If you don't know 68-year-old Tang Zhenchang's story, you will be surprised when walking into his home in Minhang District.
In the rectangular living room there are dozens of Tang's inventions, such as a number of household electricity-saving devices, an infrared warmer and various therapeutic apparatus.
The washroom, although looking no different from an ordinary one, is actually equipped with an automatic electric nightstool, a water heater which speaks, as well as a hand dryer that are all creations of the owner.
Over the past 25 years, Tang has built more than 100 inventions and obtained 88 patents.
His aim is to achieve "household intelligence" - appliances that operate without a single button being pushed.
His most recent invention is a long-distance phone terminal capable of instructing other appliances to work when it receives a request from the owner.
"It's the most versatile of all my inventions," Tang said.
"By connecting with the family security system, it can also make an automatic call to the owner when a burglary happens."
Inventing energy-saving equipment has been a major research focus for Tang since the 1990s.
"In China, the electric wastage caused by household appliances is unacceptably large," he said.
For half of the 4.8 million local families, waste can reach 800 billion kilowatt hours per year, costing about 400 million yuan (US$48 million), he said.
Tang's energy-saving terminal uses advanced digital technology to solve the problem.
"My controllers allow me to run all my appliances even when I'm downstairs in the yard," he said.
His theory of household science says you can create anything you want, as long as you follow certain logical standards.
As he becomes older, Tang clings to his daily routine, devoting three hours to study, eight hours to work and six to research.
Reading and writing are his only forms of recreation.
Tang has spent 1 million yuan, mostly out of his thousands yuan monthly pension and money earned through publishing science thesis and patent sale on research and experiments.
"I never take taxi or go to a restaurant, and I never regret the life I've chosen," he said.
"The unremitting struggle is the only soil that nurtures a great career."
He hopes every local family will one day be equipped with his terminal, a dream he believes cannot be realized by himself, but by the wide supports from all of the society.