Dutchman is standing tall

Jan Wessel Van Spaendonck is tall - and popular because of it, Tang Zhihao reports.

When Jan Wessel Van Spaendonck came to Shanghai to work at the Netherlands Pavilion, little did he expect to become one of its main attractions.

Spaendonck, who works at the pavilion's Crown's Summer Lounge restaurant, has one claim to fame that is enthralling Chinese visitors - his height, an attribute that has made him one of the most-photographed attractions in and around the Netherlands Pavilion in the Expo Garden.

His height, quite simply, has many Chinese visitors in awe. Most visitors who see him at the pavilion and restaurant ask to have a photograph taken with him.

The 24-year-old Spaendonck is 2.1-meter tall, still a goodly 19 centimeters shorter than China's most popular tall guy, NBA star Yao Ming, but a towering presence nonetheless.

And the Dutchman seems to be enjoying the experience. "I know I am very tall and I now know I am an attraction in the Expo Garden," he said. "It is really cool."

Despite his height, Spaendonck has no interest in basketball. "I have never played basketball, I don't like it," he said. "Sometimes I play hockey."

While working at the Expo, Spaendonck said visitors were constantly asking him to pose for photographs with them. He admitted that, at times, it could be a little annoying.

"When someone starts taking photos, it never ends," said Spaendonck. "There are always 40 to 50 more people waiting to take a photo with me."

He said he was surprised by the reactions of local people to him when he first arrived in China, but after three months in Shanghai, he says he is now used to all the attention.

"Sometimes it gets a little bit crazy, so many people living here in Shanghai, all these people wanting a photograph with me," said Spaendonck.

Spaendonck arrived in China as part of a group of 22 professional personnel to provide on-the-job training to Chinese and Dutch students. He also works as a waiter in the Crown's Summer Lounge restaurant.

"It is amazing to see the new students come and to see how well they can work when they finish the training courses," said Spaendonck. "I am really happy to see how they progress."

Spaendonck plans to stay in Shanghai until the end of the Expo in October. "I want to give visitors (to his restaurant) a feeling of what it is like to be in Netherlands."

During his spare time, Spaendonck likes to visit vegetable and wet markets. "We do not have that in Netherlands," he said. "I don't buy anything, but it is interesting to see people going about their business in these markets."

Spaendonck said it is his first time in China. He would like to travel around the country and is particularly keen to visit Beijing.

(China Daily 08/13/2010)