Coming from a poor family in Jiangsu province (China), from a young age, Ton Ve Dong (born 1969) always strived to excel in his studies. Ton Ve Dong made his family proud when he became the best student in school because he was smarter and sharper than his peers.
Entered university at the age of 15
When he was just 15 years old, Ton Weidong entered the class reserved for young geniuses at Fudan University in Physics and was guided by a famous Physics professor who was also the school principal. It did not take long for the young man at that time to become the owner of excellent scientific research.
Admired by his eagerness to learn and talent, the young man from Jiangsu province was considered by many to be a Physics genius.
Ton Ve Dong possessed an outstanding appearance when he was young. (Photo: 163.com)
4 years later, Ton Ve Dong earned an excellent university degree and continued his studies with a master’s degree, pursuing his passion.
The Jiangsu native also participated in a training program for China’s leading scientists and professors in Physics. This program was founded by professor Tsung Dao Lee, a Nobel Prize winner, to select young talents to study abroad in the US. Sun Weidong wrote more than 30 articles in the British Physical Review during this period.
However, for unknown reasons, Ton Ve Dong was forced to temporarily stop studying Physics and switch to studying Computer Science at New York University. Although pursuing a field that is not his passion, Ton Ve Dong still completed his studies excellently at the age of 21. Then, continue to conquer a doctorate at a very young age.
During 4 years of studying Computer Science, Ton Ve Dong accumulated a lot of experience and soon became a senior programmer. At the age of 25, the young man made many people admire him when he had a great job at a technology company on Wall Street. At that time, Ton Ve Dong’s salary was 130,000-140,000 USD (equivalent to 3.6 billion) per year. During his time working in the US, he also became a naturalized citizen of this country.
It seemed that after so much effort in studying and researching, the man from China would make something happen in the United States, when an incident occurred.
Living a wandering life, worrying about eating every meal in a foreign land
In early 2024, a Chinese-American blogger shared the current life of the old Physics genius on social networks. In the video, Ton Ve Dong confessed that he has been homeless since 2007. Many people do not recognize that the once handsome young man has now become an old man with white hair, black skin, torn clothes, and lifeless eyes.
An old Ton Ve Dong became homeless after the incident. (Screenshots)
Once having a life that many people dreamed of, Ton Ve Dong now has to wander everywhere. Sleeping on the street in summer, living in the subway station in winter, eating only half a sandwich a day. This man revealed that family events pushed him to his current difficult situation.
Many years before joining a technology company, he met and married a female colleague. After four years of love, because of cultural differences, he and his wife had to divorce. This shock made him depressed, dislike social interaction and suffer from hallucinations.
His illness became more and more severe, causing Ton Ve Dong to no longer be as alert as a normal person. “I can’t distinguish between reality and illusion.” he said.
Although his current interest is no longer studying Physics, he is a highly educated person who only wants to work in an office instead of doing manual labor, so he has been unable to find a job for many years. For more than 16 years of begging on the streets, he has never contacted relatives in China.
In a video shared on Chinese social networks, the blogger advised Ton Weidong to apply for a US Government subsidy to have a place to reside, or to find a manual job to return to normal life.
After the story spread widely, relatives and former classmates in China recognized him. The Fudan Alumni Association in the US also confirmed this man’s situation. Immediately after that, he was taken to a temporary residence with full facilities.
The Fudan Alumni Association also shared that his greatest wish was to return to his homeland.
The story of the life of the Physics genius caused a stir in the online community. Many people expressed hope that he can quickly be brought back to China to rest in peace in his old age.
Some young people learned a big lesson when looking at the “downhill” life of Sun Weidong. “His story reminds me once again that learning is only a small part of a person’s lifelong growth process. Comprehensive capacity that includes the ability to handle failures is perhaps more important.” a comment account.
