7. All of the 29 Chinese workers kidnapped by Sudanese anti-government forces were released and arrived in Nairobi safe and sound. Ding Haitao / Xinhua