A man who was once thought to be the fattest person in China runs a profitable teahouse in his hometown in southwest China's Chongqing municipality.
The teahouse has drawn large crowds of tourists and local citizens alike, with its wide variety of Chinese teas, traditionalcuisine from different parts of China and ballads and popular songs sung by its owner, 23-year-old Liang Yong.
Liang's teahouse makes over 10,000 yuan (1,200 US dollars) a month, the Beijing Youth Daily reported Friday, with a photograph showing Liang pouring tea for customers.
Liang is 1.58 meters tall but has a 1.8 meter waistline. His weight reached 220 kilograms in his portlier days.
Like most obese people, Liang has tried desperately to lose weight in the past.
To make enough money for his treatment, his father once accompanied him street begging to collect money. He was also employed by profit-hungry bosses at disco bars and garment retailers for a while, but was badly hurt when people made fun of him.
In 1999, a hospital in the northern Tianjin city offered free treatment to Liang. Acupuncture, sports and special diet helped him lose 50 kilos in a few months.
Liang lost another 50 kilos in 2000 after six months of treatment at a beauty saloon in the eastern Shandong Province.
"I felt like a different person when my weight was down to 120 kilos," he recalled.
The thought of opening a teahouse occurred to Liang when he returned home after his treatment in June 2001, and was praised byhis family.
A healthier, happier Liang now has yet another ambitious plan up his sleeve: to open a medical center in Chongqing to treat other obesity patients.
A hospital would probably help him carry out the plan, he said.
Liang weighed five kilos when he was born -- slightly above theaverage 3.5 to 4 kilos for most newborn babies in China.
However he gained weight rapidly during his boyhood: as an eight-year-old, he weighed 70 kilos -- the standard weight for an adult man. He was always very hungry and needed eight to nine meals a day.
Due to his weight, Liang had difficuty in walking long distances, and running and mountain climbing were completely out of the question. He was not a good student at school because he could never concentrate on his books.
Liang's parents are both healthy and neither family report any history of obesity, said his father Liang Chaozhong.
( Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2002)
