Chinese Elon Musk lookalike goes viral, he runs a BBQ shop

An Elon Musk lookalike has been spotted in China, running a barbeque shop. The hype around this Chinese Musk is so high that he was surrounded by large crowds as people tried to get a look.Elon Musk has a Chinese lookalike and he runs a BBQ shop. (Photos: X/@tongbingxue, Reuters)Ever wanted to have Elon Musk as your chef? That is what residents in northwest China felt when they saw restaurant co-owner, Ma Jianping, who they say, has an uncanny resemblance to Musk. Videos of Ma have gone viral on social media as he serves at his restaurant, and people are loving it.If you look at Ma Jianping, you too may spot the similarities to Elon Musk. You see a square-ish face, and quite a similar hairstyle too. People say that his surname, “Ma” also sounds similar to Musk in Chinese.Ma Jianping, a barbecue shop owner in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, has recently gone viral on Chinese social media because he bears a striking resemblance to Elon Musk, and people are suggesting that he rename his barbecue shop to "SpaceX Barbecue". pic.twitter.com/8GaOwfu0J0— Tong Bingxue (@tongbingxue) July 28, 2026Once Ma Jianping went viral online, crowds started gathering outside his restaurant. One video shows Ma being swarmed by crowds as everyone tried to get a peek at the Chinese Elon Musk lookalike.The hype was so high that it looked as if the real Elon Musk was actually there. Dozens of phones pointed at him to take pictures, a scene that would make almost anyone nervous. But Ma Jianping remained calm, quietly shaking hands, and accepting a bouquet from one of his new fans. This is not an AI face-changed video, this is real!This Chinese barbecue restaurant boss was accidentally found looking uncannily like Elon Musk, so he’s going viral on Chinese social media. pic.twitter.com/9Hvwf7jEfK— Li Zexin (@XH_Lee23) July 30, 2026 Ma runs Yilan Restaurant in Tongchuan in Shaanxi province. He is originally from Gansu province and previously worked as an electrician.Elon Musk lookalike is shy and nervousAs per reports, Ma Jianping says that all this attention has made “shy and nervous.” But this newfound fame has helped him get more business as now more people are coming just to meet him and take photos. In fact, Ma is now getting business offers thanks to his resemblance to Musk. Though he has no plans of live-streaming. The Musk lookalike reportedly works from 9am until after midnight on most days.Internet is a fan of Elon Musk’s Chinese lookalikeWhile Ma Jianping may not care much about his similarities to Elon Musk, the internet is all for it. Some are even making AI videos of Ma Jianping alongside Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Apple’s Tim Cook.The comment sections of videos are full of Conspiracy theories, jokes on Musk moving to China, and the works. One person said, "This is not an AI face-changed video, this is real!" In Shaanxi, a BBQ restaurant owner looks exactly like Elon Musk! Tons of people are literally driving their Teslas over just to snap a pic with him.China’s gene pool is absolutely next-level. You can find a doppelgänger for anyone here! pic.twitter.com/wJX6e6yWmM— Byte Sage (@wang1644) July 30, 2026One customer 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.”Another user took a bolder approach. The user said, “There is a ‘conspiracy theory’ that Elon Musk was cloned in China when visited there once.” Some wonder whether Elon Musk had been cloned in China. While one person went as far as saying that Ma actually looked better than Musk. “Strong resemblance but somehow it looks better on him,” they replied. One user claims that the lookalike looks better than Elon Musk himself. Similar reactions have gone viral on Chinese platforms too, with some asking Ma to rename his restaurant to “SpaceX Barbecue.”More than one lookalikeMusk is no stranger to doppelgangers online. In the past, he had responded to another Chinese lookalike, Ma Yilong, who was described by local media as "China's Elon Musk.” Musk wrote in 2022, "I'd like to meet this guy (if he is real). Hard to tell with deepfakes these days."More recently, a Pakistani man, Gohar Zaman, had gone viral last year for looking like Musk.- EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Jul 31, 2026 13:06 IST