Millions of Chinese mourned Stephen Hawking today, bidding farewell to a "giant star" admired in China for stoically rising above physical disability and posting heartfelt messages to his Chinese fans on social media.
Already well-known in China, the British cosmologist two years ago further endeared himself to fans in the country when he opened an account on the Twitter-like Weibo platform, posting in both Chinese and English.
The account garnered one million fans within its first few hours and now has nearly five million, with his infrequent posts typically generating tens of thousands of admiring comments and earning him the affectionate nickname "Hawking Dada", or "Uncle Hawking."
Many said his passing was "the falling of a giant star."
"I hope he has the strength to send us information from the next world."
Another user wrote: "Even though I can't understand Hawking Dada's books... he is the one who knows the secret of this world."
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