Students of Institue of Atmospheric Physics were excited to meet and interview one of China’s most popular weathermen Mr. Song Yingjie in person on the afternoon of 4 December 4, 2014, as one of series activities “Face to face with giants” organized by IAP Students’ Union.                                                  

The interview was interrupted with laughter and applauses. Song, with his extraordinary eloquence and unique sense of humor, talked about his early experiences during work. He considered choosing a career forecasting weathers a coincident rather than a long-term plan, which was at that time met with overwhelming oppositions from parents and relatives, who thought it degrading to be “acting” in front of the public. However, with a meteorological background and his personal charm, Song soon stood out as an excellent weatherman. 

Song generously shared with students his expertise in finger precision on pinpointing positions of certain areas on weather charts with eyes covered up, which demanded one’s accurate sense of space and touch to be possible.     

Song graduated from Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST), majored in weather dynamics. After graduation, he became the first host for Chinese weather forecasts in 1993. Song is also the co-founder of International Association of Broadcast Meteorology (IABM), the guest professor of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, NUIST and Southwestern University. Song also uses social media, Sina Weibo, to discuss weather information with his 772820 followers and others interested in weather forecast. 

Song (in blue jacket in the first row) surrounded by students