British physicist Steven Hawking wrote his first Sina Weibo post on Tuesday morning, attracting over 1 million followers within hours.

周二早上，英国物理学家史蒂芬霍金在微博上发表了第一条微博，几小时内就吸引了100多万粉丝。

"Greetings to my friends in China! It has been too long ...," Hawking wrote alongside a translated version of the post in Chinese at 10:12 am on Tuesday. Weibo users soon crowded in with over 314,000 comments expressing their joy and welcoming Hawking to the Chinese Net.

周二早上10:12，霍金用一个中文翻译版本写道：“向我的中国朋友问好！已经很久。。。”微博用户很快发布了314000多条评论，表达他们对霍金使用中国网络的喜悦和欢迎。

Hawking’s account was followed by 1.81 million Sina Weibo users as of press time, and the number is still soaring.

截止文章发布时间，霍金的账户有181万多微博粉丝，这一数字还在飞速上涨。

Many Sina Weibo users have expressed their surprise and joy at being able to communicate with the great physicist.

很多微博用户已经表达了可以和伟大的物理学家交流的惊喜和喜悦。

"Welcome to Weibo. I remember your last visit in China, it made me very excited at age of 15. Hope you’ll enjoy yourself here and share more with us," netizen Grat1 wrote in the first comment on Hawking’s post.

网民Grat1 是霍金微博的第一条评论发布者：“欢迎来到微博。我记得你上次来访中国，那让15岁的我很激动。希望你在这里用的开心，多和我们分享。”

A comment by another Weibo user, which won over 41,000 likes, cautioned netizens to closely watch the wording of their comments because every sentence could affect people’s impressions of China.

另外一个微博用户的评论得到41000多个赞，谨慎的网民们密切关注着他们评论的话语，因为每句话都有可能影响人们对中国的印象。

Hawking’s account, registered on March 23, is managed by Hawking’s team in cooperation with Stradella Road, a Hollywood-based marketing and branding company.

3月23日，霍金注册账户，账户由霍金团队和一家好莱坞市场品牌公司Stradella Road合作管理。

Born on January 8, 1942, Hawking is well-known and respected in China not only for his achievements in physics, but also for the inspiring and encouraging story of his fight with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

霍金出生于1942年2月8日，在中国，他不仅因为物理成就广为人知，受到尊重，也因为他和渐冻症对抗的鼓舞人心的故事。

"Hawking’s popularity shows the Chinese people’s great enthusiasm for science, especially among the young generation, which is inspiring for the country’s future," Steven Dong, a professor at the Communications University of China, told the Global Times.

中国交通大学教授史蒂芬东告诉《环球时报》：“霍金的风靡显示出中国人民对科学的巨大热情，尤其在年轻一代中更是如此，这对国家的未来来说，振奋人心。”

Many foreign politicians and celebrities have established accounts on Sina Weibo, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise.

很多外国政客和名人已经在新浪微博上开设了账户，包括英国首相卡梅伦和好莱坞明星汤姆克鲁斯。

"The world’s leading scientists cannot give up on communicating with a country that has one-fourth of the world’s population and increasing influence," Dong added.

东补充道：“世界领先科学家不能放弃和拥有世界四分之一人口的国家交流，而且该国的影响力正在不断扩大。”