Nowhere to Call Home | Aha Video
Deng Yang—Aha Video
In early 2019, a homeless man from Shanghai took the Chinese Internet by storm. Shen Wei, a 53-year-old who had been sleeping on the streets for decades, is well-versed in Chinese classics and philosophy, and videos of him sharing his wisdom were viewed millions of times. The Internet dubbed him “The Wandering Master,” and Shen became inundated with people asking for a photo or simply taking videos of him with their phones. His fame has not only garnered him loyal fans but also Internet vultures eager to profit off of him. His fan and manager, Da Bao, said in Deng Yang’s short documentary: “Whoever films him [and posts it online] will get more followers, too. . . Everyone wants to have a slice of this gigantic cake.” Deng followed Shen as he traveled across China to attend events and speaking engagements. In the video, Shen’s discomfort with attention is evident. He also voiced his desire to return to the streets. Have Shen’s lessons on traditional philosophy and anti-materialism had an actual impact on his followers, or is he just an Internet novelty and social media cash cow? Shen is perhaps struggling with that question, too: In May, after living under the social media spotlight for 14 months, he announced his indefinite departure from the Internet.
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In early 2019, a homeless man from Shanghai took the Chinese Internet by storm. Shen Wei, a 53-year-old who had been sleeping on the streets for decades, is well-versed in Chinese classics and philosophy, and videos of him sharing his wisdom were viewed millions of times. The Internet dubbed him “The Wandering Master,” and Shen became inundated with people asking for a photo or simply taking videos of him with their phones. His fame has not only garnered him loyal fans but also Internet vultures eager to profit off of him. His fan and manager, Da Bao, said in Deng Yang’s short documentary: “Whoever films him [and posts it online] will get more followers, too. . . Everyone wants to have a slice of this gigantic cake.” Deng followed Shen as he traveled across China to attend events and speaking engagements. In the video, Shen’s discomfort with attention is evident. He also voiced his desire to return to the streets. Have Shen’s lessons on traditional philosophy and anti-materialism had an actual impact on his followers, or is he just an Internet novelty and social media cash cow? Shen is perhaps struggling with that question, too: In May, after living under the social media spotlight for 14 months, he announced his indefinite departure from the Internet.