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]
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]
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" 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]
