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Dong Yuhui

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Dong Yuhui is a former English tutor turned live-streamer and internet celebrity, known for his work with New Oriental Education & Technology Group. He gained popularity through his unique approach to live-streaming sales, combining English learning tips and culture awareness contents with product pitches on the Douyin platform. He is currently a senior partner of East Buy, and the Vice President of the Cultural and Tourism branch of New Oriental.[1]

Life and career

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Dong Yuhui grew up in the rural area of Tongguan, Shanxi province. He graduated from the Tourism College of Xi'an International Studies University in 2015.[2] In early 2015, Dong Yuhui joined New Oriental and became a high school English teacher.[3] In 2016, he was appointed the head of English teaching at New Oriental. He started teaching online courses in 2019 and once served as the head of Grade 12 English and director of training at New Oriental Online.[4][5]

Following a state policy shift in late 2021 which substantially trimmed down the private tutoring industry, Dong transitioned to live-streaming sales for New Oriental. This career shift was part of the company's pivot from education services to e-commerce with a focus on agricultural product sales, under the rebranded name Oriental Select.[6]

In his live stream sessions, Dong combined product pitches with educational content, blending English language tips and cultural references to engage his audience.[7] This approach differentiated him from other live-streaming hosts and attracted increasing following since June 2022.[8] Oriental Select saw a rapid revenue increase due to Dong's presence.[9][10][11]

As of December 2023, Dong has nearly 1.5 million followers on Wei Bo, 10 times the 116,000 followers of East Buy's official account (the company that operate the live streaming platform Oriental Select). On Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Dong has around 22 million followers on his personal account, while the company's official Douyin account – its main online presence where a team of about 10 hosts including Dong regularly appear – has around 29 million followers.[12]

Controversy

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In early December 2023, controversy erupted surrounding Dong Yuhui. It was revealed in an inflammatory manner that certain live-streaming talk points, particularly an essayette about Jilin, involved teamwork rather than being Dong's exclusive creation. This disclosure sparked intense online discussions and backlash from Dong's fans, leading to a decline in East Buy's stock prices and a loss of followers on Douyin.

Dong's fans boycotted Oriental Select's channels and shifted support to its competitor, accusing Oriental Select of attempting to take credit for Dong's work.[13] The company's response, including apologies from New Oriental's founder and chairman Yu Minhong, failed to quell the controversy, resulting in the removal of its then CEO Sun Dongxu.

Dong Yuhui's status was subsequently clarified later in December, with East Buy announcing his return to live-streaming as a senior partner and assistant of culture to Yu Minhong. Dong's new role also includes serving as vice-president of the New Oriental Culture and Tourism Group. Following these announcements, East Buy's shares experienced a significant increase, rising over 21% and closing at HK$31.85 on Monday.[12]

On the evening of January 9, 2024, Dong Yuhui's independent account "Walking with Hui" (or "Time with Yuhui") premiered its first live broadcast. Within 20 minutes of the live session, its likes surpassed 200 million. As of that evening, the account had amassed over 7 million followers.[14]

Departure from East Buy

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On July 25, 2024, Dong officially announced his resignation from East Buy, and attributed his departure to career aspirations and personal commitments. As part of his exit, East Buy sold Dong's venture, "Time with Yuhui," to him for 76.6 million yuan, although CEO Michael Yu Minhong stated that he had made arrangement to allow Dong to take over the venture for free. The news led to an 8% drop in New Oriental's shares in pre-trading, prompting East Buy to announce a share buyback plan worth up to 500 million yuan over the next year. [15]

"Time with Yuhui," established as a wholly owned subsidiary of East Buy at the end of 2023, was led by Dong Yuhui as director and general manager. The venture focused on cultural and tourism-related contents, with livestreaming sessions at notable tourism spots in Hubei, Chongqing, and Shanxi to highlight local cultural heritage and regional products. After the departure, Dong stated that the company would encounter uncertainties and challenges without the backing of its parent company.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "烫手董宇辉：俞敏洪的斗争和妥协". m.thepaper.cn. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  2. ^ "董宇辉爆火，母校老师回忆：口语表述生动兼具可爱陕西特色". 澎湃新聞. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  3. ^ "【人物】新东方售货员董宇辉". 界面新聞. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  4. ^ "董明珠加上孟羽童,还是小于董宇辉". 网易号外. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  5. ^ "新东方再创业、董宇辉爆红，说明了什么问题？". 南方週末. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  6. ^ "New Oriental has a new edge in live-streaming e-commerce: English teaching". South China Morning Post. 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  7. ^ "China's hottest live-streaming star emerges from off-campus tutoring crackdown". South China Morning Post. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  8. ^ "Chinese Youth Inspired by English Tutor Turned Ecommerce Icon — RADII". radii.co. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  9. ^ "董宇辉爆火前营收仅2460万，东方甄选会不会走新东方在线老路". 21世纪经济报道. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  10. ^ "董宇辉爆火前，东方甄选半年仅营收2460万，不及如今一场直播销售额". 时代财经. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  11. ^ "董宇辉火了，一次属于普通人的胜利". 南風窗. Archived from the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  12. ^ a b "Chinese live-streaming e-commerce platform caves to angry fans, fires CEO". South China Morning Post. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  13. ^ Team, Dao (2023-12-14). "Fans turn on Oriental Selection for "mistreating" streamer". Dao Insights. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  14. ^ 李明珠 (2024-01-09). "粉丝数超700万！董宇辉新号开播，俞敏洪也现身". 证券时报网. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  15. ^ "China's top e-commerce influencer Dong Yuhui exits East Buy to push own venture". South China Morning Post. 2024-07-25. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  16. ^ "Top livestreamer leaves East Buy to go it alone". SHINE. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
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