A lovelorn Chinese herdsman who is the world’s tallest man has finally found his other half in a sales clerk who comes up to his elbow, state media reported on Wednesday.
Bao Xishun, who stands 2,36m, will marry 1,68m Xia Shujun, who is also half the groom’s age at just 28, the Beijing News reported.
The 56-year-old Bao had conducted a worldwide search for a bride who is up to becoming Mrs Bao, but eventually found Xia, a saleswoman in a clothing store, in his own home region of Inner Mongolia in northern China, it said.
After a one-month courtship, they decided to get married and will tie the knot this summer, Xinhua news agency said.
“Xia said that as they got to know each other she stopped noticing how tall Bao was and was moved instead by his thoughtfulness,” it said.
After a lifetime as a bachelor, Bao, who is a celebrity in China, began searching for a bride last year and heard back from more than 20 interested parties from across the country.
Bao was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest living man.
He also made headlines late last year when he was called upon to use his long arms to pull plastic trash from the stomachs of two ailing dolphins at an aquarium in north-eastern China. — AFP