Smallest man

The man, 40, who measures only 2ft 6in and is bidding for title of world's smallest man

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:23 AM on 29th July 2010

A 40-year-old Chinese man who measures only 2ft 6in (76cm) is bidding for the title of the world's smallest man.
Following the death of the former record-holder earlier this year, Huang Kaiquan, from Hejiang County, Sichuan province, has stepped forward hoping to claim the record.
He Pingping was the world's smallest man until his death in March this year at the age of just 21.

Huang Kaiquan, who is only 2ft 5.91in and pictured here with mother Cheng Fuxiu, is bidding for the title of world's smallest man

Huang, or 'short brother' as he is known locally, is only 1.4cm taller than Pingping.
The 40-year-old, who weighs just 26 lb (12kg), the same as a three-year-old, is now hoping to claim the record.
According to his mother Cheng Fuxiu, Huang was born in February 1970. He is the second child and only son and all the other family members are of normal height.
Huang may never have a normal life but he takes consolation from the fact that even at 40 his mother can still pick him up for a cuddle.
He said: 'My mother always picked me up when I was little and as I'm still little she can still manage it.
'All my friends grew too big to be picked up, but I never grow any bigger which means that every day I can still get a cuddle from my mum. 
'People have always mistaken me for a toddler because of my height - and now I'm going bald I look even more like a baby,' he joked.

Following the death of former record-holder He Pingping earlier this year, Huang, from Sichuan province, has stepped forward hoping to claim the title

Former actor Huang, who retired aged 30 after falling ill, lives with his 58-year-old mother in southwest China's Sichuan province.
'He's not so heavy - he's actually lighter now that he's getting older,' she said.
'When he was three we realised he did not seem to be growing and we took him to various hospitals which were unable to help us. People in the village advised us just to abandon him but of course we didn't.
'It got really bad when he was just six-years-old and my husband died. I had the children to raise and had to earn money as well and it was very difficult.
'He has always been a good boy though. He tries to help around the house and he sweeps the floors and does whatever else he can,' Cheng explained.
Huang added: 'I guess I will always be her little boy. And although people are often cruel to me because of my height, it is good to know that there is somebody who loves me.'