30th July 2026 – (Tongchuan) China’s fascination with Elon Musk lookalikes has found a new face. Ma Jianping, a 48‑year‑old barbecue chef in Tongchuan, Shaanxi, has become an overnight sensation after diners and Douyin users noticed his striking resemblance to the Tesla and SpaceX boss. A clip posted on 26th July showing him plating dishes at Yilan Restaurant rocketed past a million likes, sending curious customers to his eatery for skewers, snapshots and a glimpse of the “Chinese Musk.”
Despite the sudden fame and a flurry of business approaches, Ma cuts a reserved figure. Originally from Gansu and formerly an electrician, he says he prefers the grill to the limelight and has turned down live‑streaming deals to keep running the restaurant he co‑owns. Patrons say his easy manner and unforced humour add to the novelty, while the coincidence of his surname—Ma—only fuels the memes and wordplay that have swirled across Chinese social media.
The chef’s rise revives memories of China’s first Musk doppelgänger, the influencer known as Yilong Ma, who burst onto Douyin in late 2020 with clips that mimicked the billionaire’s features and mannerisms. His soaring popularity drew Musk’s attention—at one point prompting the real Musk to joke that he might be “partly Chinese.” The saga took a twist in 2022 when the influencer’s accounts on Douyin and Weibo were restricted, though he remained active on international TikTok under the moniker “Elong Musk,” amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of likes with tongue‑in‑cheek posts, including a viral quip about “my bird” during Musk’s Twitter takeover drama.
