He was still so nervous, though, that after he rang the bell, he turned to the wrong direction to perform the ceremonial hugs that traditionally follow the bell-ringing.

"It was all like a dream," he recalls.

That feeling has followed him back to Beijing.

Dou shared his stories with stars and viewers on the talk show I'm Speaker.

And he started delivering speeches to governments, companies and organizations.

A year ago, his Sina Weibo microblog had about 3,000 followers. Today it has 15,000.

He has been focusing his efforts on the charity work he began before he became a celebrity. Most of his social-media posts are about his rural-library projects.

Many customers to whom he delivered packages previously thought he was a scammer when he asked if they'd like to donate books or clothes.

That doesn't happen anymore.

Although he's his company's boss, he still personally delivers packages and collects donations.

His goal is to build 12 rural libraries this year.

"The more people know me, the more they'll donate," he says.

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