Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu has launched English-teaching accounts on Chinese social media platforms, including Douyin and Xiaohongshu (RedBook). His English courses, priced at 398 yuan ($55), have already made a fortune.
Born in 1974, San Francisco, Daniel Wu is a film and television actor, director, and producer. He is best known for iconic films such as New Police Story and City of Glass.
In videos on his “Daniel Wu Teaches English” accounts, Wu introduced himself as someone who grew up in California. He earned an architecture degree from the University of Oregon before transitioning into acting and directing. English has been a constant tool for him to communicate with the world. Now, he wants to help others improve their English skills.
Wu also capitalized on the popularity of Ne Zha 2. He translated two lines from the movie in a promotional video and shared on Xiaohongshu.
The course, available on the educational apps Gaotu and Yashi, also allows users practice oral English. They can have one-on-one dialogues with Wu’s voice, powered by Deepseek AI.
According to the media, the course was launched in partnership with two education technology companies. It quickly earned 2 million yuan within 48 hours of release and surpassed 5 million yuan in sales within five days.
Some netizens were intrigued by the news, while others questioned whether the videos were AI-generated or if the course was truly effective.
A 28-year-old self-taught English learner, surnamed Wang, bought the course. He explained, “The course includes 84 lesson modules, 34 pronunciation lessons, and 25 phonetic transcription sessions. Each video lasts 8 to 10 minutes. The course is easy and focuses mainly on practical scenarios.”
However, Wang noted that the 10-minute lessons contain only five minutes of Wu’s recorded teaching. The rest is another teacher repeating what Wu already covered.
Daniel Wu’s shift to online English courses is not unique. Celebrities have often pursued new career paths.
Over the past decade, 13 celebrities in China have entered the education market. Most of them focus on language training and music education, according to Beijing Business Daily.
In 2018, former CCTV host Zhang Quanling launched an app offering Chinese language camps and live classes for children aged 5 to 15. In 2021, singer Wang Leehom created a music-learning app, launching a 30-day singing course.
It’s not just celebrities. Charles Zhang, founder of Sohu, has been livestreaming physics lessons for the past three years. Zhang, who has a PhD in physics from MIT, teaches these lessons himself.
Written by Yi Shen, additional reporting from CNS, Globaltimes and the Standard.
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