Dong Yuhui

Dong Yuhui (born 1993) is a former English tutor turned live-streamer and internet celebrity, known for his work with New Oriental Education & Technology Group. He gained significant popularity through his unique approach to live-streaming sales, combining English language education, culture infused contents, with product endorsements 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.
====Early Life and Education====
Dong Yuhui grew up in a small village in northern Shanxi province, China. He began studying English in middle school and quickly excelled in the language.
====Career====
=====New Oriental Education & Technology Group=====
Dong joined New Oriental in 2015 and rapidly advanced to become the youngest department head in the company. He specialized in teaching English to senior high school students and claims to have tutored approximately 500,000 students over eight years​​.
=====Transition to Live-Streaming=====
Following the Chinese government's "double reduction" policy in late 2021, which heavily impacted 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 and agricultural product sales, under the rebranded name Oriental Select​​​​.
In his live stream sessions, Dong uniquely combined product pitches with educational content, using English language lessons, literary references, and philosophical musings to engage his audience. This approach differentiated him from other live-streaming hosts and attracted a large following​​​​ since June 2022.
====Impact and Popularity====
Dong's live-streaming sessions on Douyin stood out due to his unique approach of combining product pitches with educational content. He often used quotations from poems, relevant English phrases, and even musical accompaniment to describe the goods he was selling. This novel approach distinguished him from other live-streaming hosts and resonated with a wide audience, bringing a sense of nostalgia and learning to the shopping experience.
Oriental Select has achieved a net profit of 997,130,000 RMB for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, with a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of 10 Billion RMB, it was claimed by some industry insiders that Dong alone is responsible for half of the total revenue.
====Controversy====
The incident involving Dong Yuhui at New Oriental, specifically within its e-commerce unit East Buy, unfolded in a complex manner and had significant impacts on the company and its public perception.
* Incident's Origin and Initial Fallout: The controversy began on or around December 6, 2023 when East Buy's official livestreaming account on Douyin (TikTok) indicated that promotional material, particularly an essayette about Jilin, was a product of teamwork rather than solely Dong Yuhui's effort. This revelation led to intense online discussions and a backlash from Dong's fans, who believed he was the sole creator of these materials. The controversy escalated with both New Oriental founder Yu Minhong and former CEO Sun Dongxu apologizing for mishandling internal management issues and the behavior of the social media account team. The mishandling led to a decline in East Buy's stock prices and a loss of over 2 million followers on Douyin​​​​.
* Fan Reaction and Boycott: Dong Yuhui's fans started boycotting Oriental Selection's channels and shifted their support to Gaotu, a competitor. The fans accused the team at East Buy of trying to take credit for Dong's work, feeling that they had been misled about the origins of the essayettes. This shift in support led to a significant influx of viewers and sales for Gaotu​​.
* Company's Response and Aftermath: In response to the controversy, Sun Dongxu, the CEO of Oriental Selection, made a public statement emphasizing that Dong had not been mistreated and condemning the aggressive "fandom culture". Dong Yuhui himself clarified the process of creating the essayettes, stating that it involved collaboration between him and the team. Despite these clarifications, the incident continued to negatively affect the company, with a substantial drop in followers and share prices. The controversy culminated in Sun Dongxu's removal from his position, and Yu Minhong, chairman of New Oriental, temporarily taking over as CEO​​​​. 
* Dong Yuhui's Status: East Buy revealed that Dong Yuhui would resume live-streaming on Monday evening, December 18, 2023, taking on the role of a senior partner at the company. Additionally, New Oriental, the parent company, announced Dong's promotion to assistant of culture to Chairman Yu Minhong. In this new capacity, Dong will also serve 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​​.
Category:1993 births
Category:Internet celebrities
Category:People from Shanxi
Category:Chinese people