Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu launches online English courses, sparking discussion

Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu has launched English teaching accounts on Chinese social media platforms including Douyin and Xiaohongshu (RedNote) to promote his English courses priced at 398 yuan ($55), with sales exceeding 5 million yuan in just five days, chinanews.com reported on Tuesday.

Born on September 30, 1974, in San Francisco, US, Daniel Wu is a film and television actor, director, and producer. He is widely known for many iconic films, including New Police Story and City of Glass.

In videos published by accounts named "Daniel Wu Teaches English" on multiple Chinese social media platforms, Wu introduced himself as someone who grew up in California, earned an architecture degree from the University of Oregon, and later transitioned into acting and directing. English, as a tool for him to communicate with the world, has always been a constant throughout his life. Now, he aims to help more people enhance their English skills.

As of Tuesday, the account has amassed nearly 1.13 million followers on Douyin, with the most popular video receiving up to 723,000 likes.

According to chinanews.com, on Tuesday, the course was jointly launched by two technology education companies. With the initial price of 398 yuan, the course achieved sales exceeding 2 million yuan within 48 hours of its launch, and surpassed 5 million yuan ($690,000) in sales within five days.

Some netizens were interested by the news. Others questioned whether the videos were AI-generated or if the course was truly effective.

"The course consists of 84 lesson-based modules, 34 pronunciation lessons, and 25 phonetic transcription sessions, with each class video lasting 8 to 10 minutes. The course is not difficult and is mainly focused on practical scenarios," A 28-year-old self-taught English learner surnamed Wang, who purchased the course, told the Global Times.

"However, the 10-minute lessons consist of only five minutes of Wu's recorded teaching videos, with the remaining time filled by another teacher's explanations, which largely repeat what Wu has already covered," Wang said.

Daniel Wu's crossover into online English courses is not the first time a celebrity pursues a different career path.

In late February, a video clip surfaced online showing Joey Wang, who rose to fame across Asia in the 1990s for her role in the film "A Chinese Ghost Story," opened a moxibustion clinic in Canada, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

In the video, the 58-year-old Wang said that after stepping away from the spotlight, moxibustion has become the career she most wants to pursue, believing it will accompany her for the rest of her life. Wang also said that she now prioritizes inner peace, physical health, and spiritual fulfillment in her later years, said the report.

According to incomplete statistics from the Beijing Business Daily, over the past decade, 13 celebrities in China have entered the education market in the past decade, mainly focusing on language training and music education.

In 2018, former CCTV host Zhang Quanling launched an app offering Chinese language training 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, chinanews.com reported.

Not just celebrities. Charles Zhang, founder of Sohu, has been livestreaming physics lessons for the past three years. Zhang graduated from MIT with a PhD in physics.