‘Most powerful uncle in the universe’ who splurges US$8,800 on hosting 16 nieces and nephews at his home for 2 months a viral hit
- An online series of videos uploaded by an uncle taking care of his four sisters’ 16 kids and his own two daughters has been a hit in China
- The creator of the videos said he and his sisters are close and want their children to be the same and so they all stay with him during the summer holidays
Millions of people in mainland China have been entertained by a series of videos about the daily trials of a man looking after his 16 nephews and nieces and two daughters during the summer school holidays.
The series began on June 28, and ended on August 22, when the video poster, Gong Lingjun, 35, from Chongqing, southwestern China, uploaded his final episode in which he bids farewell to his nephews and nieces as the holidays draw to an end.
“This year’s summer vacation is coming to an end, and you kids will need to study hard once you get back home,” said Gong, seen wearing a red apron and waving goodbye to his young relatives in the video.
“We will be back next year!” one of his nieces replied with a mischievous grin.
Gong is then seen closing the door of his home with a smile of relief after the children have left.
“My sad summer vacation finally comes to an end. I spent 60,000 yuan (US$8,800) on these kids in 55 days which I had secretly stashed away for over 30 years!” Gong captioned the video. “Now that they’re gone, I can finally relax.”
However, Gong’s complaints about the expense of caring for the children are mostly theatrics rather than an actual annoyance; he has hosted his nieces and nephews over the summer holidays every year since 2017.
