Ray Du: From a Young Exchange Student Who Hated English to the 'Block Captain' of Taiwan's YouTube World

30-second overview: In 2020, YouTuber Ray Du (Du Sheng-rui) launched the "ThisAttackComesFromTaiwan" crowdfunding campaign that reached its NT$4 million goal within hours, ultimately raising close to NT$19 million to run a full-page advertisement in the New York Times, telling the world "Taiwan Can Help." The following year, he publicly shared his nearly year-long battle with depression, and co-founded with Chih-chi Chang and others the Taiwan New Media Video Creators Association, serving as its chairman and building a mutual support ecosystem for Taiwan's creators. From young exchange student in Singapore who hated English to becoming the "block captain" of Taiwan's YouTube world, Ray Du's story is not just a personal transformation — it is a true microcosm of Taiwan's new media moving from individual creation toward a shared industry.

In April 2020, a crowdfunding advertisement from Taiwan stunned the international community. YouTuber Ray Du and designer Aaron Nieh launched a crowdfunding campaign, reaching the NT$4 million goal within hours, ultimately placing a full-page advertisement in the New York Times with close to NT$19 million, responding to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's remarks toward Taiwan.²³ This event not only showed the world Taiwan's existence but also made the name "Ray Du" leap from being simply the host of an English teaching channel to becoming a public figure with social influence.

From English Awakening in Singapore to the Birth of "Ray Du English"

Ray Du, real name Du Sheng-rui, went to Singapore as a young student along with his sister Du Guan-ling (Didi) from elementary school. Initially, he strongly resisted English and couldn't even pass the entrance exam.⁴ Later, to buy a "Yu-Gi-Oh card," he mustered the courage to start learning English, and this small motivation unexpectedly ignited his interest.⁴ After returning to Taiwan, his English ability made him the class tutor, and he grew to love teaching, ultimately choosing to study English at Fu Jen Catholic University and pursuing a master's degree in multimedia English teaching.⁴

During university and graduate school, he actively learned photography, editing, public speaking, and debate — skills that seemed unrelated to English but became critical nutrients for later managing a YouTube channel.⁴ During his master's studies, he made a series of English teaching videos as his final project — this was the embryonic form of the "Ray Du English" channel. In 2015, he co-founded the channel with his sister Didi, quickly accumulating popularity through their humorous and everyday teaching style, becoming a representative knowledge-based YouTuber in Taiwan.⁵

📝 Curator's note: Ray Du's story of going from "hating English" to making his name through English is what most resonates with Taiwanese audiences — it turns out learning doesn't require being naturally passionate; you just need to find that small "why."

The New York Times Advertisement: From YouTuber to Participant in Public Issues

In 2020, as COVID-19 swept the globe, WHO Director-General Tedros accused Taiwan of personally attacking him. Ray Du and several Taiwanese citizens launched the "ThisAttackComesFromTaiwan" crowdfunding campaign, hoping to place an advertisement in international media to clarify the facts and express the voices of Taiwanese people.² The campaign quickly gained a response, ultimately running a full-page advertisement in the New York Times with the theme "Taiwan Can Help," demonstrating Taiwan's international contributions.³

This event brought Ray Du's influence to its peak, and also made him deeply realize: YouTubers, beyond creating content, can also speak out on public issues. However, the enormous pressure and outside scrutiny that came along with it also planted seeds for his subsequent challenges.

Emerging from the Low Point of Depression: Candid Sharing and Founding the Creators' Association

In 2021, Ray Du publicly announced on his personal channel that he had been battling depression for nearly a year, stunning many fans.⁶ After the New York Times advertisement event, long-accumulated pressure, anxiety about work performance, sleep disorders, and online criticism plunged him into a low point.¹ He described that period as "going through the motions," unable even to read a script directly when recording.¹

"When recording, even with a script, I couldn't read it word by word directly. This really caused me great panic, because of the serious loss of work capability, and my self-confidence also took a big hit."¹

He gradually emerged from the darkness through medical treatment, psychological counseling, rTMS treatment, and learning to change how he talked to himself and to live in the present.¹⁸ He emphasized that depression is not "having poor stress tolerance" but a disease of neurotransmitter dysregulation in the brain — it can improve with proper treatment.¹ His candid sharing not only encouraged many others who were similarly suffering but also made Taiwanese society more willing to face mental health issues squarely.

That same year, Ray Du and Chih-chi Chang and others co-founded the "Taiwan New Media Video Creators Association," serving as its chairman.⁷ The association aims to provide a platform for creators to exchange, solve common problems, and build a mutual support ecosystem. Ray Du hopes to cultivate more "helping each other" practices among Taiwan's creators.⁷ After the association's founding, it has attracted over 500 YouTubers and held nearly 100 creator meetups, earning him the affectionate nickname from fans of "YouTube block captain."⁷

Challenges and Prospects: Balancing Creation and Life, Driving Industry Development

As an iconic figure in Taiwan's YouTube world, Ray Du continues to innovate in content and engage in industry promotion. Observing the shift in audience preferences in the post-pandemic era, he began collaborating with other YouTubers on international travel content, successfully boosting channel traffic.⁷ He reminds young people that the threshold for becoming a YouTuber is actually not low — it requires long-term cultivation of professional skills, and one cannot only look at the surface glamour.⁷

📝 Curator's note: Ray Du transformed personal low points into the power of community support — going from a solo creator to the "block captain" connecting everyone. This is the most authentic and moving growth story in Taiwan's new media.

Looking ahead, Ray Du hopes the association will continue to expand into a more complete creator support system. He also works hard to find balance between life and work, seeking inner peace, reminding everyone not to let data and traffic hijack creative original intent.⁷ Ray Du's story is a microcosm of a creator in Taiwan's new media era constantly adjusting and breaking through self-limits, also setting the most practical model for all those who follow.

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