Topic: Bao Xishun

Bao Xishun (also known as Xi Shun or "The Mast") (simplified Chinese: 鲍喜顺; traditional Chinese: 鮑喜順; pinyin: Bào Xǐshùn) (born 1951) is a herdsman from Inner Mongolia, China, who is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's tallest living man. Guinness World Records has returned the title of world’s tallest man back to him after Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk took over the title shortly. After Stadnyk refused to be measured under new guidelines, which required him to be independently measured by Guinness World Records’s adjudicators, the title was returned to Xishun.

Bao Xishun, born in Inner Mongolia, measured at 2.36 meters (7 ft 8.95 in) tall at the Chifeng City Hospital. Two other men, Ajaz Ahmed and the late Vikas Uppal, have claimed to be over 8 feet tall, but these claims have not been independently verified. Bao suffers from rheumatism, although this has been attributed to his childhood habit of sleeping outdoors, rather than a height-linked disorder.

Bao Xishun claims to have been of normal height until he was 16 when he experienced a growth spurt for unknown reasons and reached his present height seven years later. Bao served in the People's Liberation Army for three years, and played for the army basketball team until his rheumatism began to appear, leading to his discharge from the army. Following this, he returned to Inner Mongolia to live with his mother.