Renowned US-born Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Daniel Wu has recently gained widespread attention on Chinese social media after launching an online English course designed to teach his fans authentic spoken English.
Born in 1974 in Berkeley, California, Wu grew up in Orinda, California in an academically accomplished family and developed an early passion for martial arts. In 1997, he graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in architecture. After graduation, he moved to Hong Kong and entered the film industry, where his striking appearance quickly made him stand out, winning over millions of fans. Wu is particularly known for his performances in Hong Kong gangster and martial arts films, such as the critically acclaimed New Police Story (2004).
On February 26, Wu debuted a new course on Douyin, Daniel Wu Teaches English, which covers various real-life scenarios such as grocery shopping, job interviews and hotel check-ins. His account quickly gained traction, amassing over 1.52 million followers. In just five days, the course generated over five million yuan (US$690,000).
While many of his fans eagerly embraced the opportunity to learn English from their idol, calling the price reasonable and the experience unique, others pointed out that in each 10-minute lesson, Wu himself only teaches for about five minutes, leaving the rest to assistant instructors.
On March 16, Wu posted a follow-up video addressing the controversy, explaining his motivation behind the project: “Language is like a key that unlocks the doors to different cultures. I hope this initiative can help more people on their English-learning journey.”
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