Wei Dongyi could have been famous for his mind alone. A math prodigy since childhood, he won gold at two consecutive International Mathematical Olympiads with perfect scores. He skipped China’s brutal gaokao exam entirely and went straight to Peking University, where he now teaches. But what’s caught the internet’s attention lately isn’t his brain—it’s how little he seems to care about anything else.
At 33, Wei reportedly lives on just 300 yuan a month, or about $40. He doesn’t go out, doesn’t shop online, and spends most of his free time listening to the radio. A recent four-second video he posted on Douyin—his first ever—shows him offering a shy, slightly awkward introduction. He looks thin, missing a few teeth, and visibly uninterested in performance. It racked up millions of views within days.
China’s Godlike Math Genius Stuns Internet With Extremely Frugal Lifestyle
Back in 2021, Wei went viral for similar reasons after being dubbed “the ugliest teacher at Peking University,” which is honestly just plain mean. That earlier video (which is no longer available) showed him with messy hair, a jug of water, and a plastic bag of steam buns, answering questions with soft, halting replies.
Many people were surprised to learn he taught at one of China’s most elite universities. But others found his lack of pretense refreshing—and it quickly turned him into a cult figure online.
Wei’s cousin later confirmed that his frugal lifestyle is completely intentional. Despite making a good salary (about $85,000 a year), he chooses to spend almost none of it. His priorities don’t include fashion, food, or friends. They begin and end with mathematics.
He once helped a group of PhD students solve a model they’d been stuck on for months. After adjusting a few equations and improving their passing rate to 96%, he refused payment. “It’s unnecessary to pay me for such an easy problem,” he said. The only thing he agreed to accept was a renewed transit card.
“His world is remarkably pure—just numbers and formulas. Please don’t harm him. Just let him be,” one commenter wrote on Wei’s social media page.
In a culture obsessed with hustle, status, and self-promotion, Wei Dongyi’s lack of performance feels oddly radical.
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