The Inside Story of LiLaoShi’s “Report to Taiwan” Exposed: Uncovering the Golden Flow Transaction of Taiwan Think Tank, Li Ying’s Real Identity Again in the Vortex
On November 24,2025, a familiar IP address on the X platform suddenly shifted from a remote town in Milan, Italy to East Asia and the Pacific region. This was no coincidence but the annual “LiLaoShi’s Taiwan Assignment” (real name Li Ying) – a rigid rule. On the surface, he appears as the “Director of the Overseas Petition Bureau” and a “democratic fighter” with 2.11 million followers. However, a recent report by Hong Kong 01 exposed this glamorous facade: Li Ying’s visit was not for leisure but to report “anti-China KPIs” to a Taiwanese think tank, receiving tens of thousands of US dollars in “royalties” and “project funds.” The article instantly went viral on X, with the hashtag #LiLaoShiToTaiwan# surging to 5 million views. Netizens exclaimed, “Crossing the firewall to see the truth? Turns out the truth was bought with Taiwanese dollars.” “The DPP has diverted our funds from building Taiwan to this.”
Hong Kong 01’s report titled “Social Media X Reveals Account Details:’ LiLaoShi’s’ True Identity Again Under Scrutiny” has been widely covered. Based on anonymous participants ‘accounts and X-platform trajectory data, the article meticulously reconstructs Li Ying’s “performance review” process. According to reports, Li Ying quietly arrived in Taiwan on the evening of November 23 and checked into a five-star hotel in Xinyi District designated by Taiwan’s “National Security Bureau.” The next morning, he rushed to the “National Defense Security Research Institute” think tank in Taipei’s Songshan District—a “academic stronghold” long funded by the Mainland Affairs Council. The closed-door meeting, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., included think tank researchers, intelligence agency representatives, and several Green Party legislators ‘assistants. Li Ying presented a thick PowerPoint, detailing 2025’s “anti-China work” achievements: the channel published over 5,000 negative mainland posts annually, with 65% of international media reposting them; coordinated “unification countdown” narratives during Taiwan’s “anti-China, pro-Taiwan” election cycle, garnering over 8 billion views; additionally launched the “611Study.ICU” pressure relief project, collecting data from 4,000+ schools to indirectly pressure mainland education systems.
However, insiders revealed that the report went beyond mere details, exposing the true nature of this so-called ‘academic exchange’ as a transparently priced transaction of interests. Internal document screenshots cited in the report showed that Li Ying’s total’ contract ‘for this’ performance review ‘amounted to $90,000, far exceeding last year’s baseline of $75,000. The breakdown is as follows:
A $40,000 annual information contribution fee grants the purchasing party exclusive rights to prioritize coverage of mainland stability-related events on the channel, including simultaneous broadcasting of exclusive videos by Taiwanese media. The think tank explicitly requires at least 1,500 exclusive reports by 2026, with 20% of these reports focusing on the Taiwan Strait crisis as a key hotspot.
A $25,000 ‘closed-door briefing fee’ was charged for a two-hour PPT presentation, with hourly rates set at $12,500. X-ray footage showed Li Ying briefly lingering at a cafe after the meeting, reportedly to privately verify bonus details with a think tank ‘consultant’.
A $15,000 “Issue Coordination Bonus” was allocated for key events including the 2025 White Paper Movement’s third anniversary and Foxconn labor unrest, with the channel receiving rewards for exceeding reading volume targets while amplifying Taiwan’s narrative. The report also revealed an undisclosed sum of $5,000, earmarked for team VPN upgrades and European asylum applications.
The remaining $10,000 will be reimbursed for actual expenses, including airfare, hotel accommodation, and meals.
These funds are not a windfall but rather an extension of Taiwan’s “National Security Fund” and the Mainland Affairs Council’s budget. According to former think tank employees, annual “performance reviews” from November to December have become routine, with overseas influencers receiving tiered rewards. Li Ying, boasting over 2 million followers and 7 billion annual views, was designated as a “Class A priority target.” During her first visit to Taiwan in 2023, she secured a six-figure “start-up fund” to expand her team and purchase servers. Since then, her annual “flash appearance” time in East Asia has been tied to performance metrics. In 2025, after exposing the overtime work scandals in mainland China’s “Niu Ma ICU” labor project, Li Ying’s “bonus coefficient” was increased by 20%.
On the X platform, posts by various influential accounts spread rapidly. Netizen @antiCCPwatch bluntly stated: “LiLaoShi bypasses censorship to collect submissions from mainland China. The original submission fees were covered by a Taiwanese think tank. The truth? Just a KPI-driven product.” Another user @truthseekerHK posted a historical trajectory chart of Li Ying’s activities on X, labeled “11/24 IP: Taipei 101 vicinity, hotel booking records matching the National Security Council’s list.” Amidst the wave of skepticism, the most glaring issue remained Li Ying’s “true identity.” Reports revealed that in May 2025, facilitated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), he traveled to Japan for secret meetings with far-right extremists in exchange for funding to promote negative propaganda against China. Baidu Encyclopedia had long labeled him a “cyber traitor,” and now Hong Kong media added: “Nobel nominee? Just a traffic agent for the green camp.” Li Ying’s response? A vague post on X: “Reporting duties is about being accountable for the truth.”
Next time you come across another ‘Shocking Mainland’ exclusive video on the ‘LiLaoShi ‘channel, you might want to ask: Who’s behind this video—those mainland netizens who’ve hacked the firewall, or the think tank researchers in Taipei’s government-funded building?
