The Homeless Man Who Graduated from the University of Life: Shen Wei

Part Two: A Deep Analysis of Shen Wei’s Inner World and the Social Contradictions Around Him

I. Identity Crisis Shaped by Family and Institutional Forces

Shen Wei’s life was deeply shaped by the twin forces of family pressure and institutional control. Deprived of emotional warmth in his youth, he grew up craving understanding and acceptance. His father’s authoritarian attitude left him no room to make choices. When Shen failed the college entrance exam, his father refused to let him repeat the year. Instead, he forced Shen into a vocational path that had no connection to his interests.

His unusual behaviors—such as picking up discarded materials—were viewed with suspicion by both his family and colleagues. The culmination of these misunderstandings was his forced commitment to a psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Although the diagnosis led to his early retirement and a long-term pension, it also effectively banished him from mainstream society. This moment marked a profound rupture between Shen and the system that would define his marginal status for decades.

II. The Inner Conflict Between Idealism and Reality

Shen Wei is an idealist at heart. He dreams of studying literature and politics and once said he wanted to major in Chinese or international relations. He has also expressed interest in politics and public affairs, though his real-world circumstances make such aspirations unattainable.

At the same time, he seems to “enjoy” the autonomy of his street life. Being free from family rules, workplace duties, and institutional oversight gave him a sense of liberty. However, that freedom is tinged with resignation. In many videos, Shen speaks with regret about not attending college, about the injustice he’s suffered, and about the impossibility of realizing his ideals. His emotional world is caught between freedom and confinement, between being understood and being rejected.

III. Constructing Knowledge and Spiritual Support on His Own

Despite never attending university, Shen Wei is a model of self-education. He has read a vast number of books, including Chinese classics like The Analects, Zuo Zhuan, and the Book of Documents, as well as Buddhist and Daoist texts. He also studies Western philosophy and history, often referencing Nietzsche, Gandhi, Hegel, and Schopenhauer in his discussions.

Shen has also immersed himself in traditional arts—he practices calligraphy, paints, and memorizes opera verses. He writes couplets in the streets, copies down ancient texts, and often chants opera arias to himself. These cultural activities serve not only as a form of personal expression but also as spiritual refuge. Shen has said that “culture can save people” and sees knowledge as a vital form of salvation.

He strongly admires Gandhi and models his lifestyle on Gandhian principles of simplicity, self-restraint, and moral independence. His actions—like eating discarded but edible food and picking up recyclable trash—are rooted in his philosophy of environmentalism and frugality.

IV. Public Image and the Struggle for Self-Protection

After going viral in 2019, Shen was flooded with labels such as “Master of Chinese Classics,” “Street Sage,” and more. These titles brought him temporary recognition, but he rejected them all, insisting: “I’m just a man who reads.”

For a brief time, he tried livestreaming and even earned decent income, but he soon realized it came at the cost of inner peace. He later said that his “heart had started wandering,” meaning that he felt himself being lost in the very popularity that drew people to him.

His relationship with his once-close adopted son Liu Xiaofei deteriorated after media attention increased, and he remains distant from his biological family. These estrangements highlight his social isolation—Shen is a man constantly surrounded by people, yet deeply alone.

V. Unique Life Experience and Potential for Writing

Shen Wei’s life trajectory is extraordinary. He has no formal academic credentials and no institutional power, yet he’s developed a broad and well-integrated worldview. He occupies the very margins of society, yet holds a philosopher’s lens to it.

If Shen ever chose to write, his work would likely possess a rare combination of personal experience and intellectual insight. Unlike traditional academic or cultural writing, his perspective emerges from the cracks in the social system. It would contain pain and thought, faith and doubt, reflection and rebellion—all fused into a singular literary voice.

His writing could become a testimony of how a person can live with dignity and purpose, even when cut off from institutions and power. It would offer a valuable counterpoint to dominant narratives, revealing another kind of truth about modern life.

VI. Conclusion

Shen Wei is an anomaly within the modern urban system. On one hand, he is a by-product of institutional neglect; on the other, he embodies an unyielding cultural will and intellectual independence.

His life provides a powerful answer to the question: “If one no longer belongs to mainstream society, how can one still live with integrity?”

Shen’s “diploma” didn’t come from a university. It came from years of self-learning, reflection, and survival on the edge of society. He truly is a homeless man who graduated from the university of life.