Amazing homeless man in Jilin enjoys reading books!

Update (2010.03.12): The New Culture View followed up on the story with two additional feature articles that culminated in the man's reunion with his family.

New Culture View, March 10, 2010

As I was buying books at the Tongren Bookstore on Xikang Road, I saw a homeless man reading. I saw him in the mathematics section, where he was concentrating on a book and writing things down on a piece of paper. Curious, I went over to have a look. It turned out that he was reading Mathematics for Economics and was working out problems. His handwriting was neat and orderly, and some of the problems even I was unable to solve....what a surprise!

The Chinese media continues its infatuation with homeless chic through the profile of a man who spends his nights in a hallway and his days in a bookstore — gasp! — reading books!

Late last month, the rugged features and fashion sense of "Brother Sharp" (犀利哥) captivated the Chinese Internet before catching the attention of the mainstream media last week. His national fame reunited him with his family, where one hopes he'll be protected from the prying eyes of the public.

Now the New Culture View has picked up the story of another astonishing homeless man. Twenty-four-year-old Zhang Yi (张义) of Changchun, Jilin Province, has been visiting a local bookstore for the past few months to read up on math and science, the same as any ordinary patron.

Although the story did not originate online — a student at the Changchun Institute of Technology called in with the eyewitness account translated above — the paper linked Zhang to other cases of Internet-driven celebrity through a headline that echoes a popular online meme: Don't obsess over him; his only love is solving math problems. The Dongguan Times, which used the NCV story on its own front page, took a similar approach: "Shanzhai Brother Sharp" found in Changchun; solves problems in higher mathematics.

The Chinese reading public frequently uses bookstores as reading rooms, and Zhang is no exception:

Ms. Guo, manager of the Tongren Bookstore's science section, said that Zhang Yi had read practically all of the books in the section. His handwriting was quite attractive; many of her colleagues had taken a look.

Manager Liu said that Zhang comes to the bookstore before 9 each morning and does not leave until closing time. He has been doing so for nearly five months, rain or shine.

"The past couple days, Zhang has seemed particularly interested in English and computer books. A few days ago he was engrossed in a Band 8 English text," Manager Liu said.

He explained that at first, they did not let him inside because they were afraid that his improper attire would affect the other customers. But seeing him leave politely each time only to return the following morning, "we let him in a few times and found that he would read by himself and would not bother the other customers, so we didn't stop him anymore." Zhang Yi kept things clean. At lunchtime, he would buy a box lunch to eat in the bookstore, and when he was finished he'd throw it into a trash can before resuming his reading.

"He follows the rules and doesn't make a scene," said Ms. Guo. She also said that he always returns books to their proper location once he finishes with them. But whenever he's reading, other customers keep their distance.

Zhang has a high-school education but appears to have family issues that prevent him from returning home. A reporter followed Zhang to the third-floor landing where he sleeps and pestered him about his life:

Reporter: Where do your clothes come from?
Zhang: A woman from around here gave them to me. (Without looking up, he puts on his shoes, which are too tight for his feet. He removes the laces before fitting into them.)

Reporter: So you live here?
Zhang: That's right. (As he speaks, he retrieves a broken cigarette from his coat pocket and takes two hard drags before it burns out.)

Reporter: Have you had lunch? I'll treat you and we can chat.
Zhang: Lunch? Oh, lunch...yeah, I've already eaten.

Reporter: How do you manage with food and clothing?
Zhang: Lots of people help me by giving me a little bit.

Reporter: What high school did you graduate from?
Zhang: An ordinary high school. It's not worth naming.

Reporter: You can do higher math. So you must have been a good student.
Zhang: My academic performance was average. I was only interested in theory and in math.

Reporter: Why don't you go home?
Zhang: I'm used to being on my own. I'm doing pretty well, aren't I?

Reporter: I can help you give your family a call.
Zhang: No, thanks.

Reporter: It's just past the Spring Festival. Your parents must miss you.
Zhang: They're always fighting. I don't want to go home.

Reporter: When all of the shops closed for the holiday, how did you manage?
Zhang: I ate very little, but I endured it.

Reporter: You're educated. Why don't you find a job?
Zhang: I had a few interviews when I graduated high school, but none of them suited me.

Reporter: Are you going to live like this your whole life? Do you want us to help you find work?
Zhang: I'm fine. I'm used to it.

Then Zhang said he had to use the bathroom and made a swift exit down another stairwell. At the intersection of Dongnanhu Road and Linhe Street, Zhang Yi disappeared into the crowd....

Update (2010.03.12): The New Culture View has followed up on the story.

A reporter returned to Zhang Yi's hallway and helped him register at the local aid station. It turns out that Zhang' whose real name is Huang Xuran (黄旭冉), was born in 1980, attended graduated from Jilin Teachers' Institute of Engineering and Technology, and had a history of mental illness before his disappearance on April 20, 2009. Huang went out for a walk at 7 that morning and never came back. He made withdrawals from his bank account over the next several days, but that was the last his mother knew — she worried that he had been kidnapped and sent to work in an illegal brick kiln.

The paper spoke to some of Huang's former classmates, who described him as a good student who pretty much kept to himself and who was heavily into online gaming during his last year at the school.

The March 12 edition reported that Huang has been reunited with his family, nearly a year after he vanished.