Sydney teacher David Gulasi went to China with the intention of becoming an English teacher for only three months. That was what he said in 2010. Six year later, the 33-year-old teacher is still a teacher in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and a Weibo sensation.
He has 730,000 followers on the social media portal, while his tutorial videos has thousands of “likes” with viewers across China. If his tutorials are enjoyable, it’s because Gulasi used to do stand-up comedy at the Sydney Comedy Club in Australia, reported China Daily.
“I use a lot of comedy, and humor to teach my students because in China education is way too serious,” Gulasi explained.
For his first video, Gulasi taught students about the word “play.” After he uploaded the video on Weibo, Gulasi had 50 followers which ballooned to 120,000 the following morning.
He believes his unexpected fame – which includes people asking to take photo with him – has to do with people liking his facial expressions. Netizens specifically cite Gulasi’s eyebrows which creates a comedic effect when he talks. While viewers of his video are turned off by the sound, they enjoy watching his eyebrows dancing, reported Shanghai Daily.
Besides teaching, Gulasi is the managing director of the New World Language School in Inner Mongolia. Prior to China, he worked in a Mediterranean cuisine establishment for seven years.
He and other known Weibo sensations will hold a concert in Shanghai next week.