Summary of Key Points
Three months after Zhang Xuefeng's death, online public opinion shifted from initial mourning to mockery and ridicule. His iconic statements and actions during his lifetime were turned into memes (such as "The Snowman Triathlon" and "You Can't Run Faster Than Me"). This change reflects the backlash of the traffic-driven media landscape (he gained followers through controversial content, and after his death, these same materials were used to deconstruct his image), exposes the contradictions in his persona (he was both a mentor helping students with college applications and a businessman selling expensive services), and also highlights the disillusionment among young people with the concept of "striving desperately." Nowadays, they place more emphasis on family support rather than sheer hard work and even feel lost about the meaning of their future choices (the number of candidates for the college entrance exam and postgraduate studies is declining, leading to a sense of fatigue that "it doesn't really matter which path to take").
I. The Backlash of Traffic: Famous While Alive, Parodied After Death
Zhang Xuefeng's personality was characterized by emotional outbursts and controversy—he would argue with people, point at the camera, and use coarse language, which made him seem "authentic" and attracted millions of followers. However, these traits also became perfect material for mockery. For example, his phrase "You Can't Run Faster Than Me," originally used to motivate students, was reinterpreted with a dark sense of humor after his death; the "Snowman Triathlon" meme directly referenced the causes of his sudden death (lack of sleep, eating ice cream, and running).
Essentially, this is not a personal attack on him but a consequence of the media world's logic: whatever attracts attention will eventually be used against you. He built his brand through traffic, and after his death, that same traffic continued to fuel discussions about him in the form of parody until the interest faded.
II. A Contradictory Image: Mentor or Businessman?
Zhang Xuefeng was portrayed as an honest expert in college application guidance, but his actions were clearly commercial. The "Dream Realization Cards" he sold cost thousands of yuan, and he didn't provide personal tutoring, which some saw as exploitative. Yet, his statements (such as "Companies on the Fortune 500 won't hire from second-tier universities") resonated with many people's real-life frustrations.
This dual nature led to mixed reactions: some praised him for helping them avoid pitfalls, while others criticized him for profiting unethically. He wasn't a pure educator (eating ice cream in front of the camera and arguing in an impolite manner), but he wasn't entirely a scammer (he didn't make up things without basis). This contradiction created room for mixed opinions—those who remembered him fondly and those who mocked him likely shared the same audience, each seeking what they wanted from his stories.
III. Young People No Longer Buy into the Philosophy of "Desperate Striving": The Shift from "Hard Work" to "Support"
Zhang Xuefeng believed in the philosophy that "only by striving can you win," encouraging people to pursue science and engineering, move to big cities, and take civil service exams, with the core message being "never stop." However, today's youth prefer family support. For example, after the college entrance exam, they demand high-end gifts; they believe that raising children is a form of support rather than mere kindness, and even going to Walmart is seen as an act of parental support.
His sudden death can be seen as a kind of prophecy: there is a limit to what one can achieve through extreme effort, and while hard work can change one's fate, it can also deplete one's life prematurely. When young people create memes about him, they often express a sense of nihilism—"After all this hard work, does it really matter in the end?" With this mindset, his philosophy of "desperate striving" has lost its appeal.
IV. The Meaning of Choice is Disappearing: From Competition to a Sense of Frustration
The number of applicants for the college entrance exam has decreased for two consecutive years (450,000 fewer in 2026 than in 2025), and the number of postgraduate candidates has also dropped significantly (nearly 1 million fewer in 2026 compared to 2023). These trends indicate that the narrative of "a thousand people competing for a few spots" is no longer valid—people no longer believe that choosing the right major or university can determine their fate.
Why? The future is too uncertain: when they start college, AI might have already taken over many jobs; a popular major like civil engineering could turn out to be a dead end by the time they graduate. This low tolerance for mistakes makes choices meaningless, leading to a sense of fatigue that "it doesn't really matter which path to take." More frightening than mockery is the loss of desire to even debate these issues—there's no longer any belief in the efficacy of hard work.
Conclusion: Will There Be Another Zhang Xuefeng?
The mockery surrounding Zhang Xuefeng will eventually subside as the attention fades, but it's unlikely there will be another person like him. This isn't because people don't understand the dynamics of traffic-driven media, but because young people are becoming less reliant on guidance from others. They no longer believe that anyone can provide definitive answers or that hard work alone can guarantee success. Whether this change is good or bad is hard to say, but it certainly reflects a shift in societal attitudes—我们从 a culture of "striving desperately" towards one of accepting reality and taking things as they come.