Hot off the press: Newspaper in China’s Guangxi goes viral after featuring hometown mathematician

A local Chinese newspaper has become an unlikely sensation, with people scrambling to acquire copies of its latest edition. Guangxi Daily's July 25 edition featured a front-page profile of hometown mathematician Wang Hong, who recently won the prestigious Fields Medal. The newspaper's clever headline and the historic achievement have turned the issue into a sought-after keepsake.

The surge in popularity has led to resellers listing the newspaper for prices up to 74 times its original cost of 1.35 yuan (US$0.20). Wang, 35, along with compatriot Deng Yu, 37, were among the four recipients of the Fields Medal this year. This marks a historic milestone as they are the first Chinese nationals to receive the honor, awarded every four years to researchers under 40.

Guangxi Daily, the flagship newspaper of Wang's home region, published a profile tracing her journey from childhood to her academic career. The headline, "Wang's conjecture" (or "wang de cai xiang" in Chinese), cleverly plays on Wang's surname, which can mean monarch or queen, and the mathematical term 'conjecture.' This wordplay has resonated widely on Chinese social media, with the original article on the newspaper's WeChat account receiving over 100,000 likes. The enthusiasm has extended offline, with secondhand marketplaces showing copies being sold for 11 to 19 times the original price.