2009 top ten news

Top 10 heart-warming moments 2009

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-12-18 10:19

7. Pedicab driver up for PhD

Cai Wei, a 38-year-old pedicab driver, shows his admission letter to a PhD program in Chinese philology and etymology at Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University in Jinzhou, in northeast China's Jilin province, July 16, 2009. [Xinhua]

It could be the plot of a Hollywood movie: A laid-off factory worker's life turned upside-down after he is accepted into a PhD program at a prestigious university.

For Cai Wei it was a dream come true.

Despite failing his college entrance exam years ago, the 38-year-old street peddler and part-time bicycle taxi driver from Jinzhou, Liaoning province, followed his love and continued to study classic Chinese literature on his own.

He learned so much about the field he attracted the attention of a prominent scholar Qiu Xigui, who even made changes to his own work based on Cai's suggestions and backed Cai's PhD application.

Cai's love of classical Chinese literature began in primary school, and he has been reading book after book ever since. After leaving high school, he worked in a rubber factory for several years before being laid off. He then became a roadside peddler, and began moonlighting as a tricycle delivery driver when his wife fell ill in 2007.

"It was a really difficult time, but my interest in literature didn't stop," he said. "I studied ancient documents and published articles in online forums."

He then came to the attention of Qiu, who learned of Cai's circumstances and invited him to join a research project on ancient texts at the university.

"I had never dreamed of becoming a university student, not to mention a PhD student," said Cai. "I cherished so much the chance to sit down with these professors to study."

He began his studies in September for a doctorate in ancient Chinese language at Fudan University with Qiu as his supervisor.

Friends congratulate Cai Wei (L) on his admission into a PhD program in Chinese philology and etymology at Shanghai’s prestigious Fudan University in Jinzhou, in northeast China's Jilin province, July 16, 2009. [Xinhua]