By XI MEITI
Western Media Correspondent
ZHONGCHANG (China Daily Show) — Hao Ren is not a happy man. Until last week, the 28-year-old Han Chinese man thought of himself as a “pretty cool guy.”
But that was before National Geographic and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing published its ‘Face of Seven Billion’ – a ten-year study to find the world’s “Most Average Man” – and Hao found his everyday features and lifestyle being flashed around the world.
According to National Geographic data, the world’s most typical person is right-handed, makes less than $12,000 per year and has a mobile phone but no bank account.
“I haven’t even got a phone!” Hao says, pointing out that news of his unexpected fame only reached his remote Shanxi farmhouse this week by mule. “They’re right about the salary, though.”
He and his family rely on a monthly delivery of news and mail. As soon as it arrived, Hao called an immediate press conference by carrier pigeon, determined to refute allegations that he is “quotidian.”
“I’m not average,” Hao told reporters. “I’m very much my own person. I too do crazy stuff occasionally – just last month, I forgot to snuff out a lamp when I went to bed and burnt down the pigsty!”
Hao also took the opportunity to appeal for a potential spouse. “I’m looking for a beautiful woman, pure in heart and under 25,” he said. “Someone who cooks, cleans, loves fresh air and doesn’t mind the smell of pigs.”
Got a tip? Contact us at cds@chinadailyshow.net
Follow this and other leading China news at @chinadailyshow on Twitter