Journalism of Courage
‘More Elon than Elon’: Chinese restaurant owner’s resemblance stuns the Internet
Netizens also found it amusing that his surname, "Ma," sounds similar to the first syllable of Elon Musk's name in Chinese pronunciation.
Ma admitted that the sudden attention has been overwhelming. Customer numbers at his restaurant are doubling as people arrive hoping to meet him
A barbecue restaurant owner in China has unexpectedly found himself in the spotlight after social media users pointed out that he bears an uncanny resemblance to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. The comparison has fuelled a flood of memes, jokes, and curious visitors eager to see the lookalike in person.
The buzz began on July 26 when a video of Ma Jianping, 48, serving food at his restaurant in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, went viral on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. The clip racked up more than 1.3 million likes, turning the once low-key eatery into an online attraction.
As reported by Hongxing News, locals had been comparing Ma to Musk long before his video exploded online. Many also found it amusing that his surname, “Ma,” sounds similar to the first syllable of Musk’s name in Chinese pronunciation.
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‘Shy and nervous’
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Ma runs Yilan Restaurant with a business partner. Originally from Gansu province, he worked as an electrician for several years before switching careers and entering the restaurant business.
Speaking to Chinese media, Ma admitted that the sudden attention has been overwhelming. He said he feels “shy and nervous” about the unexpected fame.
However, it has had a noticeable impact on business, with customer numbers at his restaurant doubling as people arrive hoping to meet him, take photographs and shake his hand, as per SCMP.
Despite receiving more than a dozen business proposals, Ma said he has no interest in becoming a livestreamer and would rather continue running his restaurant. He reportedly spends most days working from 9 am until well past midnight.
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His newfound popularity has also inspired a wave of AI-generated images online. Some users dressed him in formal suits to make him look even more like Musk, while others created fictional scenes of him grilling food alongside Jensen Huang and Tim Cook.
‘More Elon than the original one’
Social media users were quick to share their thoughts on the resemblance.
“He’s slightly more handsome than Elon Musk,” one person commented.
“I don’t understand why the Chinese are so obsessed with Elon,” another wrote.
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“He is more Elon than the original one,” joked a third.
“That’s actually him working overtime after his wealth fell below 1 trillion again,” added another user.
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