A barbecue chef in China has become an unlikely internet sensation after diners declared he was the spitting image of billionaire Elon Musk.
Ma Jianping, 48, has been mobbed by fans eager to snap selfies and shake his hand after a video of him serving food at his restaurant went viral on Chinese social media.
The restaurateur, who co-owns Yilan Restaurant in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, saw business reportedly double almost overnight after footage of him grilling meat racked up more than 1.3 million likes on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
Customers had been commenting on his resemblance to the Tesla and SpaceX boss long before his recent viral fame, with many joking that even his surname, Ma, sounds similar to Musk’s in Chinese.
Ma, who previously worked as an electrician before moving into the restaurant business, said the sudden attention had left him feeling ‘shy and nervous’.
He told mainland media that crowds were now visiting specifically to meet him, pose for photographs and shake his hand, although he had no plans to cash in by live-streaming and instead wanted to stay focused on running his restaurant.
One customer, surnamed Bai, told Bailu Video: ‘I have only seen Musk grilling meat in AI-generated videos. This is my first time meeting ‘Musk’ in real life, and I’m thrilled.’
A barbecue chef in China has become an unlikely internet sensation after diners declared he is the spitting image of billionaire Elon Musk
Ma Jianping, 48, has been mobbed by fans eager to snap selfies and shake his hand after a video of him serving food at his restaurant went viral on Chinese social media
The restaurateur, who co-owns Yilan Restaurant in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, saw business reportedly double almost overnight after footage of him grilling meat racked up more than 1.3 million likes on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok
Videos of the chef have gone viral online, with many sharing their thoughts in the comments section.
One person found it hard to believe the man in the clip wasn’t the billionaire, writing: ‘I thought this reel was about Elon Musk.’
Another added: ‘Elon, is that you making barbecue in China?’
A third simply said: ‘No way’
Bai also praised Ma for keeping his prices the same despite the influx of customers.
The viral fame has also inspired a flood of AI-generated memes, with social media users imagining Ma dressed in suits or cooking alongside Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and Apple boss Tim Cook.
Others joked that Musk had earned back the billions spent on Starlink through barbecue sales, while some suggested renaming the restaurant ‘SpaceX Barbecue’.
The real Elon Musk has not commented on Ma’s newfound fame.
However, he previously reacted to another Chinese doppelganger, Ma Yilong, after comparison photos went viral in 2022.
Responding on X, Musk wrote: ‘I’d like to meet this guy (if he is real). Hard to tell with deepfakes these days.’
Previously, another Elon Musk doppelgänger, Ma Yilong, above, captured media attention as ‘China’s Elon Musk,’ with speculation about AI enhancements to his likeness
Celebrity lookalikes have become increasingly popular on Chinese social media.
Earlier this year, a farmer from Liaoning province amassed more than 120,000 followers by dressing up as Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, copying his trademark black leather jacket and glasses.
It comes after Elon Musk took aim at yet another star from Christopher Nolan’s ‘woke’ adaptation of The Odyssey after his critiques of Elliot Page and Lupita Nyong’o.
On Sunday, the 55-year-old Tesla ‘trillionaire’ took to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to slam ‘marionette’ Anne Hathaway over a speech she gave in support of gay and transgender rights in 2018.
She had spoken at that year’s Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in Washington, D.C. while accepting the National Ally for Equality award.
