News, August 18: New Oriental Culture & Tourism recently announced that Yu Minhong will personally lead an expedition to the Arctic, accompanied by two special guests — Chen Xingjia and Shi Zhan.
Frankly speaking, I think Yu Minhong has made huge strides into the cultural‑tourism business over the past couple of years.
Image source: Weibo
You see, from last year’s Antarctic controversy to this year’s fulfilled promise of sending employees to Antarctica, one can’t help but feel that New Oriental Cultural & Travel’s business has evolved from an education‑training enterprise into Yu Minhong’s personal globe‑trotting checklist.
Chen Xingjia was appointed at the start of this year as chief advisor for New Oriental’s three major divisions, with an annual salary of 1.5 million yuan, a move that sparked quite a lot of public debate back then. Shi Zhan, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, is a noted scholar of civilizational history and a well‑known figure in cultural circles.
Put these three men together, and it truly qualifies as a feast of ideas.
This upcoming Arctic expedition comes in two itineraries: a 12‑day version and a 13‑day version, set to depart on July 28 and 29, 2027 respectively.
The route is thoughtfully planned. Instead of flying straight to the Arctic, participants will first travel from China to Paris, take in several cultural sites across France, then transfer to Longyearbyen before boarding the polar cruise ship for the official expedition.
Travelers get to visit iconic Paris landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, and later head into the Arctic Circle to view glaciers and spot polar bears. For wealthy, leisure‑rich clientele, this combined package holds genuine appeal.
Now for the price tag — care to take a guess?
Take the 12‑day itinerary as an example. The most affordable option is the Baron Stateroom on Deck 3, priced at 109,800 yuan per person. At the top end, the Owner’s Suite on Deck 6 costs a steep 219,800 yuan per person. Bear in mind these are per‑person rates. Bookings officially open on August 21.
Image source: Weibo
Recruitment is open to global travellers aged between 10 and 70. The voyage will be aboard Le Lyrial, operated by France’s Ponant Cruises. Well‑regarded within polar‑expedition circles, this small luxury vessel weighs over 10,000 tonnes and accommodates more than 200 passengers.
Xiaolei Talks (ID: xiaoleibbb) recalls the well‑known “Antarctic internal memo” controversy from late last year.
On November 16, 2025, New Oriental marked its 32nd anniversary. Yu Minhong, who was in Antarctica at the time, sent an all‑staff letter filled with poetic, lyrical prose.
Far from inspiring employees, this helping of motivational prose triggered widespread backlash among the workforce.
While staff were burning the midnight oil striving for performance targets, their boss was waxing lyrical about poetry and distant horizons in Antarctica. That stark contrast would frustrate anyone.
Yu Minhong later issued an apology. He explained the trip was not purely for leisure and included work‑related inspections of cultural‑tourism routes. He added that red text stemmed from older generations’ festive customs and was never meant to show off. Even so, the incident cast a shadow over New Oriental Cultural & Travel.
Interestingly, despite the public dispute, Yu did not pull back. Instead, he doubled down on developing polar travel itineraries.
At New Oriental’s fiscal‑year awards ceremony on June 18 this year, Yu Minhong honoured his earlier promise: ten outstanding front‑line employees and teachers would win free trips to Antarctica, with each cruise ticket valued at 150,000 yuan. He stressed explicitly that managers at all levels were excluded from the draw, reserved solely for front‑line staff and teachers.
Image source: Weibo
That said, whether Yu Minhong’s personal leadership of this Arctic expedition amounts to a carefully orchestrated marketing stunt remains unknown for now.
Still, from the perspective of Xiaolei Talks (ID: xiaoleibbb), one point deserves recognition: Yu Minhong actually delivered on his promise to take employees along.
