Non-existent retired professor who ‘lectures’ on parent-child relationships gathers online support from 200,000 followers
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenFran Luin BeijingPublished: 2:00pm, 16 Mar 2026Young people in China are contributing to a fake account generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to lecture their parents about healthy and scientific life values.
A social media account called “Lao Zhao jiang dao li”, or “Mr Zhao talks sense”, went viral recently, amassing over 200,000 followers in just two months.
The man surnamed Zhao, based in southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality, claimed in his profile that he is a retired professor who has specialised in parent-child relationships for over three decades.
He also said he had published over 10 SCI papers, studied in Singapore and won the “Touching China organising committee special award” and the “Champions of the Earth” award.
Zhao’s achievements look amazing, except for the fact that he does not exist.
He is a persona generated by AI, created by a young woman who goes by the nickname “shicaomeiweidemao”.
The woman created the account because she could not stand the “toxic chicken soup” her parents believed in.
