Viral China maths genius’ new workbook sells 26,000 copies in 4 days, sparking mixed reactions

Read the original at South China Morning Post ↗
Cite

Lu, F. (2026, August 27). Viral China maths genius’ new workbook sells 26,000 copies in 4 days, sparking mixed reactions. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3365462/viral-china-maths-genius-new-workbook-sells-26000-copies-4-days-sparking-mixed-reactions?utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

South China Morning Post · collected 2026-08-27 · by Fran Lu

Quick Summary

Famous Chinese mathematician Wei Dongyi has released a workbook for primary and secondary school students, which sold out with 26,000 copies sold in just four days. As an associate professor at Peking University, Wei's venture into supplementary education has sparked criticism that he is profiting from his fame at the expense of his academic reputation. The workbooks are designed to help students prepare for mathematics exams. Wei gained instant fame in 2021 with a viral video showcasing his humble lifestyle as a mathematician.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-27, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Wei Dongyi, a 35-year-old associate professor at Peking University's Mathematics Department, has recently released a series of workbooks for primary and secondary school students that have sold 26,000 copies in just 4 days. This sudden success has sparked mixed reactions, with some critics accusing Wei of profiting from his fame while damaging his academic reputation. Wei gained widespread recognition in 2021 after appearing in a viral video on the Peking University campus, where he was seen dressed simply and sharing his background as a mathematics prodigy from Shandong province in eastern China. The workbooks are intended to supplement students' math education, but some have questioned whether Wei's celebrity status is being used to sell books rather than promote genuine academic achievement.

Written for “Chinese Math Whiz's Success” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Chinese Math Whiz's Success
Education · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
6
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 6 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
64/100
South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

South China Morning Post · 2428 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Fran Lu
19 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 19 articles by Fran Lu →

Topics

China Chinese Peking University Shandong the Mathematics Department

Subjects

Peking University ORG · 3× China GPE · 2× Wei PERSON · 2× Chinese NORP · 1× Shandong GPE · 1× Wei Dongyi PERSON · 1× the Mathematics Department ORG · 1×

Narrative

Viral China maths genius’ new workbook sells 26,000 copies in 4 days, sparking mixed reactions Wei’s venture into supplementary education prompts criticism that he is profiting from his fame at the expense of his academic reputation A famous Chinese mathematician known for his dishevelled genius image recently began selling workbooks for primary and secondary school students, which were quickly sold out within days.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-27
2026-08-27 · South China Morning Post
Viral China maths genius’ new workbook sells 26,000 copies in 4 days, sparking mixed reactions · assertive framing

Claims (6 extracted, 0 hedged)

Viral China maths genius’ new workbook sells 26,000 copies in 4 days, sparking mixed reactions Wei’s venture into supplementary education prompts criticism that he is profiting from his fame at the expense of his academic reputation A famous Chinese mathematician known for his dishevelled genius image recently began selling workbooks for primary and secondary school students, which were quickly sold out within days. asserted
which → sell → days
He gained instant fame in 2021 after a vox pop on the Peking University campus. asserted
He → gain → campus
In the video, he appears dressed simply, carrying a 1.5-litre plastic bottle of water and a bag of steamed buns. asserted
he → appear → buns
In the clip, he shared that he has studied at Peking University since his bachelor’s degree and is now a teacher there. asserted
he → share → degree
Although he comes across as introverted, he remains unfazed, a characteristic later described by his admirers as typical of genius. asserted
he → come → genius
Wei’s remarkable past was uncovered by curious onlookers. asserted
past → uncover → onlookers
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