How a 4-Second Video Made a Chinese Math Professor the Most Famous Academic on Earth
Picture this: A guy walks up to a camera, says “Hi everyone, I’m Wei Dongyi, this is my account,” and boom—18 million followers in 72 hours. No dancing, no pranks, no life hacks. Just a math professor being… well, a math professor.
Meet Wei Dongyi, aka “The God of Math,” who just accidentally became the biggest academic influencer in the world. And here’s the kicker—he couldn’t care less about the fame.
The Accidental Internet Sensation
Wei didn’t even make the video himself. His relatives posted it during China’s college entrance exam season, and students started treating his account like a wishing well for good grades. The irony? Wei never took the college entrance exam. The guy was so good at math, he got a free pass straight into Peking University.
How good? At the International Mathematical Olympiad, he finished a 9-hour exam in 90 minutes. With a perfect score. While everyone else was still reading the questions.
10 Mind-Blowing Facts About the World’s Most Famous Math Nerd
1. He Was Terrible at Everything Else
Wei was basically the poster child for “gifted kid problems.” Great at math, disaster at everything else. His PE teacher probably still has nightmares—the guy came in dead last in long-distance running. He was chronically late to class, and his English and Chinese scores barely hit 90 (out of 150).
His go-to essay topic? A highway overpass. Every. Single. Time. Because thinking of new material was apparently harder than solving mathematical theorems.
2. Even Card Games Turn Into Math Class
When Wei plays cards with colleagues, it’s not fun anymore. “We don’t really like playing with him,” one coworker admitted. “As soon as he starts calculating during a game, everyone else has to start calculating too. The whole thing becomes this intense math competition.”
3. His Methods Are So Good, They’re in Textbooks
Wei doesn’t just solve problems—he invents entirely new ways to solve them that are often simpler than the “official” answers. His professors literally tell students: “Ask me first, but if I can’t solve it, ask Wei. If Wei can’t solve it, the problem is probably wrong.”
Some of his techniques are now called “Wei’s Methods” and are taught in Peking University textbooks.
4. He Makes $90K But Spends $45 a Month
Despite earning around $90,000 annually (pretty good money in China), Wei lives like a monk. His monthly expenses? Less than $45. He doesn’t use air conditioning because “turning it on and off wastes time.” He wears the same jacket all winter because “choosing clothes interrupts my thinking process.”
This is a guy who truly puts his money where his math is.
5. He’s an Accidental Environmental Activist
Wei only eats vegetarian food and drinks plain water from a 1.5-liter bottle—but he tears off the brand label because he thinks bottled water production pollutes the environment.
The water company actually tried to reach out through mutual friends asking if he could please stop removing their labels. His response? Silence. You can’t buy this guy’s endorsement.
6. Scammers Are Cashing In on His Fame
While Wei stays silent about his viral fame, scammers are making bank. Fake accounts with similar names popped up overnight, selling everything from “lucky exam strings” to study guides. One impostor account gained 187,000 followers in days by selling $1.50 “good luck charms.”
Meanwhile, the real Wei is still carrying his water bottle around campus, completely unbothered.
7. His Teeth Became a Meme (And He’s Getting Help)
Wei’s dental issues became part of his viral fame, with people turning his appearance into “the price of genius” content. Turns out he has severe gum disease and has lost several teeth—partly because he doesn’t take great care of himself.
Peking University stepped in, saying they’ve been trying to get him medical care for years, but Wei… well, Wei has priorities, and they don’t include dentist appointments.
8. His Students Are Dropping His Classes
Here’s the plot twist: Wei is struggling as a teacher. Since he started teaching graduate courses, enrollment has dropped by half. He’s genuinely confused and worried about it.
“Maybe I’m not explaining things well,” he says. “Maybe I’m not good at interacting with students.” The guy who can solve problems that stump PhD mathematicians is stumped by the mystery of why students find his classes too hard.
9. He’s Under Academic Pressure Too
Despite being a genius, Wei faces the same “publish or perish” pressure as other academics. Peking University has a policy: assistant professors must meet teaching and research requirements, or they’re out. Even math gods have KPIs to worry about.
10. Fame Is His Biggest Problem Now
Wei has made it clear that all this internet attention is “affecting my normal life and work.” He’s refusing all interview requests and just wants to get back to his math.
Why We’re All Obsessed With This Guy
Here’s what makes Wei Dongyi fascinating: In a world where everyone wants everything—money, fame, success, perfect Instagram lives—this guy wants exactly one thing: to do math.
While we’re all stressed about career goals, financial planning, social media presence, and keeping up with the Joneses, Wei has figured out the ultimate life hack: wanting less. His whole world fits in a water bottle and a backpack full of mathematical theorems.
We’re drawn to him because he represents something we’ve lost—pure passion without the need for external validation. He’s famous for not wanting to be famous. He’s rich but lives like he’s broke. He’s accomplished but stays humble.
The Real Message Behind the Madness
A world records official put it perfectly: “Wei Dongyi’s record proves that knowledge can become ‘top-tier content.’ He showed the deepest charm of knowledge in the most simple way.”
In an age of manufactured influencers and fake expertise, here’s a guy whose superpower is just being genuinely, obsessively good at something. No performance, no brand deals, no “Subscribe for more content!”
His silence in the face of viral fame? That’s the loudest statement of all. In a world that mistakes noise for substance, Wei Dongyi chose substance—and accidentally broke the internet doing it.
The takeaway? Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is focus so intensely on what you love that everything else becomes background noise. Even when that background noise includes 24 million followers asking for your attention.
Wei Dongyi didn’t set out to become famous. He just set out to be excellent. Turns out, in 2024, that’s the most revolutionary thing you can do.
P.S. – No, he’s probably not going to start a podcast or launch a masterclass anytime soon. The man has math to do.
