Mermaid at Chinese theme park goes viral for spreading joy while under the sea

Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)

A merman who performs at an aquarium in China has become an overnight sensation.

Several online videos have amassed millions of views showing the man, decked out in a floral print mermaid tail, shaking his belly painted with fake abdominal muscles while he makes funny faces and gestures.

His performance amused visitors to the Changchun Zhongtai Ocean World in northeastern China’s Jilin province. On social media, some joked that the merman was a realistic portrayal of animals that need blubber to survive a cold climate.

He shared that he was too chubby for the regular outfits, so the aquarium had to make a tail using a fabric design that its penguins are also adorned with.

The pattern was created by Shanghai designers in the 1950s and combines traditional flora and phoenix patterns from the Yangtze River Delta area. It rose to fame in the 1990s thanks to comedians who wore it on television.

Quiz time

1. What does the merman wear while performing?

2. What antics does the merman do to attract visitors?

3. Where does the merman perform?

4. Why does the aquarium have to make special outfits for the merman?

5. Who originally designed the pattern on the merman’s outfit?

A man in a mermaid show has become an overnight sensation. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Suggested answers

1. a floral print mermaid tail

2. He shakes his belly which is painted with fake abdominal muscles while making funny faces and gestures.

3. at the Changchun Zhongtai Ocean World in northeastern China’s Jilin province

4. because he is too chubby

5. Shanghai designers in the 1950s