Ru Shi Academy, located in Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China, which claims to teach Chinese classics and reportedly charges as much as 120,000 RMB (about 72,700 MYR), has been accused of having a founder who is a pyramid scheme ringleader and of employing violent discipline against minors. The Xinchang County authorities have established a joint investigation team from multiple departments to conduct investigation and evidence collection.
According to reports from Southern Metropolis Daily and Guancha, the incident began when a 16-year-old girl named Xiaolin recently posted a video asking for help. She said she did not want to be sent to Ru Shi Academy again by her parents, also stating: 'If I get caught and you can't contact me, please call the police to rescue me.' After the video circulated, attention was drawn to the disciplinary methods at Ru Shi Academy and the background of its founder.
Ru Shi Academy is situated in the Qipan Xiangu Scenic Area in Xinchang, covering over 800 mu. It advertises itself as teaching the traditional Six Arts ('rituals, music, archery, chariot-driving, calligraphy, mathematics') and operates the 'Muduoxuetang', which provides closed-off discipline for so-called 'troubled youths'—those who are truant, depressed, or addicted to the internet.
Xiaolin said that in October 2024, because of truancy and talking back to her parents, she was sent to Ru Shi Academy’s internal 'Muduoxuetang' at age 14. After enrolling, her phone and ID card were confiscated, and she could not contact the outside world independently; over the next year, she had to practice meditation, read classic texts, and take courses in Chinese studies every day. Disobedience would result in beatings or scolding as punishment.
Several other students also accused the academy’s founder, Ru Ping, of slapping or beating them. Reports stated that some parents not only accept this form of discipline, but even believe that 'Ru Ping woke the kids up with just a couple of slaps.' Ru Ping was also said to have justified his behavior with statements such as 'I hit you for your own good.'
Xiaolin said that during her time receiving closed-off management, there were about 20 to 30 others, most of whom were minors. According to her information, there are currently about 30 students still receiving closed-off discipline, and the location has been moved from Ru Shi Academy to the nearby Muxi Mountain Resort.
A staff member from Ru Shi Academy, when questioned, said that there have long been more than 50 children at the school, which operates as a private tutorial center rather than an accredited school and thus does not require teachers to hold teaching credentials. Parents are not allowed to visit at will and must first obtain permission from the class teacher. The staff member denied that students were beaten or abused arbitrarily but admitted that when children 'display extremely bad behavior,' they would be punished with a discipline ruler.
According to Xiaolin, there are still around 30 people under closed-off discipline at the academy. 'One student who was sent to the school last summer said they have now moved from Ru Shi Academy to the nearby Muxi Mountain Resort.'
According to Ru Shi Academy's public promotion, Ru Ping's real name is Lai Zeming. He claims to be the founder of Ru Shi Academy and initiator of courses such as 'Ru Shi University' and 'Ru Shi Doctrine of the Mean,' and teaches in many Chinese cities as a 'traditional Chinese classics master' and 'family education tutor.'
However, several former students and parents allege that Lai Zeming, who also used the name Lai Zeping, was an early ringleader of pyramid schemes exposed by CCTV in China. Public records show that beginning in 1998, Lai Zeping was involved in illegal pyramid scheme activities in Zhuhai, Guangdong, and Beihai, Guangxi, and in 2002 was sentenced to two years in prison for illegal business operations and fined 500,000 RMB (about 302,800 MYR).