The appointment of the "new leader" for EAST BUY has finally been confirmed, with Sun Jin, Vice President of New Oriental Education & Technology Group and President of the Guangzhou branch, set to take over the helm.

Who exactly is Sun Jin, and why did Yu Minhong select him? Public records indicate that Sun Jin joined New Oriental Education & Technology in 2006, rising from a frontline teacher to a group executive, making him a veteran with 19 years of deep experience within the New Oriental system. He has previously served as Director of the Suzhou New Oriental Test Preparation Department, Executive Vice President/President of the Nanjing branch, President of the Guangzhou branch, and Vice President of New Oriental Education & Technology Group.

Feedback from multiple employees reveals mixed opinions about this incoming CEO. Some employees disclosed that a key factor in Sun Jin's promotion is the high trust in his management capabilities, noting that he is "very practical and one of the few senior executives at New Oriental with a thorough understanding of frontline operations." However, a former employee from Nanjing New Oriental stated bluntly that during Sun Jin's tenure in Nanjing, he advocated for an "overtime culture," even "checking surveillance footage to monitor staff overtime," describing him as a "leader who pushes hard work." Another employee from Guangzhou New Oriental revealed that Sun Jin used to email Yu Minhong daily with real-time updates.

Opinions are divided, with veteran staff labeling him "too intense." Sun Jin's career path at New Oriental gives an impression of steady advancement. After joining, he worked as a frontline teacher, instructing on subjects like CET-4/6 writing, postgraduate entrance exam reading, TOEFL reading, IELTS writing, and Gaokao grammar. He received awards including the 2008 Shanghai New Oriental Outstanding Teacher, the 2008 New Oriental Group Outstanding Teacher, and the New Oriental 20th Anniversary Meritorious Teacher. Subsequently, Sun Jin moved into management roles, serving successively as Director of the Suzhou New Oriental Overseas Test Department, Executive Vice President and then President of the Nanjing branch, President of the Guangzhou branch, and was later promoted to Vice President of New Oriental Education & Technology Group. Notably, Sun Jin also co-authored test preparation books such as "New TOEFL Writing Platinum Course" and "New Oriental SAT ESSAY Real Classroom." Furthermore, according to business registration information, he also holds positions including Legal Representative and Chairman of Guangzhou New Oriental Culture and Arts Development Co., Ltd. and Nanjing Green Book Education Training Center Co., Ltd.

"He is very down-to-earth and amiable, one of the few senior executives at New Oriental who truly understands the frontline," commented a former employee who worked at New Oriental for nearly a decade and had brief professional contact with Sun Jin, describing his management style. "He reads daily reports from every team, provides comments or focuses on areas needing attention, and even reviews details down to frontline sales, understanding the challenges. He also listens to counter-opinions, and his peers respect him." But not all employees share this positive view. A former Nanjing New Oriental employee stated plainly, "Years ago when he was in Nanjing, he promoted an 'overtime ethic,' checked surveillance to see who was working late, even ranked employees by overtime hours, and praised overtime-working consultants in the company group chat, encouraging others to learn from them." Another employee added, "I had the experience of working under him; let's just say things became indescribably complicated after he took over as Guangzhou President." "Meetings are endless, he's obsessed with reading staff daily reports," and "he emails Lao Yu [Yu Minhong] daily with constant updates."

EAST BUY faces significant performance decline and multiple challenges. Over the past year-plus, EAST BUY's core leadership has experienced successive shocks: in July 2024, key host Dong Yuhui announced his departure; in November 2025, former CEO Sun Dongxu also left due to "personal reasons." This latest personnel change at EAST BUY comes just over a month after former CEO Sun Dongxu's official departure. Previously, the CEO role was held by Sun Dongxu, also handpicked by Yu Minhong as the "successor." Starting in 2019, Sun Dongxu served as CEO and Director of NEW ORIENTAL-S. Following the "mini-essay incident" involving Dong Yuhui in late 2023, EAST BUY announced via its Douyin account that, per the board's decision, Chairman Yu Minhong would concurrently serve as CEO, removing Sun Dongxu from his positions as Executive Director and CEO. On December 22, 2023, Sun Dongxu resigned as Non-Executive Director, briefly remaining in an advisory capacity. In November this year, Yu Minhong confirmed via a post that former EAST BUY CEO Sun Dongxu had resigned for personal reasons. Yu Minhong wrote, "Dongxu and I are the founders of EAST BUY. Without Dongxu's effort and perseverance, EAST BUY's development and current state would not be possible." "We maintain good communication, with no discord or estrangement between us, so friends can rest assured." At the end of November, industrial and commercial changes occurred for EAST BUY (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., with Sun Dongxu stepping down as legal representative, succeeded by Yu Minhong. This company is wholly owned by Eastern Preferred (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. Currently, no changes have been made at Eastern Preferred Technology Co., Ltd., where Sun Dongxu remains the legal representative.

Beyond ongoing senior management turbulence, EAST BUY currently faces two core challenges: an urgent need to reverse its operational difficulties and repeatedly flaring public relations crises. For the newly appointed Sun Jin, the practical pressures and market expectations he bears are equally immense. In mid-November, Yu Minhong sparked controversy and found himself in a media storm after issuing an all-staff letter while traveling in Antarctica, leading to accusations of "the boss vacations while employees work overtime." Yu Minhong subsequently issued multiple public apologies, explaining the reasons and intentions behind the letter in an attempt to defuse the controversy. More棘手 than the PR crisis is EAST BUY's persistently pressured operating performance. Currently, "Walk with Hui," the live-streaming channel founded by Dong Yuhui after his departure, has rapidly risen. Its Douyin follower count has reached 37.216 million, surpassing the main EAST BUY account's 28.019 million, leading by nearly 10 million followers. Even in the past November, "Lan Zhi Chun Xu," incubated by "Walk with Hui," entered the top 10 of Douyin E-commerce influencer sales rankings, outperforming EAST BUY. According to EAST BUY's fiscal year 2025 financial report for the period ending May 31, 2025, revenue was 4.392 billion yuan, a decrease of 32.7% from 6.526 billion yuan in the same period last year. Net profit from continuing operations was 6.191 million yuan, a sharp decline of 97.5% from 249 million yuan the previous year. The company attributed the significant drop in net profit primarily to the disposal of "Walk with Hui" during the reporting period. However, excluding the financial impact of this disposal, the net profit from continuing operations would have been 135.4 million yuan, representing a 30% year-on-year increase.