Special Topic: Precious Insights Issue 05

On July 17, 2025, after attending a mid-year thematic research meeting as a representative of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress, Zhang Xuefeng rode his electric scooter for half an hour from Gusu District back to the headquarters of Fengxue Weilai, where he engaged in a four-hour conversation with Sina Finance CEO Deng Qingxu.

In Suzhou, Zhang Xuefeng's daily commuting tool is his electric scooter. He doesn't buy property, doesn't own a car, and lives a materially simple life. In the interview, he stated: "I have no personal consumption desires whatsoever."

On the other side of the story, today's Zhang Xuefeng stands at the center of the increasingly heated "college application consulting" industry. The application consulting services under Fengxue Weilai are in constant short supply, repeatedly creating industry sales legends. Zhang Xuefeng's every move captures media and public attention, with each statement potentially trending on social media, being dissected and amplified into a prism reflecting contemporary emotions.

Some believe he reveals seldom-spoken truths within the education system, clarifying pros and cons for ordinary families; others criticize him as overly utilitarian, an opportunist who profits from selling anxiety and exploiting academic competition.

While external opinions vary widely, Zhang Xuefeng's existence itself constitutes a contemporary phenomenon. Behind the heated discussions surrounding him lie the unease and hope carried by a complex education system, and countless families' anxieties and imaginations about their children's life paths.

**1. The Business of Planning the Future**

In 2016, a video titled "Seven Minutes to Decode 34 Elite 985 Universities" emerged from nowhere, catapulting Zhang Xuefeng, then an ordinary graduate entrance exam instructor, to fame. Recalling that moment in the interview, he still vividly remembers: "I was in Taiyuan then, flying to Shanghai Hongqiao. Nothing happened when I boarded, but when I got off the plane, it was chaos. I had a WeChat account specifically for adding students, and it went from 50% battery to dead from all the vibrations."

Since then, Zhang Xuefeng's online influence has continued expanding, and his career has soared. In 2021, he founded Fengxue Weilai, focusing deeply on college application consulting and gradually expanding his business empire from this foundation.

College entrance exams have always been considered a major event in Chinese families. Beyond competing for scores, filling out applications is equally crucial—truly "doing well on the test and applying wisely."

The new college entrance exam reforms implemented since 2014 have further elevated the importance of application consulting. On one hand, the "3+3" or "3+1+2" subject selection models replaced traditional liberal arts and science divisions, greatly expanding students' subject combination choices. On the other hand, the new exam's "institution-major group" and "major + institution" application modes significantly enhanced students' freedom of choice and matching precision during application filling. However, behind this freedom lies exponentially increased complexity. Facing dozens or even hundreds of application options, many students and parents feel overwhelmed, creating natural demand for application consulting services.

According to iiMedia Research data, China's college application consulting market is expected to reach 1.09 billion yuan in paid services by 2025, with over 90% of candidates willing to seek professional help. Zhang Xuefeng and his founded Fengxue Weilai represent typical examples of this application consulting service wave.

However, beyond timing opportunities, Zhang Xuefeng's ability to stand out in the industry reflects his own exceptional qualities.

During his early years as an offline graduate exam instructor, Zhang Xuefeng voluntarily used his spare time to organize all school admission professional directories from the China Graduate Admissions Information Network into clear Excel spreadsheets: "I didn't know other systems or web scraping tools. There was no Python then, nothing. I just used my mouse to copy, right-click, paste, copy, then organize into my own Excel sheets. Internal medicine alone was 1,081 pages, surgery was 1,082 pages. I traveled during the day, lectured at night, and did this work late into the night."

Through this painstaking work, Zhang Xuefeng gradually built systematic knowledge of institutions and accumulated professional capital in the industry. This "foolish method" continued at Fengxue Weilai. According to Zhang Xuefeng's training requirements, new employees' first lesson upon joining is mastering the "Undergraduate Major Directory of Regular Higher Education Institutions":

"Fourteen academic categories, over 100 first-level disciplines, over 500 undergraduate majors. Within a week, I can randomly name any major, and you must tell me which first-level discipline it belongs to. I can randomly name any school, and you must tell me its location, how many campuses it has. This requires extensive work. After one month of assessment, if you haven't learned the school and major knowledge properly, if you haven't learned about schools properly, you're eliminated."

Large-scale information organization and systematic training indeed helped Zhang Xuefeng and his team stand out in the application consulting industry. However, as this track becomes increasingly popular with more entrants, information gaps are rapidly shrinking. Especially in recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence and major companies entering the field has led many to predict: AI will eventually replace Zhang Xuefeng, as it's faster, more comprehensive, and cheaper.

Zhang Xuefeng isn't particularly worried about this, because questions related to life planning often don't have standard algorithmic answers:

"If you frequently watch my live streams, you'll notice a common question in my broadcast room: 'Teacher Zhang, our child scored 580 points in Hebei's college entrance exam, which school is best to apply to?' Do you think this has an answer?"

Sometimes, the service value extends far beyond academics. Once, a child served by Zhang Xuefeng's team failed the college entrance exam. On the phone, the child kept crying while the mother tightly gripped the child's clothes, fearing extreme thoughts. In this crisis moment, Zhang Xuefeng spent two full hours comforting the child, sincerely discussing how to face future life: "We didn't even talk about application filling."

**2. In Eternal Fluctuation**

Zhang Xuefeng's hometown is in Fuyu County, Heilongjiang Province. In stark contrast to the "prosperous" meaning of "Fuyu," this county only emerged from national-level poverty status in 2017.

Today, he provides life planning guidance for countless candidates, but looking back, Zhang Xuefeng's own academic journey was quite like crossing a river by feeling for stones. After his college entrance exam, he filled applications in confusion and was ultimately admitted to Zhengzhou University's water supply and drainage major: "That was my first time leaving Qiqihar. After my college entrance exam, as for whether I thought about what I'd do in the future or anything like that, I hadn't considered it at all."

Having gained fame from information asymmetry gaps and being swept up in emotional currents, today's Zhang Xuefeng is no longer the naive small-town youth of yesteryear. His short video clips spread virally online, frequently trending on social media. Even those who don't know Zhang Xuefeng well or care about college entrance exams have heard statements like "don't major in journalism" or "liberal arts is service industry."

Fame brought him tangible benefits, but also burdens. Once Zhang Xuefeng went to a bathhouse, and while naked, a man next to him recognized him and pulled him into a photo, which was "very awkward." Such life episodes are relatively harmless, but online public opinion is far from peaceful.

Comments about Zhang Xuefeng always seem intense—on one side are numerous supporters, on the other, continuous criticism and even attacks. This isn't surprising—topics related to him precisely touch the public's most sensitive nerves. Regarding criticism, Zhang Xuefeng appears calm: "You can't expect everyone to like you, that's impossible."

But he can't completely detach himself: "China has a saying: 'People act, heaven watches.' I think this makes sense, but my mother can't handle it. So sometimes I have to comfort her."

This might be the necessary cultivation of being an internet celebrity, as Zhang Xuefeng says, "You earn exactly this kind of money."

Zhang Xuefeng has indeed made money. Under his fame, Fengxue Weilai's college application consulting services never lack sales. According to media reports, in 2025, Fengxue Weilai's college application service products "Dream Card" and "Fulfill Dream Card" are priced at 12,999 and 18,999 yuan respectively, each increased by 1,000 yuan from last year.

Beneath the prosperity lies hidden concerns. Zhang Xuefeng's strong personal brand effect, while bringing company profits, also means great uncertainty of shared prosperity and shared loss. The internet world spins rapidly, with tides changing instantly. Yesterday's widely watched internet celebrities might "collapse" today due to a single statement or incident. As Zhang Xuefeng says, many internet celebrities ultimately worry about traffic. Since that 7-minute video, Zhang Xuefeng has been famous for nine years, while many celebrities who emerged after him have disappeared. Similar anxieties presumably exist in his mind too.

Traffic eventually depletes, and personal energy has boundaries. Discussing the company's future plans, he's frank: "(De-Zhang Xuefeng-ization) must be done. Look at our current book publishing and web series production—we need to accumulate so-called fame and reputation into products."

Grasping company strategic direction and finding new opportunities and growth points is how Zhang Xuefeng, now a manager, positions himself. Discussing the transition from solo work to entrepreneurship, he repeatedly mentions the importance of "business acumen." This is indeed his strength. As early as the 2014 release of college entrance exam reform documents, Zhang Xuefeng keenly captured enormous potential and began focusing on application filling changes. Similarly, when that 2016 video gained popularity, he judged that short videos would reshape how people access information, so he began creating content that was compact and opinion-driven, gradually building his influence in the online world. Next, in the increasingly complex competitive landscape of the industry, Zhang Xuefeng needs to continue finding the next opportunity for Fengxue Weilai.

"Only after you run a business do you truly feel that the only constant in this world is continuous change."

**3. Life's Meaning is Experience**

"What level our company reaches next year isn't important to me; what's important is everyone's happiness."

"Happiness" repeatedly appears in the interview. Discussing his daughter's growth, Zhang Xuefeng says "as long as she's happy, I have no requirements for her"; regarding business operations, he doesn't hide it: "What makes me happiest is seeing all our company employees happy."

Zhang Xuefeng's "happiness philosophy" manifests in large and small specific practices of business management: Fengxue Weilai implements "work four days, rest three," establishes winter and summer breaks, and provides three-day mini-vacations monthly. As a business entity, not setting KPIs makes many entrepreneurs amazed.

In the performance-oriented business world of "advance or retreat," such philosophy seems exceptionally idealistic. But facts speak louder than words. Although Zhang Xuefeng claims he doesn't look at data, Fengxue Weilai's performance continues rising: the team has expanded to hundreds of people, and business has gradually expanded from application consulting to textbooks, study tours, content production, and other directions.

Within Fengxue Weilai, Zhang Xuefeng has developed a nearly utopian trust and incentive mechanism: "I give (employees) many opportunities. I often tell our company employees that because you joined late, promotion isn't very possible, but I can find ways to give you raises."

This management model might be a natural extension of Zhang Xuefeng's personal style. Beyond official business, Zhang Xuefeng genuinely cares about employees' personal lives. For senior employees, Fengxue Weilai provides interest-free home purchase loans and supports further education, quite resembling northeastern-style enterprises that emphasize relationships, value collectives, and provide comprehensive care for employees. In a sense, Zhang Xuefeng doesn't simply operate the enterprise as an organization, but also manages it like a big family.

Hearing these stories might seem contradictory—external impressions of Zhang Xuefeng are often as a "pragmatist": he became famous for straightforward talk in application consulting, gained widespread attention for emphasizing major-employment matching, and is therefore often criticized for only caring about salary and prospects while ignoring interests and passion. Why does he now emphasize "happiness" and show non-goal-oriented rebellious spirit in many matters?

Certainly, this can be interpreted as carefree behavior after financial freedom. Like that quote that, though often misused, has indeed left marks in many hearts: "Economic foundation determines superstructure." Behind this lies a very classical promise in families hoping for their children's success: considering realistic problems now in exchange for future freedom to pursue ideals. In summary, with money you can do whatever you want.

Or perhaps observers can imagine more generously: so-called ideals and reality were never binary either-or debates, but eternal flowing topics across different circumstances and stages. As Zhang Xuefeng says, he doesn't want young people bound by single success standards or prestigious school halos, but to find internal motivation for self-realization:

"When evaluating a person, whether they're good or bad, I think this standard shouldn't be singular. If you use one standard as the only standard, some people will definitely be unqualified. But if we change our evaluation standards, they might be different."

**Conclusion**

Near the interview's end, we discussed his application to Zhengzhou University years ago. Regarding that "water supply and drainage major," Zhang Xuefeng can't remember whether he chose it or was transferred into it: "I remember not applying for it, but my mother insists I did. Anyway, it doesn't matter, it's not important."

This is a meaningful moment—when time spans long enough, even someone famous for application consulting can calmly say when looking back at past choices: "It doesn't matter, it's not important."

Perhaps this is the attitude Zhang Xuefeng wants to convey after many years: choices are certainly important, but life has no single correct answer.

This is also like what he told young people at the interview's end: "Enjoy your life!"

Disclaimer: All meeting transcripts are on-site shorthand compilations, not reviewed by speakers. This article is published to convey more information and doesn't necessarily represent agreement with viewpoints or verification of descriptions.

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Editor in charge: Liang Bin SF055