When two years ago, Luo Yonghao announced that he was to make “China’s best smartphone”, some called him a braggart. Those who were skeptical about such grandiose claims seemed to have good reasons – Luo had little experience to boast of in phone design and manufacturing. Following a successful stint as an English test tutor, Luo started his own school in 2008. Yet his celebrity has little to do with him being an education entrepreneur, but rather, owed much to his witty commentary, which he made in his lectures as well as on Weibo, China’s -like service. His uncompromising idealism, agile mind, and a flair for jokes, led to a cultish following among the young Chinese. In 2011, when images of Luo and his friends smashing fridges in a protest over defected products went online, his fans lauded him as a national hero who single-handedly took on a powerful Western company. For them, Luo is a symbol of social responsibility and the willingness to defy the status quo.
No comments:
Post a Comment