(Yicai) Sept. 11 -- Wang Pinxian, an 87-year-old marine geologist who has garnered over 1.7 million followers on Chinese video platform Bilibili with his popular science videos, reveals how keeping busy, setting goals, and listening to feedback is the way to online fame at a ripe old age.

Wang, also known as "the academician famous online" and "the old imp of popular science" by his fans, talked to Yicai about his platform on the sidelines of the 2023 Pujiang Innovation Forum.

"In the past, teachers taught in schools and one class would only have dozens or hundreds of students to attend," Wang said, adding that instead, on the Internet, there are so many viewers and listeners. “The biggest pleasure of [being] a teacher is getting responses from students and I feel very glad to upload popular science content on social media.”

Wang is the world’s oldest deep diver. When the passenger of a submersible called Deep Sea Warrior was 82 he finished three deep dives in the South China Sea and the deepest mission was 1,400 meters underwater.

But besides that, Wang is famous on Bilibili as videos narrated by him and produced by his team have collected millions of views. A video titled "What Exactly Is the Secret of the Bermuda Triangle?" has amassed over four million views and another one called "Can Humans Penetrate the Earth’s Crust?" has a count of 3.8 million. Wang's age seems to be part of the appeal as many bullet comments on the videos say “Hello, Grandpa.”

Since Wang got famous online, he started to get recognized by his fans on the streets and asked to join selfies. But the purpose of Wang's work is less about his personal character and more about the content. "I’m not willing to walk the red carpet, though I am willing to popularize science," Wang said.

It is never too late to set goals and Wang keeps busy. "If I am fortunate to live longer, I still want to do more, which is not only limited to my job of scientific research but also the popularization of science," Wang said.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine