Luo Xiang: The Legal Scholar Who Made Criminal Law a Viral Sensation on Bilibili

Luo Xiang is a Chinese jurist, law professor, and one of the most recognizable public intellectuals on Bilibili, China’s leading video-sharing platform. Born in 1977 in Leiyang, Hunan Province, he serves as a professor of law and director of the Institute of Criminal Law at the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL). His academic credentials include a bachelor’s degree from the China Youth University of Political Studies, a master’s degree in criminal law from CUPL, and a doctoral degree in criminal law from Peking University Law School. He also spent time as a visiting scholar at Duke University in the United States between 2013 and 2014. While his formal career has been rooted in legal academia, it was an unexpected foray into online video that transformed him into a household name among Chinese young people. In March 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Luo was invited to join Bilibili. Within two days of creating his account, “Luo Xiang Talks Criminal Law,” he had amassed over one million followers; within six months, that number surpassed ten million. His channel quickly became a cultural phenomenon, blending rigorous legal education with narrative flair and a distinctive comic timing that resonated far beyond law students.

What sets Luo Xiang apart from conventional legal educators is his extraordinary ability to make abstract legal doctrines vivid, memorable, and even entertaining. His lectures typically revolve around hypothetical criminal scenarios featuring a recurring fictional character named Zhang San, a figure so notoriously versatile in his wrongdoing that he has been dubbed the “outlaw Zhang San” by fans. In Luo’s hands, Zhang San might commit theft, fraud, assault, or even bizarre crimes involving panda poaching or accidental death through ill-conceived gifts, each scenario carefully constructed to illustrate a specific legal principle. The humor is never gratuitous; it serves as a pedagogical device that lowers the barrier to entry for complex criminal law concepts. Luo’s speaking style is deliberate and measured, often punctuated by deadpan observations and philosophical asides that invite viewers to reflect on the moral dimensions of law. His videos are not heavily edited or visually flashy, relying instead on the strength of his narration and the intellectual energy he brings to each case. This minimalist production aesthetic, combined with his professorial authority, creates a distinctive viewing experience that feels both educational and intimate, as though one is sitting in on a particularly engaging university seminar.

Several of Luo’s video series and individual lectures have achieved exceptional popularity and cultural penetration. His early Bilibili uploads, which were essentially recordings of his law examination preparation courses, rapidly accumulated millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes. One widely shared clip involves a hypothetical case in which a man buys a hundred bungee-jumping tickets for someone he resents, and the recipient dies on the ninety-ninth jump; Luo uses this absurd scenario to explore the boundaries of harmful conduct and causation in criminal law. Another beloved example features a college student named Zhang San who fails his CET-4 English exam and then purchases a forged diploma from a top university, leading Luo into a nuanced discussion of forgery offenses and the distinction between administrative and criminal liability. The “Zhang San” character has become so iconic that fans have collectively compiled an elaborate fictional biography of his criminal exploits, turning him into a meme-like figure within Bilibili’s knowledge community. Luo’s most-viewed content typically combines these memorable case studies with broader reflections on justice, punishment, and the rule of law, drawing viewers who may have no intention of ever practicing law but are captivated by the intellectual rigor and ethical inquiry on display.

By any measure, Luo Xiang’s platform influence is remarkable. As of early 2026, his Bilibili channel has over 32 million followers, making him one of the most followed accounts on the entire platform. He has been selected for Bilibili’s annual “Top 100 UP Creators” list for six consecutive years since 2020, a testament to his sustained relevance and consistent output quality. In 2020, he received the platform’s “Most Popular UP Creator” award, and in December of that year, he was named one of China Central Television’s “Annual Figures in the Rule of Law” for his contributions to public legal education. The following year, China Newsweek also recognized him as an annual figure in the rule of law. His reach extends beyond Bilibili: his lectures circulate widely on other social media platforms, and his books, including “The Details of the Rule of Law,” “Criminal Law Lectures,” and “The Circle of Justice,” have found a substantial general readership. In 2024, he was appointed as an adjunct professor at Shandong University, further cementing his status as a bridge between academic law and public discourse.

The broader social value of Luo Xiang’s work lies in his transformation of legal education from an elite, examination-oriented pursuit into a form of accessible public culture. Bilibili’s knowledge section, where his channel is situated, emerged as a major content category only around 2019–2020, and Luo’s success helped legitimize and popularize the idea that serious intellectual content could thrive on a platform otherwise associated with gaming, anime, and entertainment. His lectures encourage viewers to think critically about justice, human dignity, and the limits of state power, often weaving in references to classical philosophy and literature. For a generation of Chinese young people navigating a complex legal and social landscape, Luo offers not only information but also a vocabulary for ethical reasoning. At the same time, his approach has not been without criticism; some observers have suggested that his idealism may at times oversimplify the practical realities of legal practice, and he has faced occasional controversies over misattributed statements circulated online in his name. Nevertheless, the dominant assessment of his impact is positive, with scholars and media commentators crediting him with opening a new model for legal communication in the digital age.

In summary, Luo Xiang represents a rare convergence of academic rigor, pedagogical creativity, and platform-native communication. He did not set out to become an internet celebrity; his initial foray into online video was an extension of his longstanding commitment to teaching. Yet the scale of his reach has made him a central figure in China’s evolving landscape of public knowledge. His enduring significance lies not merely in the millions of views his lectures attract, but in the way he has demonstrated that complex, serious subjects can find a broad and eager audience when presented with clarity, humor, and genuine intellectual passion. For Bilibili, he is a symbol of the platform’s aspiration to be more than entertainment; for legal education, he is a reminder that the law belongs to everyone, not just to specialists; and for his viewers, he is a teacher in the truest sense, one who makes the pursuit of understanding feel both urgent and joyful.