A model worker for education

"The model was so real, and the interpretation was easy to understand," comments Xi Yexie, one of his followers. "He actually gave me a craving for the crayfish."

New perspectives toward phenomena often taken for granted will be acquired through Ning's other popular videos, such as why human hair can be naturally curly, how pitcher plants catch prey and how mosquitoes bite people.

He fashioned a mosquito which was magnified hundreds of times and embedded with an empty syringe in its abdomen. The syringe was then connected to a liquid-filled tube through a duct. When the piston is pulled, the liquid enters the abdomen, simulating the process of mosquitoes sucking blood.

His fans left complimentary messages for Ning exposing their children to the charm of science.

"It's nice to pique children's curiosity and provide them with a new perspective on the world through this approach," Ning says. "I'm looking forward to continuing to accompany children's growth with interesting science popularization content."

While his fans affectionately called Ning a magic model master, he considers himself a popular science model designer.

"Every time I introduce myself, if I say I am doing popular science, it does not reflect my work; if I say I am a model designer, it has nothing to do with popular science," Ning says.

"I just tell others that I am a science model designer."

Ning has loved handiwork since his childhood, when he spent a lot of time with his grandparents. His grandfather was an engineer who loved to tinker with things at home where small knives, electric drills and hand drills were lying around and readily available.

"I was impressed when he remodeled a three-wheeled motorcycle for my grandmother who had trouble moving around," he recalls.

It had many features that were not common at the time.