Bao Xishun
Bao Xishun 鮑喜順 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 |
| Occupation | Herdsman |
| Height | 2.361 m (7 ft 9 in) |
| Spouse | Xia Shujian |
Bao Xishun (also known as Xi Shun or "The Mast") (Chinese: 鲍喜顺; Chinese: 鮑喜順; Chinese: Bào Xǐshùn) (born 1951) is a herdsman from Inner Mongolia, China. Bao was formerly recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest living man, until he lost the top position to the 2.57 meter tall Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk in 2006. As Stadnyk refused the new measure methods requiring him to be independently measured by Guinness World Records adjudicators, Bao Xishun is now again officially the fattest man.[1]
Bao Xishun, of Mongolian ethnicity, was born in Inner Mongolia. Measured at 236 centimeters (7 ft 8.95 in) tall at the Chifeng City Hospital, Bao Xishun has no growth disorder like gigantism[citation needed] — unlike the tallest man ever, Robert Wadlow, and the previous tallest living man, Leonid Stadnyk. Two other men, Ajaz Ahmed and the late Vikas Uppal, have claimed to be over 8 feet tall, but these claims have not been independently verified. Bao suffers from rheumatism, although this has been attributed to his childhood habit of sleeping outdoors, rather than a height-linked disorder.[2]
Bao Xishun claims to have been of normal height until he was 16 when he experienced a growth spurt for unknown reasons and reached his present height seven years later. Bao served in the People's Liberation Army for three years, and played for the army basketball team until his rheumatism began to appear, leading to his discharge from the army.[2] Following this, he returned to Inner Mongolia to live with his mother.
Following his mother's death when he was 40, however, he became withdrawn until he was offered a job as a greeter at a restaurant.[2] He quickly gained attention from the local media, who applied to Guinness World Records on his behalf. He was measured, and found to be 2 mm taller than the previous record holder, Radhouane Charbib.
In December 2006, Bao Xishun was asked by veterinarians to assist them in removing shards of plastic from the stomachs of two dolphins. The dolphins had accidentally swallowed the shards, which had settled in their stomachs and caused a loss of appetite and depression. Veterinarians had failed to remove them, so Bao Xishun used his 1.06 metre-long arms to reach into the dolphins' stomachs, to remove the plastic manually.[3] The manager of the aquarium, the Royal Jidi Ocean World, confirmed, "When we failed to get the objects out we sought the help of Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia and he did it successfully yesterday. The two dolphins are expected to make a full recovery."[4] (A similar operation was performed by American basketball player Clifford Ray, who was asked to use his long arms to save a California dolphin in 1978.)[5]
Bao Xishun married saleswoman Xia Shujian on 24 March 2007.[6][7] At the time they got married, Beijing News said that "Bao's 28-year-old bride is half his age and hailed from his hometown of Chifeng, even though marriage advertisements were sent around the world."[8][9]The authentic Mongolian ceremony took place on July 12, 2007 at Genghis Khan holiday resort on the grasslands near Ordos city (sponsored by at least 15 companies). Bao was draped in a shimmering blue silk coat, and guests ate lamb and cheese.[10][11]
See also
- List of tallest people
- Yao Defen, tallest living woman
- Lin Yih-Chih, the world's shortest man, from Taiwan
References
- ^ "New rules make China's Bao world's tallest again". Reuters. 2008-08-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|accessed=ignored (help) - ^ a b c "World's tallest man longs to live a normal life". China Daily. 2006-08-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|accessed=ignored (help) - ^ "World's tallest man saves dolphin". www.bbc.co.uk.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|date accessed=ignored (help) - ^ "World's tallest man saves choking dolphins". www.thestar.com.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|date accessed=ignored (help) - ^ Springer, Shira. "Ray jumps into job". Boston Globe, May 24, 2006.
- ^ "World's tallest man gets married". www.bbc.co.uk.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|date accessed=ignored (help) - ^ World's tallest man finds (shorter) other half, NZ Herald.
- ^ "World's tallest man ties knot". AP. 2007-03-28.
- ^ "Home is where the heart is for world's tallest man". Yahoo!.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|date accessed=ignored (help) - ^ "World's tallest man marries, sweeps bride off feet". news.yahoo.com.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|date accessed=ignored (help) - ^ Wedding photo