47-year-old makes Rs 31.5 crore teaching women how to flirt: 'Godmother of sexual intelligence’

Zhou Yuan, 47, previously worked in banking before opening a beauty salon. She later founded the Black and White Sexual Intelligence School. (Image credit: @dr.candiselin/Instagram)

A woman from central China has built a multimillion-dollar business by selling what she calls “sexual intelligence” courses — lessons that promise to help women revive marriages and strengthen relationships through flirtation, eye contact and psychological insight. Although her social media handles were banned amid a controversy, she made Rs 31.5 crore in revenue from her mostly offline courses and workshops.

Zhou Yuan, 47, previously worked in banking before leaving the industry to open a beauty salon. She later founded the Black and White Sexual Intelligence School, a venture that has propelled her to online fame and earned her the nickname “Godmother of sexual intelligence,” South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

Zhou defines sexual intelligence as a blend of emotional awareness, charm and behavioural techniques aimed at increasing female attractiveness. In recent months, her videos teaching women how to use seductive gazes, tone of voice and body language have gone viral.

In one widely shared clip, Zhou demonstrates what she describes as an “X-shaped” method of eye contact, advising women to keep their head still while moving their eyes to avoid appearing stiff or aloof. “A rigid response looks cold,” she said. “Soft movement creates warmth and attraction.”

Other videos focus on vocal delivery and praise. Zhou advises women to soften their voice, raise its pitch at the end of sentences and offer compliments when asking their husbands for help. She also shares suggested phrases, posture tips and fashion advice, framing them as practical tools for maintaining intimacy in long-term relationships.

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The commercial success of the approach has been significant. Zhou offers online courses starting from 9.9 yuan (about Rs 130), which include livestreams and recorded lessons. At the top end, she charges up to 88,000 yuan (about Rs 11.5 lakh) for exclusive in-person workshops.

According to Lanjing News, Zhou’s paid programmes have generated more than 24 million yuan (around Rs 31.5 crore) in revenue, with tens of thousands of women taking part.

Although Zhou has received backlash with critics accusing her of teaching women to “pander to men” at the expense of their dignity, she insists that her lessons are designed to empower women.

Several other users, however, praised Zhou and backed her suggestions.

"47? Goddamn... Forget seduction, she needs to tell people where the fountain of youth is," an Instagram user said, while another added, "To be honest, the example about the X shape kinda makes sense. Like from her example, I can tell the difference."