Renowned actor Daniel Wu has recently launched an online English-speaking course, sparking widespread discussion on Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The course, "Daniel Wu Teaches You Spoken English," reportedly generated over 5 million yuan in sales within five days.
In his account bio, Wu revealed that he co-founded "Grace Lore", the company behind the course. The curriculum features over 1,000 practical daily English phrases to improve students' conversational skills. Additionally, Wu integrates current cultural trends into his teaching materials. Priced at 398 yuan, the course includes 84 lessons lasting approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
However, some students and online consumers have voiced concerns about the course structure. A customer surnamed Li, who purchased the course expecting direct instruction from Wu, expressed disappointment, stating, "Each lesson lasts about ten minutes, but Wu himself only speaks for five minutes. Other instructors cover the rest." Additionally, the AI-assisted practice module was criticized for being limited to voice interactions rather than offering video-based conversations. Some users have suggested that Wu's presence in the course is more of a marketing gimmick than a significant teaching contribution.
In response to these concerns, a Douyin customer service representative clarified on March 11 that the course consists of one pre-recorded lesson released daily at midnight, with each session including both lesson videos and speaking practice. The representative also emphasized that the course was jointly taught by Wu and GaoTu's main instructors, with Wu contributing more content than initially perceived.
Wu, who grew up in California and graduated with an architecture degree from the University of Oregon, introduced himself as an English-speaking instructor in promotional videos. In one of his first lessons, he translated phrases from the popular Chinese animated film "Nezha", such as "Be quick to obey my command" for "急急如律令", and "I am the master of my destiny" for "我命由我不由天."
Despite the mixed reviews, Wu's course has drawn significant attention, with many netizens humorously commenting, "Daniel Wu as an English teacher? A childhood dream come true!" As discussion continues, it remains to be seen whether the course will maintain its strong sales momentum or require adjustments to meet student expectations.
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