Basketball star towers over officials in Chinese congress
Former basketball player Yao Ming attended the opening ceremony of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress of China and dwarfed officials in the Beijing hall.
At 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) tall, Mr Ming towered over the some 3,000 representatives from around the country who have gathered for the political tradition this week.
Mr Ming, 43, appeared sat on his own row in the capital’s Great Hall of People on Tuesday morning, separated from the politicians, rural Communist Party members and university professors also seated.
China runs two major political meetings each year – the opening of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – known as the “two sessions”.
While last year’s parliamentary assembly was marked by President Xi Jinping securing a historic third term, Tuesday’s ceremony was kicked off with an orchestral rendition of the country’s national anthem and a report read out by Li Qiang, premier of the People’s Republic of China.
Mr Ming began his professional basketball career playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teenager in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) before moving to the US’ National Basketball Association (NBA) under the Houston Rockets.
During his final season in the US league, he was the tallest active player on the field, but stands of the Guinness World Records’ tallest living man at 8 ft 3 in.
He represented China at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he led the team to a 10th place finish in the sport and garnered the nickname “the walking Great Wall”.
Mr Ming was unanimously voted chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association in February 2017.