China's 'Useless Edison' goes viral on social media

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Have you been searching for an earthquake-proof bowl so you can eat undisturbed through seismic activity? Or, maybe you've been looking for a meat cleaver that doubles as a comb?

A welder in north China's Hebei Province has gone viral for inventing every useless item that you've never thought of, earning the nickname "Useless Edison."

With his smoldering eyes, messy hair and odd but hilarious inventions, Geng Shuai is the newest social media sensation in China.

The earthquake-proof bowl made by Geng Shuai /GIF via Kwai

Before becoming an inventor and an Internet celebrity, Geng has done a gamut of odd jobs in pursuit of his passion, traveling through half a dozen cities.

The longest job he ever had was building the Beijing-Shijiazhuang high-speed railway near his home, where he worked for three years as a welder – a skill he learned from his father.

After quitting what he says was a "boring" construction job, he turned to the digital world, opening an account on Kwai, a Chinese video-sharing website, in June 2017. He called himself "CraftsmanGeng" and his first uploaded video showed a grasshopper made from a pipe wrench.

Geng now has over 660,000 followers on Weibo. / Screenshot via Weibo

Geng has invented several odd creations with arguably little to no practical value to them, such as a motorbike with its own toilet, a chair with four mechanical hands for tickling and a finger cot made of steel to knuckle hard on somebody's head – so hard that Geng broke three glasses while presenting it to the world.

"People say my inventions are useless, but I think there are two dimensions to usefulness: practicality and amusement. I like doing this, so it's useful," Geng told The Washington Post.

Geng presents his meat cleaver turned comb. /GIF via Kwai

Geng now has over two million followers on Kwai and over 660,000 followers on Weibo. His fans give him virtual money for his live-streaming performances. He tries to come up with a new invention every week and makes videos two or three times a week.

His popularity brings him 1,000 yuan (about 150 U.S. dollars) in tips every time he goes live on social media – a decent income in a town where five people can have a lavish lunch for a total of 150 yuan (about 25 U.S. dollars). These tips are enough to support his family – he and his wife have two children – and his brother, who is responsible for shooting the videos.

But his online fame has not materialized in sales.

A couple of months ago, Geng posted a picture on Weibo with an anguished look and what seemed like bed hair, asking his followers: "Am I famous? Why hasn't anyone bought my stuff yet?"

Geng posted a picture which read "Am I famous? Why hasn't anyone bought my stuff yet?" on Weibo. /Screenshot via Weibo

Geng admits that he posted the picture in the hope that more people would appreciate his work and buy them instead of just watching him for fun.

Finally, Geng got his wish to be an offline seller fulfilled on September 22 when he was invited to a "hometown market" activity held in a big shopping mall in Beijing. He came with his creations and sold more than 50 handicrafts, including "meat cleaver turned phone shell," a "steel childhood rattle" and so on.

“There are a lot of people who really like me,” Geng realized.

Geng's personal page on Kwai /Screenshot via Kwai

“Chinese people love inventions and inventing stuff, but because of economic development, most people don't have the time to do it. That's why I am popular – they watch me making things because they can't make things themselves,” Geng said to Washington Post.

Although he is now getting more and more familiar with how to be a successful vlogger with a fine sense of humor, Geng is still based in his workshop in a tiny village outside Beijing. To finish the orders coming over the Internet, Geng and his brother start work at 8 a.m. and finish work at 7 p.m. every day.