“A good score on the gaokao [China’s national university entrance exam] matters less than a good university application strategy.” Perhaps it was this viral saying that led to his downfall. Professor Zhang Xuefeng, who charges top prices for his personalized academic guidance, gained fame on social media for his clear-eyed advice to millions of Chinese families. In countless videos, he repeated that hard work alone doesn’t send a high school student to a top university; rather, a deep understanding of the selection system’s limits makes the real difference.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) – the government agency responsible for overseeing, regulating and controlling the country’s digital sphere – has temporarily silenced him. Zhang is now banned from livestreaming − one of the first to fall victim to the two-month national campaign launched on September 22 by the government to “create a more civilized and rational online environment.”

Beijing aims to clamp down on four types of behavior it considers harmful. One of these is the “promotion of excessive pessimism, including narratives like the futility of education or effort.” Any expression of resignation or despair – whether in keywords, text, video or comments – can be erased from platforms without warning.

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