Ma Jianping, a 48-year-old barbecue chef in China, has become an unexpected internet celebrity due to his strong resemblance to Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
A video of Ma serving food at his Yilan Restaurant in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, gained significant traction on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, accumulating over 1.3 million likes. This surge in online attention reportedly led to a doubling of business at his establishment.
Customers had noted Ma's similarity to Musk even before the recent viral video, with some observing that his surname, Ma, sounds similar to Musk in Chinese. Ma, who previously worked as an electrician, described the sudden attention as leaving him feeling "shy and nervous."
Crowds are now visiting the restaurant specifically to meet Ma, take photographs, and shake his hand. Despite the influx of customers, one patron, surnamed Bai, noted that Ma has maintained his prices. 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."
The viral fame has also inspired AI-generated memes, depicting Ma in various scenarios, including alongside other tech executives. Some social media users have humorously suggested renaming the restaurant "SpaceX Barbecue."
This is not the first time a Chinese doppelganger of Elon Musk has garnered attention. In 2022, another individual, Ma Yilong, was compared to Musk. At the time, the real Elon Musk responded on X, formerly Twitter, stating, "I'd like to meet this guy (if he is real). Hard to tell with deepfakes these days."
Celebrity lookalikes have become increasingly popular on Chinese social media platforms. Earlier this year, a farmer from Liaoning province gained a substantial following by impersonating Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, complete with his signature black leather jacket and glasses.
The real Elon Musk has not publicly commented on Ma Jianping's newfound fame. He has, however, previously engaged with claims of doppelgangers, notably responding to comparisons with Ma Yilong by questioning the authenticity of images due to the prevalence of deepfakes.