Some people become online celebrities due to their good looks or good luck. But one young man has gained huge popularity on the internet because of his keen interest in natural history. And his name is Zhang Chenliang.
Some people become online celebrities due to their good looks or good luck. But one young man has gained huge popularity on the internet because of his keen interest in natural history. And his name is Zhang Chenliang.
Zhang chenliang in his office. Photo:Youth
Widely known as the “Man of Natural History”, or Bowu Jun in Chinese, the online star now boasts 6 million followers on Sina Weibo, one of the most influential social media platforms in China.
Photo:Sina
Every day, he fields thousands of questions, ranging from entomology, zoology to botany and geography.
In the face of this question onslaught, Zhang has developed his own system for responding.
His fans know that this “walking encyclopedia” has a set of rules for answering questions and if you aren’t clever, your question may sink to the bottom of the list like a pebble dropped into the sea.
What Makes Him The “Man Of Natural History”?
Photo: chinadaily
Born in Beijing, the 29-year-old man has fostered a deep love of nature since he was a child.
“When I was a child, I was fond of insects,” Zhang recalled. “I do not remember how many insects I brought up. As long as I’ve seen them, I’ve had a curiosity to know more about these creatures. The magic of nature is beyond description.”
“In my childhood, a fish tank and glass bottles all were transformed into an ecological zone to bring up different kinds of insects. To me, it was fantastic to see their growth. Therefore, I always hold more important firsthand experience than stereotypical book teaching,” he said.
These childhood memories, to some degree, determined Zhang Chenliang’s life. In 2011, he pursued a master’s degree in agricultural entomology and pest control at China Agricultural University, developing a more detailed knowledge of natural history.
During the academic study period, Zhang was selected by Natural History, a Chinese version of the National Geography, as an intern.
Zhang chenliang’s offical weibo Photo:sina
His first assignment was to write posts for social media platform Weibo. At the beginning, he followed the traditional form and issued knowledge-oriented posts. Sometimes he would use humorous online language, but the online promotion was not particularly effective.
Later, Zhang explored a different way of running the Weibo account by answering questions submitted online. As tricky as a question might be, Zhang always gave a satisfactory answer. Little by little, more and more people asked him for help and his reputation rose accordingly.
Zhang’s quick rise in online fame also stirred up doubts about him. In Zhihu, the Chinese version of Quora, someone said the success of “Bowu Jun” was due to a whole support team.
“Actually, I still operate the official Weibo account. And all the questions are answered by myself, alone. I tried to find others to share some of the burden but I am still alone at the current stage. I hope some successors will show up one day.”
In addition to the question-answer method, Zhang is considering releasing several video programs or doing a live broadcast to share more knowledge.
“Video can help promote knowledge in a more direct way. For instance, as spring comes into our lives, many people cannot distinguish the differences between peach flowers and cherry blossoms. Through videos, I can teach people how to spot the difference, and this is highly effective to do,” Zhang said.
A Dialogue Through Time And Space
Photo:fun48
In his daily communication, Zhang manages to identify numerous species using photos or simple line drawings submitted online.
After seeing so many drawings, he has gradually developed his skill of drawing species, a skill that inspired him to publish a book series last year.
In the book, Notes on an Illustrated Handbook of Marine Animals, Zhang identifies and analyzes 30 marine creatures. To ensure the accuracy of the creature descriptions, Zhang traveled across China’s eastern coastal areas, Japan and Thailand.
Photo:Chinadaily
“The research and investigation process is an unforgettable experience for me as I can travel and study at the same time. The local seafood market is worth hanging around. You can find lots of unexpected species there and talk with the local people about some creatures, which is really a big surprise for me,” Zhang recalled.
Zhang’s book was inspired by an antique book on sea animals called the Illustrated Handbook of Marine Animals.
Photo:Dangdang
The book’s author, Nie Huang, lived during the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). As a passionate traveler, his journeys took him from North China’s Hebei province to the eastern coastal areas and he painted marine creatures he had never seen before.
“As an introductory book, it is rich in content and vivid in pictures. However, I have noticed that many mistakes did exist in the book due to the limits of the era. Therefore, I decided to rewrite the book. On one hand, I can correct these mistakes and promote the true knowledge to the book-lovers. For another, it is my way to pay tribute to traditional culture,” Zhang said.
Following a similar format to Nie, at the end of each section on a creature, Zhang suggests the best way to properly cook it and bring out the best taste.
Notes on an Illustrated Handbook of Marine Animals Photo:qq.com
“It took me one and a half years to finish the first part of the book series. And I am happy to see it sells well, which gives me more confidence to write sequels,” he said.
“Two books from two natural history masters. When I read them, I feel like two walking encyclopedias of natural history having a dialogue that goes though time and space,” a reader said online.
With soaring social media followers, best-selling science-related books and never-ending heated discussions about Zhang’s mysterious natural world, some believe the spring of natural history has arrived in China.
When asked his point of view, Zhang hesitated before saying it is an exaggeration to call it a natural history craze.
“First of all, individual power is too small to foster the boom of a complicated subject in the whole society. Secondly, the self-awareness of getting to know nature among Chinese still waits to be improved in the current stage. Therefore, there is still an uphill battle to fight before the spring really comes,” Zhang said.
