Scalpers snap up local paper after profile on Fields winner Wang Hong goes viral

The official newspaper of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China is experiencing an unexpected surge in demand for its Saturday edition. The paper became a collector's item overnight after its front-page story on Wang Hong, who recently received the prestigious Fields Medal, went viral online.

Wang, hailing from the southern region of Guangxi, secured the highest honor for mathematicians under 40 on July 23. She and her compatriot Deng Yu are the first Chinese nationals to win the prize in its 90-year history, catapulting them to instant celebrity status.

Responding to countless inquiries, Guangxi Daily announced on Wednesday that it had arranged for a reprint of the Saturday edition and made it available for purchase online. While the exact number of copies sold of the original edition was not disclosed, the newspaper reportedly has a circulation of 250,000. The cover story detailed Wang's life, starting from her hometown of Guilin, and highlighted how her parents, both teachers of math and English, fostered her passion for these subjects in a nurturing environment.