From backscrubber sword to scooter toilet, China's 'Useless Edison' goes viral

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, works on a sculpture depicting animated series character Peppa Pig, made of an air blower, at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

YANGCUN, China (Reuters) - A meat cleaver that doubles as a mobile telephone case, a sword you can use to scrub your back, and a toilet built into a scooter that flushes when you pull a lever on the handlebar.

These are just a few of the wacky inventions Chinese village craftsman Geng Shuai has dreamed up and demonstrated in videos livestreamed to thousands.

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, does welding work on a sculpture depicting animated series character Peppa Pig, made of an air blower, at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

"Most days I don't go to sleep until after midnight, I'm so busy thinking, OK, what should I make next?" said Geng, 31, who sports a ponytail and trademark blue dungarees.

Dubbed China's Useless Edison, his fame has grown because his inventions are seen as odd, and often unnecessary.

The former plumber, who lives in the northern province of Hebei, became an internet sensation with videos of his creations posted online in 2017.

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, works next to his father Geng Wenjun (L) and grandmother at a yard of their house in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

He has since racked up more than 2.7 million followers on the Chinese short video app Kuaishou and nearly a million on its Twitter-like Weibo.

"The jobs I used to have were extremely boring and uninspiring. It was more or less a case of doing the same thing every day," said Geng, who spent more than a dozen years in jobs he didn't enjoy after dropping out of school at 16.

Crafting items from metal comes naturally to Geng, who cherishes childhood memories of sneaking into the factory where his welder father worked, to observe him and occasionally help.

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, poses to dance with a device to create theatrical fog effect with flour around him outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Now Geng earns about three times what he used to, he said, despite poor sales and prices seen as high, because each specialized item takes a long time to make by hand.

His earnings come mainly from online tokens bought by followers and advertisements embedded in his videos.

Geng says he puts a lot of effort into preparing for the livestreaming, as public speaking does not come naturally to him.

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, gets a motorcycle started, that was refitted to transport vegetables for sale, under the help of his brother Geng Da (L), at a yard outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

"Sometimes during a livestream, I run out of things to say. That feels very awkward."

Comments, questions and likes from fans cascaded in at a recent livestream session where he demonstrated several inventions, such as a handbag built into a hammer resembling that wielded by Thor, the god of Norse mythology.

Geng's creative mind is a joy to watch, said Zhou Bingke, who teaches welding and metalwork at Tsinghua University.

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, poses with his invention, a mobile phone case in the shape of a knife, outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

"Seeing Geng's videos will lead to more people making things. Whether it's works of art or other things for fun, the process of manufacturing is enjoyable."

(Writing and reporting by Martin Quin Pollard; Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Karishma Singh and Clarence Fernandez)

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, burnishes a stainless steel comb for sale at his internet shop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, fastens the belts as he poses on his invention "happy chair", a workout bench with robotic arms to tickle the underarms and the feet, outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, poses with his invention, a mobile phone case in the shape of a knife, outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

A neighbour looks at Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, carries a stainless steel handbag in the shape of a hammer as he gives a live broadcast at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, prepares a tool for burnishing work at a yard outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

A sculpture depicting animated series character Peppa Pig, made of an air blower, stands next to Geng Shuai's tools at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

An uncompleted sculpture depicting animated series character Peppa Pig, made of an air blower, is seen at Geng Shuai's workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, poses on his invention "happy chair", a workout bench with robotic arms to tickle the underarms and the feet, outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, carries an invention in the shape of a cannon to perform outside his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, works on a sculpture depicting animated series character Peppa Pig, made of an air blower, at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, prepares to give a live broadcast at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, works on a sculpture depicting animated series character Peppa Pig, made of an air blower, at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Geng Shuai, dubbed "Useless Edison" by his fans, shows the tools during a live broadcast at his workshop in Yangcun village of Baoding, Hebei province, China January 22, 2019. Picture taken January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee