抑郁症爷爷成网红 Videos about grandpa with depression go viral

An elderly man diagnosed with depression(抑郁 yìyù) about 10 years ago has been winning hearts online over the past two years thanks to short videos filmed by his granddaughter(孙女 sūnnǚ).

An elderly man has become a celebrity(名人 míngrén) on social media in China after sweets video recorded by his granddaughter showing him dancing(跳舞 tiàowǔ) and spending time with his wife went viral. The man has been treated for depression for many years, but the support he gets from his fans has helped give him relief from his condition. [File Photo: IC]

Ahead of the release of his first video, which was filmed and posted online in 2017, the man in the city of Zhumadian in Henan Province had received treatment(治疗 zhìliáo) in hospital for depression, and had relied afterwards on antidepressant drugs(药物 yàowù).

An elderly man has become a celebrity(名人 míngrén) on social media in China after sweets video recorded by his granddaughter showing him dancing(跳舞 tiàowǔ) and spending time with his wife went viral. The man has been treated for depression for many years, but the support he gets from his fans has helped give him relief from his condition. [File Photo: IC]

After his first video became a surprise success and gained 240,000 views in just a few hours, his granddaughter decided to make more videos of her grandpa dancing and sharing

adorable moments(时刻 shíkè) with his wife.

An elderly man has become a celebrity(名人 míngrén) on social media in China after sweets video recorded by his granddaughter showing him dancing(跳舞 tiàowǔ) and spending time with his wife went viral. The man has been treated for depression for many years, but the support he gets from his fans has helped give him relief from his condition. [File Photo: IC]

Over time, his online fan base continued to grow, and he has become happier(开心 kāixīn), is smiling more, and is sleeping better.

"Filming videos is my work; I'm happy to do it. Every time I think about the fact that I'm liked by so many people, and that I can amuse so many people, I feel very happy about it," he said.

The man films a short video with the help of his 21-year-old granddaughter.[File Photo: IC]

The family's account(账号 zhànghào) on the short video platform Douyin now has over four million followers.

重点词汇 Key Word:

• Tā sìhū yǒuxiē yìyù.
  他似乎有些抑郁。
  He seemed somewhat depressed.

• Mǒu duàn shíjiān gǎndào yìyù kěnéng shì duì shēnghuó mǒuxiē fāngmiàn hěn zhèngcháng de fǎnyìng.
  某段时间感到抑郁可能是对生活某些方面很正常的反应。
  A period of depression can be a perfectly natural response to certain aspects of life.