Shy China science man, 40, finds calling after jobless 2 decades by teaching quantum mechanics on social media
- Man graduates university, suffers social anxiety, thinks he is great failure
- Joins business of friend, makes ‘easy’, engaging science teaching videos
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A 40-year-old man in China who found his calling – teaching quantum mechanics on social media – after being unemployed for more than 20 years, has become an online sensation.
Li Wei, from Qinghai province in northwestern China, became popular for teaching science in an easy-to-understand way on his Douyin account @waqing.
Such is his popularity, he has accumulated 1.8 million followers.
Since graduating from Jinan University, in the southeastern province of Guangdong about two decades ago, he had been unemployed because he suffers from social anxiety, Dami Video reported.
“I don’t like dealing with people,” Li said.
He gained a bachelor’s degree in law 20 years ago, but he did not find employment in that field. Instead, he started a small retail business.
“I suffered a great failure,” he said.
The turning point in his career came two years ago when he joined his friend in the photovoltaic business and was surprised to find that lots of people have no knowledge of the technology.
Photovoltaic refers to a special electrical system that produces energy from a renewable and inexhaustible source, usually the sun.
With a strong desire to help people understand, Li came up with the idea of creating clips to teach science using simple everyday words free of jargon.
As he created more teaching videos, he began to realise he was good at it and expanded his subjects to include quantum mechanics and life sciences.
“I’m not an expert. I’m teaching by learning,” he said.
Before creating a video, Li spends at least three days on research.
Apart from eating and sleeping, he immerses himself in learning and seldom speaks during such intense periods.
Apart from the straightforward language he uses, his calm, unemotional voice appeals to fans of his videos.
“Many people say there isn’t any up and down in my voice, making it hypnotic. But they absorb everything while listening,” he said.
His video about the theory of relativity was one of his most popular, and he was proud of the positive online comments it received.
“Some said that, for the first time, they understood the concept of relativity. Others said that even those with a primary school education got it,” Li said.
“It inspires me a lot,” he added.
Li is now a full-time science blogger on Douyin.
The story has captivated mainland social media.
“God has opened a window for him. I hope he gets better and better,” one person said.
“Despite experiencing a series of failures, he finally found his calling. How wonderful,” said another.
“It’s never too late to do what we enjoy,” a third person said.
