Profile | Secrets of top China tutor Zhang Xuefeng, worth at least US$100 million and has 30 million fans
- Extracurricular online teaching guru credited with spurring growth of gaokao application industry
A tutor and online influencer is one of the most-watched figures among anxious parents navigating China’s most competitive college entrance exam.
Zhang Zibiao, known as Zhang Xuefeng, has 30 million followers and has amassed a fortune of at least US$100 million as the country’s most successful extracurricular tutor.
The 40-year-old from Heilongjiang province in northeastern China leverages the pressure to succeed in gaokao, widely considered the most important exam Chinese students will face in their lifetimes.
He offers a highly sought-after counselling service for college applications, charging each student between 12,000 and 17,000 yuan (US$1,700-US$2,300).
Although there is no guarantee of personal guidance from Zhang – it is most likely to be delivered by his team – slots for his services as far ahead as 2026 have already been booked.
“I currently own three companies. The first is about to go public, and I expect to make several hundred million yuan from the IPO. The second is valued at between 500 and 800 million yuan (US$70 million to US$110 million),” Zhang said in a 2019 lecture.
