He was only supposed to clean a show pool at Changchun Zhongtai Ocean World in the province of Jilin. However, because a mermaid performer could not perform due to the Spring Festival vacation, he stepped in without further ado. This month, tourist videos of his tongue-in-cheek performance went viral and made the man the latest internet sensation. The aquarium has now even hired him as a full-time merman – with painted-on abs and a tailor-made costume featuring a traditional phoenix motif. „The pay is simply irresistible,“ he told Chinese media.