A 32-year-old math genius uploaded his first video on social media and gained over 23 million followers in just a few days. He only briefly introduces himself in the 4-second clip.
Who is it about? It is about the Chinese math professor Wei Dongyi. He showed an affinity for mathematics from a young age and was inspired by his father, who was also a math professor.
Since Wei Dongyi made no mistakes at the 49th and 50th International Mathematical Olympiad and won the gold medal both times, he did not have to take an entrance exam to be admitted to Peking University.
Here, Wei Dongyi studied until 2014, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree. Five years later, at the age of 28, he already received his Ph.D. and has since been an assistant professor at Peking University.
‘This is my account’
What kind of video is this? However, Wei Dongyi was not a complete stranger to the internet. In 2021, his pictures made the rounds when he appeared in a street interview in which he detailed his career so far. Now he has created his own official account on the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin.
Wei Dongyi then uploaded his first video. A 4-second clip in which he introduces himself with the following words: ‘Hello everyone, I am Wei Dongyi. This is my account.’ (via X).
Through the video alone, the math professor was able to reach 23 million followers on the account within five days.
Together with his family, Wei Dongyi set up the account. He plans to fill it in the future with content about mathematics and connect more with the people who like him that way.
Why is Wei Dongyi so popular? The fascination that people have for Wei Dongyi may mainly lie in the fact that he looks much more inconspicuous than he actually is. His ‘normal’ appearance and life do not reflect his great intellect and remarkable career.
However, the math genius does not seem to want to dive too deep into social media. For example, he rejects livestreaming; he is too afraid that his content could be misused. However, livestreaming platforms, like Twitch, also provide space for different content, as Twitch streamer and master butcher Roegele proves: A master butcher streams his daily life on Twitch and 10,000 people love it
