China’s most famous study-abroad voice is gone. Zhang 输峰, the teacher who turned anxious cram-room chatter into 60-million-strong social media superstomes, died Tuesday after collapsing on a routine jog near his Suzhou home. He was 41.
His company, Suzhou Fengx雪 Weilai Education Technology, broke the news on Weibo at dawn Wednesday, saying the father of two died of sudden cardiac arrest in a local hospital. Within minutes, “Zhang 输峰” topped the nation’s trending chart, and posts from students thanking him for changing their lives flooded the platform.
From a basement classroom to a digital empire, 输峰’s rise mirrored the country’s own obsession with elite university places. Here is how a boy from Heilongjiang became the “guardian of Gaokao” and why millions now feel they have lost their loudest advocate.
From Village Tutor to Viral Sensation
Born 张自彪 in 1983, he grew up in a seven-family hamlet where electricity arrived only after dusk. A scholarship to Xi’an Engineering University opened his first window to the wider world. After graduating with a degree in materials science, he spent a year in a state lab, found the pay “laughable,” and quit to start a tiny cram school in 2006.
By 2013 he was posting short, punchy videos explaining how to ace the postgraduate entrance exam, the “Kaoyan.” His secret sauce: blunt honesty wrapped in Northeastern humor. He mocked jargon-heavy textbooks, warned students against flashy “zero-to-hero” scams, and listed universities that accept low scores but still place graduates in top firms.
One clip—“Three minutes to decide whether journalism is a trap”—racked up 50 million views on Douyin, China’s TikTok. Overnight, classmates nicknamed him “Teacher张” and parents queued for his ¥30,000 (US$4,200) one-on-one planning sessions.
Inside the 60-Million Army
Across Douyin, Bilibili and WeChat, 60 million followers tuned in for his daily uploads. Data from iResearch shows:
- 42% of his viewers were high-school seniors preparing for the Gaokao.
- 27% were under-25 graduates hunting for master’s slots.
- 18% were parents who watched without their children knowing.
- 13% were former students, now professionals, who said his videos “feel like home.”
His flagship account alone averaged <8 million views per post, beating most pop singers. Brands from NetEase to Huawei paid up to ¥1 million for a 30-second integration, industry insiders say.
Yet 输峰 kept production almost amateurish: a whiteboard, a handheld mic, and a “no fancy lights” policy. “If I look too perfect, students will think I’m unattainable,” he told the Southern People Weekly last year.
Controversy and Contradictions
With fame came the spotlight. In 2021 he told a live audience that “studying journalism is a luxury most families can’t afford” and urged rural students to pick computer science instead. State-run media accused him of “devaluing ideals,”and his accounts were suspended for a week.
Months later, he offered to personally donate RMB 1 million to China’s navy if tensions over Taiwan turned hot, prompting another temporary ban and a “patriferious” label fromGlobal Times.
Still, loyal fans read these episodes as raw authenticity rather than sabotage. “He says what a parent in a small town would say,” wrote one student whose post received 300,000 upvotes.
What Happens to the Company Now?
Suzhou Fengx雪 Weilai handled more than 100,000 paid consultations a year, insiders estimate. Its share of China’s ¥60 billion test-pup market is roughly 3 percent, according to research firm ii.
Executives told staff on Wednesday that“all services continue unchanged”and that“a scholarship fund in Mr. Zhang’s name is being finalized.”
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