New Oriental
A Chinese private education and technology group that developed from English test preparation into a broad platform spanning education, overseas-study services, publishing, and education-related e-commerce.
Last updated October 9, 2026
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Overview
New Oriental Education & Technology Group, commonly known as New Oriental, is a Chinese private education and technology company headquartered in Beijing. Founded in 1993 by Yu Minhong after his work as an English instructor at Peking University, the organization initially concentrated on preparation for overseas examinations, particularly the TOEFL and GRE. It subsequently broadened its teaching portfolio to include domestic examinations, school-age academic programs, adult English, foreign-language learning, preschool education, vocational training, online instruction, study-abroad consulting, and educational publishing. The company became one of the most recognizable private education brands in China by combining classroom instruction with a large network of schools, learning centers, bookstores, and local offices. Its overseas-testing business historically included preparation for the TOEFL, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, IELTS, and LSAT. It also developed services for students and families seeking overseas admissions, including application consulting and related guidance. New Oriental’s brand positioning has generally emphasized instructional quality, examination expertise, academic achievement, and trust among middle-class Chinese families. New Oriental was the first Chinese educational institution to list on the New York Stock Exchange, completing its initial public offering on September 7, 2006 under the ticker EDU. The listing provided capital for geographic expansion, technology investment, and the development of online learning. Beginning in the mid-2010s, the group invested heavily in digital education and used its Koolearn platform to reach students beyond major metropolitan areas. Koolearn later listed in Hong Kong and became a separately recognized online education business within the group. The company’s operating environment changed dramatically in 2021, when Chinese regulatory authorities prohibited for-profit tutoring in core school-curriculum subjects. New Oriental responded by closing or restructuring affected operations, reducing its workforce, and shifting resources toward permitted education services and new commercial activities. The regulatory transition produced a sharp contraction in the traditional tutoring business and forced the group to reconsider its dependence on K-12 academic tutoring. A major post-regulation initiative was Oriental Select, a livestreaming e-commerce operation launched on Douyin in December 2021. The business used former teachers as hosts and differentiated itself through educational presentation, bilingual communication, storytelling, and explanations of agricultural and consumer products. The operation became especially associated with Dong Yuhui and helped transform the former Koolearn business into an online retail company later known as East Buy. This pivot demonstrated New Oriental’s ability to reuse its teaching talent, content capabilities, and audience relationships in a nontraditional commercial setting. New Oriental remains associated with language learning, test preparation, overseas education, educational content, and technology-enabled services, while its broader group ecosystem also includes East Buy and related cultural, tourism, and commerce initiatives. Its history reflects the development of China’s private education sector, the rapid growth of online learning, the disruptive impact of education regulation, and the emergence of livestream commerce as an alternative growth avenue.
History
New Oriental began on November 16, 1993, when Yu Minhong established Beijing New Oriental School. Yu had studied English at Peking University and had previously taught English there. The initial business focused on helping Chinese students prepare for overseas examinations, especially the TOEFL and GRE. This focus placed the organization within a growing market created by rising demand for international study and English-language credentials. The institution gradually expanded beyond a small test-preparation operation. It added preparation for other overseas examinations, including the SAT, ACT, GMAT, IELTS, and LSAT, while also developing domestic examination courses, adult English, Japanese, Spanish and French instruction, vacation programs, and school-age education. Study-abroad consulting and educational publishing became important complements to teaching. The resulting combination of instruction, consulting, and learning materials gave New Oriental a wider relationship with students than a single-course provider. During the 2000s and 2010s, New Oriental built a substantial physical network across Mainland China. The company operated schools, learning centers, vocational-training facilities, offices, bookstores, and affiliated sales channels. By 2016, reference material described 67 short-term language schools, 20 bookstores, 771 learning centers, and access to more than 5,000 third-party bookstores across 56 Chinese cities. The group reported tens of millions of cumulative student enrollments, reflecting the scale of demand for private education in China. New Oriental’s growth was accompanied by legal controversy. In 2001, the Educational Testing Service publicly warned universities to scrutinize the GRE scores of Chinese applicants and alleged that New Oriental had used examination questions without authorization. ETS sued the organization over the copying, publication, and sale of testing materials. In 2003, a Beijing intermediate court ordered compensation exceeding 10 million yuan. A higher Beijing court upheld infringement findings involving copyright and trademark rights but reduced the compensation to approximately 3.74 million yuan, plus court costs. The case became one of the most prominent legal disputes in the company’s early history and underscored the intellectual-property risks of the test-preparation industry. New Oriental entered the New York Stock Exchange on September 7, 2006. The flotation made it the first Chinese educational institution to list on that exchange and supplied an international capital-market base for expansion. Yu Minhong served as chief executive from 2001 to 2016 and remained chairman. Louis Hsieh served as chief financial officer from 2005 to 2015 and president from 2009 to 2016. Technology became increasingly important in the second half of the 2010s. New Oriental invested heavily in online education from 2015 onward and used Koolearn to extend access to students in third- and fourth-tier cities. Koolearn reportedly reached hundreds of cities across dozens of provinces by 2021 and listed in Hong Kong in March 2019. The digital business was intended to complement the company’s established classroom network while improving geographic reach and scalability. The most disruptive turning point came in 2021, when Chinese authorities introduced rules barring for-profit tutoring in core school-curriculum subjects. The policy removed or constrained a major portion of New Oriental’s K-12 business. The company closed or restructured schools and learning centers, reduced staffing, and sought new sources of revenue. Public statements cited in reference material described a reduction of approximately 60,000 employees by January 2022 and a substantial fall in operating income, although those figures require period-specific company filings for financial verification. New Oriental’s principal diversification response was livestream commerce. On December 28, 2021, it launched Oriental Select on Douyin. The channel used former teachers as presenters, turning lecture-style explanation, bilingual delivery, and educational storytelling into a retail format. Koolearn was transformed into an online retail business and later adopted the East Buy identity. The new model gained visibility through hosts such as Dong Yuhui and gave New Oriental a way to redeploy teaching and content talent after the tutoring restrictions. In December 2023, a dispute arose after East Buy’s official account described livestream scripts as a collaborative product, challenging some viewers’ belief that Dong Yuhui had created them alone. The episode produced intense online debate, follower losses, criticism of management, an apology from Yu Minhong, and the dismissal of East Buy chief executive Sun Dongxu. Yu temporarily assumed the chief executive role, while Dong remained associated with the company as a senior partner and took additional cultural and tourism responsibilities. The episode illustrated both the commercial power and governance risks of personality-driven livestream commerce. New Oriental’s development therefore spans four connected phases: overseas examination preparation, diversified private education, technology-enabled learning, and post-regulation content-led commerce. Its current identity is broader than that of a conventional tutoring chain, although language education, examination preparation, overseas-study services, and educational content remain central to the brand’s historical and commercial significance.
- 2023
East Buy management transition
[1]A public dispute involving Dong Yuhui leads to management criticism, Sun Dongxu’s departure, and Yu Minhong’s temporary assumption of the CEO role.
- 2021
Education-regulation shock
[1]China bans for-profit tutoring in core school subjects, leading New Oriental to restructure its K-12 operations.
- 2021
Oriental Select launches
[1]New Oriental enters livestream commerce on Douyin, initially emphasizing agricultural and consumer products.
- 2019
Koolearn lists in Hong Kong
[1]Koolearn Technology Holding begins trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
- 2016
Koolearn expands outside major cities
[1]Koolearn broadens its online tutoring reach into third- and fourth-tier Chinese cities.
- 2015
Accelerated online-education investment
[1]The group begins investing heavily in online education as a complement to its classroom network.
- 2006
New York Stock Exchange listing
[1]New Oriental lists on the NYSE under EDU, becoming the first Chinese educational institution to enter that exchange.
- 2003
Beijing courts issue infringement rulings
[1]The courts find infringement involving examination materials and trademarks; the higher court later reduces the compensation amount.
- 2001
ETS legal conflict begins
[1]The Educational Testing Service challenges New Oriental’s alleged use of examination materials and raises concerns about Chinese applicants’ GRE scores.
- 1993
Beijing New Oriental School is founded
[1]Yu Minhong establishes the organization in Beijing, initially focusing on English and overseas examination preparation.
Products and positioning
A broad, quality-oriented private education and education-technology provider serving students, families, adult learners, and overseas-study applicants, with a later strategic extension into content-led livestream commerce.
Language and test preparation · 1993
Overseas examination preparation
New Oriental’s original and historically defining business provides preparation for English-language and overseas admissions examinations. Its referenced examination portfolio includes TOEFL, GRE, SAT, ACT, GMAT, IELTS, and LSAT. Courses generally combine language instruction, examination strategy, practice, and admissions-oriented guidance.
Private education
Domestic and school-age education
The group expanded from overseas testing into domestic examinations and courses for students at different ages. Its historical offering included school-age academic programs, secondary-school education, preschool education, vacation programs, and other general courses. Core-subject tutoring was substantially affected by Chinese regulatory changes introduced in 2021.
Language education
Adult and foreign-language learning
New Oriental has offered adult English and instruction in languages including Japanese, Spanish, and French. These services extend the brand beyond school-age learners and connect with its long-standing expertise in language teaching and examination preparation.
Online education · 2016
Koolearn
Koolearn was New Oriental’s principal online education platform. It was used to extend tutoring and learning services into a wider range of Chinese cities and became a separately listed Hong Kong business in 2019. Following the 2021 regulatory shock, the business shifted away from its former education emphasis toward online retail.
Education consulting
Overseas-study consulting
New Oriental provides guidance connected with overseas study, including consultation for students and families pursuing international education. The business complements examination preparation by supporting applicants beyond language testing and into the broader admissions process.
Educational content
Educational publishing
Books and learning materials have been part of New Oriental’s business since its expansion beyond classroom instruction. Publishing supports the company’s course offerings and allows its teaching methods and examination knowledge to reach learners through retail and institutional channels.
Livestream commerce · 2021
Oriental Select and East Buy
Oriental Select is New Oriental’s livestream-commerce initiative, launched on Douyin after the education-sector regulatory shift. Former teachers serve as hosts, using explanation, bilingual presentation, and storytelling to sell agricultural and other consumer products. The associated Koolearn business was later renamed East Buy.
Controversies
2023
East Buy script-credit and management controversy
A statement about the collaborative creation of livestream scripts provoked criticism from supporters of Dong Yuhui, who believed he had been denied appropriate credit. The dispute generated an online backlash, apologies, management criticism, follower losses, and the removal of chief executive Sun Dongxu.
2001
ETS examination-material infringement dispute
The Educational Testing Service alleged that New Oriental had copied, published, and sold examination questions without authorization. Beijing courts later upheld infringement findings involving copyright and trademark rights, while reducing the compensation assessed at the higher-court stage.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Oriental Select Douyin launch
Mainland China
New Oriental introduced a livestream-commerce channel on Douyin, positioning former educators as hosts and focusing particularly on agricultural products and educationally styled product presentation.
Outcome. The initiative became the foundation for the group’s post-regulation e-commerce pivot and the later East Buy identity.
Brand decisions
2023
Change East Buy leadership after livestream disputeOtherBackground
An online dispute over script attribution and the treatment of star host Dong Yuhui created significant criticism of East Buy’s management.
Action taken
Yu Minhong apologized for management handling, Sun Dongxu was dismissed, and Yu temporarily assumed the CEO role. Dong Yuhui remained with the business as a senior partner.
Aftermath
The company attempted to stabilize the relationship with Dong and his audience while retaining the teacher-led livestream model.
2021
Restructure after tutoring regulationStrategyBackground
Chinese authorities prohibited for-profit tutoring in core school-curriculum subjects, undermining a central part of New Oriental’s historical business.
Action taken
The company closed or restructured affected operations, reduced staffing, and redirected resources toward permitted education services and new businesses.
Aftermath
Traditional K-12 tutoring contracted sharply, while New Oriental accelerated its move into livestream commerce and other activities.
2021
Launch Oriental SelectProduct launchBackground
The regulatory environment created a need to redeploy former teachers, content capabilities, and digital audiences outside restricted tutoring.
Action taken
New Oriental launched Oriental Select as a Douyin livestream-commerce platform, with a focus on agricultural and consumer products.
Aftermath
The teacher-host model gained traction and contributed to the transformation of Koolearn into East Buy.
2015
Increase investment in online educationStrategyBackground
Digital delivery offered a way to expand beyond the group’s physical schools and learning centers.
Action taken
New Oriental invested heavily in online education and expanded Koolearn’s reach.
Aftermath
Koolearn became a major online platform and later provided the organizational base for the group’s e-commerce transformation.
2006
Pursue a U.S. public listingStrategyBackground
New Oriental had developed a sizable private education network and sought capital and visibility for continued expansion.
Action taken
The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under EDU.
Aftermath
The listing established New Oriental as a major publicly traded Chinese education company and supported subsequent growth and technology investment.
Recent events
New Oriental launches livestream commerce platform East Buy[4]
Reported:
New Oriental officially launched its livestream commerce platform East Buy while chairman Yu Minhong held his first agricultural-products livestream.
New Oriental prices US$300 million notes offering[5]
Reported:
New Oriental announced the pricing of an offering of US$300 million in aggregate principal amount of 2.125% notes due 2025. The company said it expected net proceeds of approximately US$297.1 million and intended to use them for general corporate purposes.
New Oriental announces free master livestream courses[6]
Reported:
New Oriental announced free master livestream courses for students and parents nationwide, scheduled to go online on 4 March. The courses cover family education, literature appreciation and popular science.
Sources6 sources
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