The Death of Zhang Xuefeng is a Wake-Up Call for Meritocracy

Overview

Zhang Xuefeng (张雪峰), a polarising figure who became a household name in China’s education debate, reportedly died of sudden cardiac arrest in Suzhou at the age of 41. According to Huxiu, citing the WeChat account 风声OPINION, his death has refocused attention not only on the pressures faced by individuals who commercialise education but also on the broader social logic that elevates narrow performance metrics above wellbeing and intellectual diversity. His passing is a blunt reminder: what does a meritocratic race cost the racer?

Rise and role

Zhang’s rise was rapid and emblematic of the digital era. He first gained fame as a postgraduate entrance exam (考研) tutor; a 2016 clip in which he “decoded” China’s 34 elite universities — the so‑called 985 project schools (a shorthand Western readers can understand as China’s top-tier public universities) — went viral. He later pivoted to advising families on Gaokao (高考) college‑choice and career‑oriented major selection, selling a blunt, pragmatic calculus: choose majors that lead to civil service posts, big tech jobs, or high pay. It has been reported that Zhang built a business empire spanning education, publishing, livestreaming and other sectors, and that he had a history of overwork and prior hospitalization for cardiac symptoms in 2023.

Why it matters

Zhang’s message resonated because it answered real anxieties. As China expanded higher education and record numbers of graduates entered a tightening labor market, ordinary families without social capital sought clear signals about what “works.” But the triumph of instrumentalism — a meritocracy measured by salary, stability and quick outcomes — flattens interest, narrows the range of social roles, and incentivises self‑exploitation. This debate also sits against Beijing’s post‑2021 regulatory shakeup of private tutoring and wider state efforts to manage social mobility pathways: when formal options shrink, informal gurus step in. Is this the kind of meritocracy a modern society should prize?

Aftermath

Zhang’s influence will not vanish with his death. Millions of parents and students will continue to seek practical shortcuts through an unequal system. Yet his sudden passing forces a pause: efficiency and measurable outcomes can solve problems — but they can also hollow out education and burn out the people who sell it. If a culture of “usefulness above all” elevates advisors to celebrity and consumes them in the process, perhaps the wake‑up call is not only for families picking majors, but for a society rethinking what success should actually measure.