Man Named 'Alipay' (Zhi Fubao) Becomes Overnight Celeb in China

2017-11-19 ThatsShanghai

By Bridget O'Donnell

A man with a peculiar name has become an overnight celebrity in China.

According to What's On Weibo, 56-year-old Zhi Fubao just happens to share his name with Alibaba's online payment app. The shopkeeper writes his name in the same three characters as Alipay (支付宝).

Hailing from Yinan county in Shandong province, Zhi has even named his shop "Alipay's Shop." (Yes, it accepts Alipay).

The bizarre coincidence has turned Zhi into an online sensation, with a video of the shopkeeper introducing himself going viral on Chinese social media.

In response to the news, Alipay's official Weibo account shared the video with the comment "What a show-off!"

Zhi says Alipay employees once promised he could meet billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma, but he hasn't heard from them since.

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=f0506v6zemg&width=500&height=375&auto=0

[Images via What's On Weibo, Sina, Pear Video]

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