Ex-Chinese pyramid scheme boss rebrands as culture guru, charges US$18,000 to ‘discipline’ kids
A pyramid scheme mastermind has been uncovered, having transformed himself into a traditional Chinese culture guru who “educates” students through corporal punishment. In July, a pre-recorded video by a 16-year-old Chinese girl named Lin went viral among her friends. In the video, Lin pleads for help: “I don’t want to be sent to an internet addiction treatment school or a behaviour boot camp. If…
In July, a video surfaced online, revealing a 16-year-old Chinese girl named Lin pleading for assistance. She claimed she was being held captive at the Rushi Academy in Xinchang county, eastern China's Zhejiang province, as part of a traditional Chinese culture education system that employed corporal punishment. The tuition for this academy amounted to 120,000 yuan (US$18,000).
Lin's parents had previously enrolled her at the academy in 2024, after she refused to attend school and exhibited disrespectful behavior toward her parents. At the academy, students were not only required to meditate, read scriptures, and attend daily lectures on traditional Chinese culture, but were also subjected to regular physical punishment for any perceived infractions, including not smiling or failing to listen.
Despite Lin's mother being aware of the academy's harsh discipline methods, she defended the practice, stating that she and her wife had also experienced similar upbringing. As news of the academy's practices spread online, it emerged that the academy's founder, Ru Ping, was formerly behind several pyramid schemes, having raised over 14 million yuan (US$2 million) between 1998 and 2001.
Ru Ping was later sentenced to two years in prison and fined 500,000 yuan for his illegal business activities. He later claimed to have "grown up in prison" and seemed proud of his criminal past. He has been lecturing at the academy since at least 2012, despite being exposed as the head of a pyramid scheme in 2012. The academy has branches in several provinces of China, offering courses for adults as well as a specific program for what they call "problematic youths," charging between 5,800 and over 10,000 yuan (US$1,500) per year.
The academy's emphasis on filial piety has sparked controversy among those advocating for modern, scientific education. Officials in Xinchang county have formed a joint investigation team to probe the academy's operations, with one observer calling it a "cult."
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
