Quirky China: an animal activist performing ‘mermaid’, not any old iron man and the temple of doom
- A medical student turns performing mermaid in bid to protect sea animals from Chinese aqua park shows
- Residents near a northern China park up in arms over man who does his daily exercises wearing noisy leg-irons
A young woman in eastern China has won praise after she trained herself to play the part of a beautiful mermaid to replace – and protect - the sea animals normally used in aquarium shows.
The woman, surnamed Xu, who has a masters degree of medicine from Fudan University, spent two years training in her quest to promote eco-friendly marine performances.
Xu is a fan of sub-aqua sport and began learning to dive in 2018 while studying but didn’t make the decision to become a mermaid until she watched a documentary at an exhibition in 2019.
She now wows onlookers by swimming underwater like a mermaid, diving deep down to 25 metres while holding her breath for almost four minutes.
Many Weibo users have applauded Xu is a real mermaid with golden heart.
Iron man irritates locals
A fitness enthusiast in China’s northern Hebei province has startled locals by attaching heavy leg irons around his ankles while he exercises in a local park.
Each day for more than a year, the unnamed man has taken an hour-long walk in the park shackled with the chains, the noise of which has begun to irritate nearby residents.