Bao Xishun
Bao Xishun | |
|---|---|
| 鲍喜顺 | |
 Bao Xishun in Stockholm 2006 | |
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) |
| Occupation | Herdsman |
| Height | 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in) |
| Spouse | Xia Shujian |
| Bao Xishun | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 鮑喜順 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 鲍喜顺 | ||||||
| |||||||
Bao Xishun (also known as Xi Shun; born 1951) is a herdsman from Inner Mongolia, China, recognized by Guinness World Records as one of the world's tallest living men. Guinness World Records had returned the title of world’s tallest man to him after Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk took over the title briefly. After Stadnyk refused to be measured under new guidelines, which required him to be independently measured by Guinness World Records' adjudicators, the title was returned to Xishun.[1]
On September 17, 2009, Turkey's Sultan Kösen overtook Bao Xishun as the tallest living man in the world, when he was measured by Guinness World Records, standing 2.46 metres (8 ft 1 in) tall.[2]
Early life
Bao Xishun worked at the Chifeng City local hospital for several months, during which time he was measured to be 2.36 metres (7 ft 9 in). Bao suffers from rheumatism, although this has been attributed to his childhood habit of sleeping outdoors, rather than a height-linked disorder.[3]
Bao Xishun claims to have been of normal height until he was sixteen years old, 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.[3] Following this, he returned to Inner Mongolia to live with his mother. He soon became known as the world's tallest living man.
Fame
At the age of 45, he became withdrawn after the death of his mother until he was offered a job as a greeter at a restaurant.[3] He quickly gained attention from the local media, who applied to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 and remove the plastic manually.[4][5]
Bao Xishun married saleswoman Xia Shujuan on March 24, 2007.[6][7][8][9] The Mongolian ceremony took place on July 12, 2007 at the Genghis Khan holiday resort on the grasslands near Ordos City.[10][11] Bao's surname indicates that he belongs to the same paternal lineage as Genghis Khan's clan, Borjigin.[citation needed] Amongst the guests was the shortest man in the world, He Pingping.
Bao's son was born at a hospital in Zunhua, Hebei province October 2, 2008.[12]
Bao appeared on the eleventh episode of The Amazing Race 16 as the pitstop greeter. The episode aired on May 2, 2010. He was considered to be the world's tallest man at the time of filming, but a few days later, Sultan Kösen was measured by the Guinness Book of World Records and declared to be the tallest.[13]
See also
- List of tallest people
- Robert Wadlow, tallest man in history
- Leonid Stadnyk
- Sultan Kösen, current tallest man according to Guinness Book of Records
- Yao Defen
- Gigantism
- Chandra Bahadur Dangi, shortest person in history
- Zeng Jinlian, tallest woman in history
References
- ^ "New rules make China's Bao world's tallest again". Reuters. 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2006-08-20.
- ^ "Dünyanın en uzun boylu insanı bir Kürt - Firat News Agency". firatnews.com. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
- ^ a b c "World's tallest man longs to live a normal and happy life". China Daily. 2006-08-11. Archived from the original on 7 January 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "World's tallest man saves dolphin". www.bbc.co.uk. 2006-12-14. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "World's tallest man saves choking dolphins". www.thestar.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "World's tallest man gets married". www.bbc.co.uk. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
- ^ "World's tallest man finds (shorter) other half". The New Zealand Herald. 28 March 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ "World's tallest man ties knot". AP. 2007-03-28. Archived from the original on April 7, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Home is where the heart is for world's tallest man". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "World's tallest man marries, sweeps bride off feet". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2007-07-14. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Wedding photo
- ^ Simon Rabinovitch (October 6, 2008). "World's tallest man becomes world's tallest dad". Reuters. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- ^ Dey, Madhuri (3 May 2010). "World's Tallest Man Appears On "The Amazing Race"". Thaindian News. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
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