The experience of a Chinese Ph.D. in high-energy physics who once studied in the United States and has been living on the streets for 16 years has recently aroused heated discussion. An overseas blogger first met him by chance on the streets of New York. It was too cold in winter and he could only sleep in the subway station. During the chat, I learned that his surname was Sun. He had a bachelor's degree in physics from Fudan University, a master's degree and a Ph.D. in the United States. He later worked as a postdoctoral fellow and worked as a software developer on Wall Street for several years.
Shortly after the video was released, he was recognized by an acquaintance. He was born in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province in 1985.Admitted to Fudan Junior Class as a freshman in high school, went to study in the United States in 1988 through the scholarship program initiated by Li Zhengdao.
Some netizens used his name to find out that he studied at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, and studied at PhysicalReviewC from 1991 to 1997.Published 32 papers in SCI journals.
Research areas include particle physics and field theory, quantum chromodynamics, strong interaction and chiral symmetry, etc.
Now, at the age of 54, he is living on the streets with no fixed abode.
Dr. Sun said that he was affected by divorce and other experiences and was now troubled by mental illness. He could not distinguish between reality and hallucinations.
In the video, he said that he would be able to find a job after a few more months of rest, but the reality is that he has been living on the streets of the United States since 2007.16 years.
Genius on the left hand, wanderer on the right hand
According to his own narration and follow-up reports from various media, Dr. Sun’s personal experience is probably like this.
Originally from Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, he is 54 years old this year. According to his classmates in primary school and junior high school, Dr. Sun attended Nanjing Middle School, a prestigious school in Jiangsu Province. He was a "myth" in the eyes of his teachers and classmates since he was a child. Not only was he good at studies, he was also very cheerful and good at sports.
At that time, the full score of the high school entrance examination was 640, and he scored 628 points.
In 1985, at the age of 15, when he was still a freshman in high school, he was admitted to Fudan University's junior class physics major.
After graduating from his undergraduate degree, he was appreciated by Li Zhengdao, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. He passed the 9th CUSPEA exam and went to the United States with a full scholarship to study for a master's degree and a doctoral degree in physics. After that, he studied as a postdoctoral fellow for more than a year and switched to the computer science major.
During his doctoral and postdoctoral studies, he published more than thirty SCI articles, many of which were published in the nuclear physics journal PhysicalReviewC.
Around 1994, he also brought 30,000 US dollars to visit his relatives in China, but the money was stolen halfway, and then his father passed away. Since then, he has never returned to China. I said that I have been in the United States for more than 30 years, and due to various reasons, I have only returned to China once in 16 years.
With a foundation in computer science, Dr. Sun worked in software development on Wall Street for two years. His annual salary was about US$130,000 more than ten years ago. He also obtained a green card and became a naturalized American citizen.
Dr. Sun said that after that, he met, fell in love with, and got married to a Chinese woman with a child in New York. But unexpectedly, his wife got a green card from the United States and divorced him about seven or eight years after they got married. The two of them were only really together for a few years, and they were separated most of the time.
Afterwards, Dr. Sun began to suffer from emotional instability, bipolar symptoms, sleep disorders and other problems. He often had auditory and visual hallucinations and was unable to work normally.
So since 2007, when he arrived in Brooklyn from Chinatown, Dr. Sun has been living without a fixed abode, wandering around, sleeping on park benches in the summer and sleeping on the subway or in subway stations in the winter. For five or six years, I studied the Bible and prayed in the church to get three meals provided by the church, and lived in a bar at night.
In 2017, at a class reunion, his old classmates heard that Dr. Sun had lost contact in the United States and his family could not contact him. But at that time, everyone only knew that his current condition was not very good.
It wasn't until a few days ago that I met him by chance on the streets of a Chinese blogger in New York that more people learned about his story.
During the conversation, Dr. Sun also said:
I was confused by the fantasy of loneliness. I don’t even know if it’s true or false now, hallucination, fantasy.
Latest situation: Fudan Alumni Association steps in to rescue
After Dr. Sun's story spread, it immediately aroused concern and help from people from all walks of life.
According to the latest news, with the help of the Fudan American Alumni Association, Dr. Sun has been properly resettled and moved into temporary housing.
In the new video, he also got a haircut and a new look.
Next, they will receive relevant treatment with help, apply for welfare relief, and prepare to start a new life.