Ex-Diving Athlete Finds Fame As Merman Performer After Rocky Start To His Career Switch

An underwater performer from China has taken the internet by storm, thanks to his super fit physique and charming good looks. 

Xiao Songze, a university student born in the 2000s, is a merman performer at the aquarium located in Wuhan, Hubei. Clips of the hunky young man, with his six-pack abs, toned arms and all have been plastered all over Chinese social media sites. 

While his physique alone is a feast for the audience’s eyes, many are also dazzled by the elegant way in which he glides around underwater, with his light blue tail swishing behind him.

Songze himself is not shy when it comes to fan service either, often appearing with flowers in hand, and presenting ‘hand hearts’ to visitors. 

Speaking to the Chinese media, Songze revealed that he used to be a professional diving athlete, but had to quit at the age of 19 after suffering an injury. 

Songze decided to continue his studies, but by chance, got to know about the mermaid performance industry. Seeing it as a new opportunity, he decided to work towards making it his new profession. 

However, switching tracks from being a professional athlete to an underwater performer was not an easy one. Songze initially had a slow start as he had no prior experience nor popularity. Few places were willing to hire him. 

Still, he persisted in his training — he consistently worked out to build muscle, and even learnt to dance so he could choreograph his own moves and move seamlessly underwater to put up a standout performance. 

Songze’s efforts eventually paid off. He has done almost 500 shows to date, and gets paid 2500 yuan (S$446) per day. He is currently in a long-term agreement with the aquarium, where he holds most of his performances these days, and gets paid a monthly salary of 6,000 to 10,000 yuan (S$1,071-$1,786), depending on his schedule. 

Songze confessed to feeling slightly hesitant every time he enters the water as he fears his body will be physically strained. After all, the job of an underwater performer is not as easy as it might look — they are required to hold their breaths for long periods of time, all while swimming around and maintaining a cheerful expression.