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One of China’s most famous livestream hosts, Dong Yuhui (董宇辉), is facing a consumer backlash.
It began in early April, when a CCTV reporter exposed a health supplement sold by Dong called “Youthit” (优思益) which claimed to be an Australian brand. Priced at 293–434 yuan per bottle, it was marketed as a premium eye supplement made by Australian company, Yarra Vibe.
But the reporter discovered a very different reality: the products were made in China, owned by a Chinese shell company registered at an Australian address, which turned out to be a car repair warehouse in the outskirts of Melbourne.
And its brand story, including international awards, and expert endorsements, were all concocted by a marketing company based in Hangzhou.
This kind of fake foreign brand is common in China. It’s know as a “Western vest” (洋马甲) in Chinese slang, where a domestic product is dressed up with a foreign identity to command a premium price.
Soon after the story broke, Youthit delisted all products across every platform and suspended all sales activity, and multiple government departments launched investigations into its operations. The outcome is still pending.
Dong Yuhui’s channel, Time with Hui (与辉同行) was the single largest sales platform for Youthit, accounting for an estimated 40% of total sales, and between 10–25 million yuan ($1.4-3.4 million USD) in revenue.
When the story broke, other influencers who had promoted the product quickly issued apologies and offered full refunds — known as “triple damages” (退一赔三) under Chinese consumer law. Which means for every purchase of a fake, customers get three times the price paid as compensation from the seller.
But Dong Yuhui’s team was notably slow to respond, issuing three statements which didn’t address the problem:
“On day one, they said they were ‘looking into it’.
On day two, they said they were ‘closely monitoring it’.
And only on day three did they reluctantly issue a statement offering ‘out-of-pocket refund’ to consumers.”
第一天在”关注”，第二天在”重点关注”，直到第三天才不情愿地发声明说”垫付退款”。 [2]
These lukewarm responses caused even more consternation online.
Because “looking into it” (关注) and “closely monitoring it” (重点关注) are classic Chinese corporate non-responses. And the word “out-of-pocket” (垫付) frames the refund as a favour to the consumer rather than an admission of liability. The repayment offered also fell well short of the standard “triple damages” paid Dong’s competitors.
Related
Doing Yuhui is a familiar name to long-time readers of this newsletter.
He became the face of East Buy (东方甄选), a live-streaming channel born out of the ashes of embattled education business, New Oriental (新东方) in 2022, whose private tutoring business was decimated by China’s Double Reduction policy (双减政策) the year before.
In December 2023, Dong became the CEO of East Buy. Then in July, 2024, Dong quit the platform to build his own channel, Time with Hui (与辉同行). And since then he’s become one of the top earners in the industry. Last year alone Time with Hui recorded over 21 billion yuan in sales (USD 2.9 billion).
But in recent months, Dong has been been hit by a series of fake product controversies, Youthit being the third this year.
In January 2026, his channel sold “Dabie Mountain Butter Hen” (大别山黄油母鸡) for 84 yuan for a pack of three. An industry association challenged its authenticity because the numbers didn’t add up — that breed of chicken costs over 150 yuan per hen raise. The product was quietly delisted from Dong’s channel.
Then in March 2026, the annual CCTV 315 Consumer Rights Broadcast (央视3·15晚会) exposed a brand of bleached chicken feet (漂白鸡爪) for being produced in unsanitary conditions. The product was also sold through Dong’s channel, but his team deflected the issue saying that the products he had sold came from a different production line.
Each time, Dong Yuhui used carefully worded language to distance himself from the problem product, and any liability.
But his fans are getting fed up, as this comment on social media suggests:
“This isn’t a mistake. He is treating consumers like idiots.”
这不是失误，这是把消费者的智商摁在地上摩擦。 [2]
The phrase, “rubbing into the dirt” (摁在地上摩擦) is vivid Chinese internet slang meaning to utterly humiliate or disrespect someone, which captures how many of Dong’s fans are starting to feel.
The “fake Western vest” (洋马甲) foreign brand playbook is nothing new in China.
But this is a new problem for Dong who has built his reputation as a “cultural figure” (文化人), and educator. He’s even known affectionately by fans as “Teacher Dong” (董老师) — a reference to his earlier career as an English teacher at New Oriental before he became a superstar seller. His viewers and fans trust him, and they are willing to pay a premium for the products he promotes because of it.
But that deep trust is being eroded with these recent controversies. And there’s a new idiomatic phrase to explain why:
Recently, the catchphrase “Dong Yuhui keeps getting away with it” has gone viral.
A play on the old adage “the law does not punish the masses”, the four-character phrase highlights the seemingly untouchable status of Dong Yuhui and his team amidst a string of recent live-streaming controversies.
最近，”法不责辉”成了网络流行语。这四个字借用了老话”法不责众”的壳，指向了主播董宇辉及其团队在多起带货争议中的处境。
Trust is Dong’s single most valuable commercial asset. Unlike other live-streamers who sell on price or entertainment, Dong’s entire operation runs on this credibility.
And now that credibility is beginning to crack, rebuilding it will be far harder that it was to create.
So that’s what we’re discussing this week!
Favourite Five
1. 情怀 qíng huái
sentiment, emotional attachment
他的流量和口碑，大多建立在“情怀”和“信任”之上 - His massive following and reputation are largely built on emotional resonance and trust. [3]
2. 洋马甲 yáng mǎ jiǎ
fake foreign branding, domestic product labelled as imported
成本30块，国内代工，全靠洋马甲忽悠人 - The product is a thirty-yuan domestic white-label disguised with a foreign-sounding name. [2]
Related:
洋牌 yáng pái – foreign brand label
假洋货 jiǎ yáng huò – fake foreign brand
3. 摇身一变 yáo shēn yí biàn
to transform instantly, to turn into overnight
于是国产货，就摇身一变成为了高大上的洋货了 - Domestic products are then instantly transformed into high-end foreign goods. [4]
4. 法不责辉 fǎ bù zé huī
Dong Yuhui keeps getting away with it; selective accountability
最近，“法不责辉”成了网络流行语。这四个字借用了老话“法不责众”的壳，指向了主播董宇辉及其团队在多起带货争议中的处境 - Recently, the catchphrase “Dong Yuhui keeps getting away with it” has gone viral. A play on the old adage “the law does not punish the masses,” the four-character phrase highlights the seemingly untouchable status of influencer Dong Yuhui and his team amidst a string of recent livestreaming controversies. [1]
Note: wordplay on “The law does not punish the masses” (法不责众)
Related:
法外之地 fǎ wài zhī dì – the Wild West, legal vacuum
5. 人红是非多 rén hóng shì fēi duō
the more famous you are, the more trouble you attract
人红是非多，顶流主播也逃不过舆论审判 - As the saying goes, fame always invites trouble: even the top live-streamer cannot escape public scrutiny. [3]
Consuming the Conversation
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Consuming the Conversation
Useful words
6. 恶意 è yì
malicious intent, bad faith
违法事实清楚，责任主体明确，主观恶意明显 - There is a clear violation, a defined liable party, and unmistakable willful misconduct. [1]
7. 欺诈 qī zhà
fraud, deception
两位被官方定性为虚假宣传或消费欺诈 - The two were accused by the authorities to be engaging in false advertising or consumer fraud. [1]
8. 翻车 fān chē
to mess up, to fail badly
董宇辉又翻车了 - Dong Yuhui messed it up again. [2]
Related:
出事 chū shì – something went wrong, an incident occurred
9. 神坛 shén tán
altar, place of reverence
董宇辉，是时候被拉下神坛了 - It’s time for Dong Yuhui to be pulled down from the altar (meaning: to be held accountable). [2]
10. 贪婪 tān lán
greedy, greed
不能用情怀来掩盖贪婪和虚伪，欺骗你的粉丝和用户 - You can’t use emotional appeal to sanitise greed and hypocrisy as you deceive your fans and users. [2]
11. 乱象 luàn xiàng
chaotic situation, disorderly phenomenon
希望他能守住行业的底线，成为乱象中的一束光 - Hopefully he can hold the line and become a ray of light amid industry-wide misconducts. [3]
12. 镀金 dù jīn
to gild, to embellish credentials
注册个品牌，最好再找个共享办公位，就算完成身份镀金了 - All it takes is a registered brand name and a desk at a co-working space to give yourself a veneer of legitimacy. [4]
