TOKYO – Wearing a sparkly white suit and sporting a tuft of dyed, slicked-back hair, the world's shortest man said Friday there was every reason to think big about being tiny.
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He Pingping, the world's shortest man, with a giant shoe on February 13, 2009. Wearing a sparkly white suit and sporting a tuft of dyed, slicked-back hair, he said on Friday that there was every reason to think big about being tiny. [Agencies]
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Recognised last year by Guinness World Records as the world's shortest man who is mobile, 20-year-old He Pingping（何平平）stands only 74.1 centimetres (26 inches) and weighs seven kilos (15.4 pounds).
He Pingping, who was born with a deformity that stunts normal bone growth, said his small size let him slip through tiny spots and eat as much as he wanted for a pittance.
"I'm not particularly envious of someone who is tall. If you're tall it is hard to move and it's very inconvenient," said He, who was in Japan to appear on television.
"I can weave my way through tight spots if I'm short. It's much better to be short," he said, slipping into a niche between a poster board and a wall in front of flashing cameras.
A native of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, He at one point fit himself into the shoe of the world's tallest ever man -- late American Robert Wadlow who stood 2.72 metres (eight feet, 11 inches).
"My dream is to continue to hold the world title of smallest man," He said.
He said one chicken nugget was enough to fill him for the day, although he said he can eat up to a bowl of hot noodle soup when he's feeling particularly hungry.
Despite his tiny height, He, who lives with his sister, smokes a pack of cigarettes per day but said he was trying to cut back "because it's bad for the health."
The world's tallest living man, herdsman Bao Xishun, also happens to be from China's Inner Mongolia. Measuring 2.36 meters, Bao was married in 2007 and has a son who was born last year.
The world's shortest man alive and certified by Guinness World Records, Chinese He Pingping, 20, at 74.1 centimeter-tall (2 feet, 5.17 inch-tall) smiles as he gives a press conference in Tokyo Friday, February 13, 2009. He visited Japan to promote Japanese 2009 edition of the annual book. [Agencies]
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The world's shortest person, He Pingping, shakes hands with a three-year-old Japanese girl in Tokyo on February 13, 2009. He said on Friday that his small size let him slip through tiny spots and eat as much as he wanted for a pittance. [Agencies]
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The world's shortest man alive and certified by Guinness World Records, Chinese He Pingping, 20, at 74.1 centimeter-tall (2 feet, 5.17 inch-tall) shows up to meet media in Tokyo Friday, February 13, 2009. He visited Japan to promote Japanese 2009 edition of the annual book. [Agencies]