Su Nan was born in Haidian, Beijing, in 1979 but suffered a serious head injury when he was 3 that left him with learning difficulties.
In 2002, he entered Beijing Lizhi Rehabilitation Center and studied there for almost two years. He then worked as a security guard in a residential community where his warm personality made him a valued and cherished member of the community.
The residents even put up a poster praising his work.
Since 2011, Su has worked as a guard at the Central University of Nationalities.