A Chinese math genius has exploded in popularity, gaining over 20M followers just days after joining social media and posting a single four-second video.
33-year-old Wei Dongyi, a Peking University mathematics professor, was considered a prodigy very early on in his life and was inspired by his father, who also was a math professor.
According to Shine, Wei had perfect scores and Gold Medals at the 49th and 50th International Mathematical Olympiads, which earned him admission to Peking University without taking the entrance exam.
He earned his PHD at just 28 and had published multiple papers. His intellect, combined with his modest lifestyle, even earned him the nickname ‘God Wei.’
On June 4, Wei joined Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, on June 4 and immediately became a hit on the platform.
Math genius takes over Chinese social media
In Wei’s first video, he introduced himself to viewers with a short four-second video.
“Hello everyone, I’m Wei Dongyi. This is my account,” he said.
Despite the single viral video, Wei surpassed 23M followers in mere days with the number continuing to rise. Wei’s cousin explained that he decided to join social media after his family’s suggestion to, “establish a genuine and controlled channel.”
Chinese math genius Wei Dongyi韦东奕 who worked at Peking University as an assistant professor, just joined social media on Douyin — and racked up over 1.6 million followers in hours! This account was opened with the assistance of family members and confirmed by his cousin, the… pic.twitter.com/IEEe4N1LEM
— China in Pictures (@tongbingxue) June 6, 2025
The math star also doesn’t plan to start streaming out of fear that his content will be misused.
However, the video has also sparked some concern from fans, with some users commenting on his thin body and missing teeth, and others urging the university to do something for the faculty member.
The school responded by revealing that Wei deals with health issues, and staff even accompany Wei to medical appointments.
Wei’s quick rise on social media despite being a relative unknown is quite impressive when comparing his growth to football icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
In August 2024, Ronaldo gained over 18.6 million subs on YouTube just hours after the launch of his official channel.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.