Summary of Key Points
This news report exposes a pseudo-Sino-philosophy institution called “Rushi Academy,” which pretends to promote traditional culture and family education while engaging in unlicensed and illegal activities. The academy subjects its students, especially minors, to violent corporal punishment, mental control, and even restrictions on personal freedom. The founder, Lai Zeming, was once the leader of a major pyramid scheme. Now, he runs a family-owned business, using Sino-philosophy as a guise for money-making. Lai Zeming and two others have been detained on suspicion of abusing their charges, and the case is still under investigation.
I. Violent Discipline: A “Concentration Camp” Under the Mask of Sino-Philosophy
Violence at Rushi Academy is not an isolated incident but a routine practice. During short-term courses, teachers and assistants openly beat students. For example, 17-year-old Chen Jingyun was slapped four or five times by the founder Ruping (Lai Zeming) for wanting to leave, with other students cheering in approval. 35-year-old Dong Xiao was slapped until she lost strength; twenty assistants then pinned her down. The long-term residential courses are even more harsh: students must wake up at 5 a.m. to meditate and run several kilometers before being allowed food, which is mostly vegetarian. Those who fall ill are not allowed to eat meat, as it is believed that “karmic burdens can only be relieved through suffering.” As a result, 12-year-old Huang Junjie suffered from malnutrition and delayed development, still crying in response to the sound of the guqin three years later. When students attempted to escape, they faced severe consequences—Huang Junjie was made to stand for one hour in the cold, deprived of water and food; Chen Jingyun was told by his mother to return to the academy after seeking help with her phone.
II. Unlicensed Operation: A “Pseudo-Sino-Philosophy” Business That Exploits Loopholes
Rushi Academy does not have the necessary qualifications to operate an educational institution. Its main entity, Zhejiang Rushi Culture Communication Co., Ltd., is only licensed for “cultural and artistic planning” and business consulting, with no educational credentials registered on the national extracurricular training regulatory platform. Yet it offers short-term courses (such as the “Rushi University” for 4,800 yuan or the “Rushi Doctrine of the Mean” for 3,800 yuan) and long-term residential programs (120,000 yuan per year for minors and 200,000 yuan per year for adults), with branches across the country. According to national regulations, extracurricular training institutions must have official permits and cannot use “cultural communication” as a pretext to offer primary or secondary school-level education, nor can they teach feudal doctrines like the “Three Obediences and Four Virtues.” Rushi Academy has exploited this loophole, using Sino-philosophy as a cover for its actual business, which often promotes absurd ideas such as “domestic violence being deserved by the victim.”
III. Family-Oriented Money-Making: A Pyramid Scheme Leader Turns into a “Master of Sino-Philosophy”
Lai Zeming’s criminal history is well-documented: in 2002, he was sentenced to two years for illegal operations (pyramid scheme) after his company had over 3,000 members and defrauded more than 14 million yuan. After release, he rebranded his “coaching techniques” as “Rushi” courses and involved his family in the business. His son, Lai Lai, serves as the deputy director of a branch in Foshan, while his sister, Lai Zehong, runs a summer camp for minors that uses rulers for punishment. The business model is similar to a pyramid scheme: short-term courses attract parents, while long-term programs generate high profits, with former students being used to recruit new members (for instance, Chen Jingyun’s mother was brainwashed into sending her son to the academy). Lai Zeming even boasts in class that “even people in prison attend his courses,” demonstrating his mastery of psychological manipulation.
IV. Regulatory Intervention: The End of Pseudo-Sino-Philosophy
It wasn’t until August 2026, after media exposure, that a joint investigation team was established in Xinchang County. The report revealed that Rushi Academy operated without proper licenses, rented premises illegally, and engaged in physical abuse and restrictions on personal freedom. Lai Zeming and two others were detained, and additional illegal activities were discovered. The academy’s headquarters and residential course locations are now closed, with the signs removed. However, it raises questions about how such an institution could operate for so long. On one hand, its use of Sino-philosophy and family education concepts deceived parents into thinking it was a legitimate educational institution. On the other hand, there were regulatory gaps—licenses and qualifications were managed by different departments, allowing for loopholes to be exploited. This case serves as a warning to other pseudo-Sino-philosophy organizations: those that engage in illegal activities under the guise of traditional culture will eventually be caught.
This news highlights the severe harm caused by pseudo-Sino-philosophy institutions, which not only defraud people but also damage children’s physical and mental well-being. Parents must be cautious when choosing educational institutions, verifying their qualifications and the content being taught, avoiding being misled by the labels of “traditional culture” and “family education.”