Chinese ‘demon teacher’ with 2 million followers hailed as superstar for ‘tough-love’ style
Liu once warned students not to be distracted during online class, or she would ‘turn into a ghost, crawl out of your screen to consume you’
China’s “demon teacher”, who gained widespread fame with over two million followers online through her unconventional teaching style that often involves scolding students, has received an enthusiastic superstar welcome during her university visits.
Liu Xiaoyan, in her early 40s, hails from a humble rural background. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and subsequently completed her postgraduate studies in law at Guizhou University.
Liu catapulted to fame on mainland social media as an influential English teacher, specifically preparing students for China’s competitive postgraduate entrance examination.
Her online courses, priced at 199 yuan (US$28), have captivated over 100,000 eager learners.
Renowned for her forthright and incisive teaching style, Liu frequently admonishes students for making simple errors or displaying a lack of ambition.
During a lesson focused on the essay topic “Recommend your favourite book,” she recounted the story of a student who translated the iconic Chinese novel Journey to the West as “Go to West,” a phrase that carries connotations of death in Buddhist tradition.