The Hong Kong-based American actor and filmmaker Daniel Wu (吳彥祖), of American Born Chinese and Westworld fame, is a favourite in Chinese-language films and advertisements. In mid-March, news of Wu entering the education sector broke the internet. It turns out Daniel Wu has joined forces with Gaotu Techedu to create a set of spoken English video lessons.
The package, which will set you back 398 RMB (54.99 USD), includes 84 individual lessons between 8 and 10 minutes long. However, many complained that Wu only teaches about 5 minutes of each lesson, with “teacher assistants” repeating each line he speaks in the videos and practice sessions with “AI Daniel” at the end. Despite this, the package generated over 5 million RMB (690,812.88 USD) in 5 days.
- #吴彦祖开英语网课 Daniel Wu launches online English lessons: 25.07 million views on Weibo, ranking number 18 on the Hot Search list
- #吴彦祖398元英语课销售额超500万 Daniel Wu’s 398 RMB lessons sold over 5 million RMB: 42.89 million views on Weibo, ranking number 12 on the Hot Search list
Daniel Wu’s design label ZUHAUS is also involved with the lessons. A higher-level package is also available through a platform called Grace Lore. Gaotu has experienced 6 quarters of consecutive loss; the Daniel Wu lessons boosted its share prices and it was up 50% in just 20 days. The lessons also mark its exploration into a new celebrity IP + education + AI mode.
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