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"Right now, I stand in Antarctica's icy world, surrounded by vast whiteness, emerald-like icebergs, and boundless tranquility. Glaciers shimmer under sunlight, silently narrating the power of time and the meaning of perseverance." On November 16, New Oriental's 32nd anniversary, founder Yu Minhong sent an all-staff letter from Antarctica. The prose was poetic—almost like a soliloquy. Drawing parallels between penguins surviving extreme conditions through mutual support and New Oriental employees overcoming challenges, Yu encouraged his team to stay true to their mission, serve students and clients, and look forward to the company's future.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, New Oriental teachers were likely still working overtime. Some had just finished evening classes and begun grading hundreds of exams; others rushed to prepare renewal PPTs; many juggled parent messages while putting their own children to sleep. The contrast is stark: while the boss indulged in poetic musings, employees toiled relentlessly. One might wonder—do their efforts merely enable Yu's leisurely Antarctic retreat?
If the boss can't empathize with employees' daily struggles, why should they force themselves to resonate with his inspirational rhetoric? Yu admires penguins huddling for survival and urges his team to emulate them for the company's sake. While not wrong, it echoes a cynical remark: "Work hard, and next year I’ll find you a sister-in-law."
Objectively, Yu Minhong is admirable. In 1993, he founded New Oriental in a leaky classroom in Zhongguancun, building China's premier overseas test-prep empire with nothing but a chalkboard and his voice. Later, alongside his "Chinese Partners," he turned the培训机构 into an era-defining symbol. In 2006, New Oriental became China's first overseas-listed education firm, convincing many that knowledge could change destinies.
But times have changed. Policy shifts and industry upheavals have cooled the once-booming tutoring sector. Unlike peers, New Oriental paid salaries on time, refunded students, and donated 80,000 desks to rural schools. To survive, Yu pivoted to livestream e-commerce, birthing EAST BUY—a remarkable turnaround worthy of praise.
As a successful entrepreneur who’s fought hard, Yu’s travel choices are his prerogative. Yet, invoking penguin solidarity from Antarctica—a luxury beyond employees' reach—risks evoking Marie Antoinette’s infamous "Let them eat cake." One parody read:
*"Now I sit in my Beijing rental’s formaldehyde haze, under a smoggy night, staring at renewal metrics. Midnight sun lights your face; KPI glare burns my eyes. You hear glaciers whisper time’s power; I hear the clock-in system’s countdown."*
This isn’t complaint—it’s reality. The福利 contrast stings: years ago, Yu chartered a cruise for 2,000 top performers; this year’s anniversary "gift" was a self-funded EAST BUY membership card. The shift from "we journey together" to "support me" is palpable.
Some argue employees are overly sensitive—shouldn’t a lifetime-working boss take a break? This logic ignores generational shifts. Today’s workforce—post-90s and post-95s—rejects empty inspiration. They’ll work hard for visible returns and overtime if recognized. When leaders philosophize from Earth’s southernmost point without acknowledging ground-level burdens, even beautiful words ring hollow.
This isn’t ingratitude but clarity:精神激励 can’t replace tangible respect. A company’s longevity hinges not on the boss’s travel log but whether employees feel included. New Oriental has weathered storms, but tough times demand avoiding "ivory-tower motivation." Before urging penguin-like unity, leaders must prove they’re in the blizzard too—not just snapping photos in parkas.
Antarctica’s beauty can’t mask busy workstations; corporate size won’t retain neglected hearts. Icebergs fracture; trust is harder to mend. For New Oriental and Yu, it’s time to swim back from Antarctic solitude to shared struggle—only then will employees truly embrace his poetry and horizons.
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