A 75-year-old man who became a sensation in China for the calabashes hanging outside his home — reminiscent of the opening scene of a classic domestic TV series — has triggered widespread debate after removing the gourds, citing exhaustion from the subsequent flood of tourists.

The man, Chen Jin’ao, went viral on Aug. 29 after a local media outlet in the eastern city of Shaoxing posted a video of the gourds on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The video quickly climbed the platform’s trending list, and tourists soon followed.

Chen, nicknamed “Calabash Grandpa” by tourists in reference to the character from “Calabash Brothers” — a 1986 animated series about seven brothers born from calabashes who use their superpowers to rescue their grandfather from demons — initially greeted the tourists outside his home, telling them that the gourds would bring them good luck. 

In China, the calabash, or hulu, is a symbol of good fortune as its name sounds similar to the word for blessing — fulu — and represents prosperity and fertility due to its round shape and plentiful seeds. 

But on Saturday, Chen cut the gourds down after his wife suffered a dizzy spell, reportedly from exhaustion caused by the volume of tourists. 

The local tourism bureau told domestic media on Friday that Chen “is not an internet celebrity but an amiable and lovable Shaoxing elder … These days, we have been reflecting on the balance between viral ‘check-in’ tourism and private life. To properly guide visitors, we also ask that tourists be more considerate …” 

On Sunday, a local tourism official told Shanghai-based media outlet The Paper that removal of the calabashes was Chen’s own decision. The official said Chen and his wife were exhausted by the constant visitors — some of whom even tried to enter their home — and the riverside location posed crowd safety risks. 

Before Chen decided to remove the gourds, the local community tried to intervene in the surging crowds, putting up a sign on Sept. 2 that read, “Please do not shout. Grandpa is resting,” to no avail.

Despite the overwhelming fame and surging crowds, Chen and his wife, Shen Hualing, told domestic media that the virality has also had a positive emotional impact on them. “We rarely used to open the door and were basically closed off,” Shen told domestic media on Sept. 3. “People online have opened our hearts.” The elderly couple’s only daughter died 25 years ago, and they have no grandchildren.

The story has sparked 160 million views and 27,000 discussions on microblogging platform Weibo as of Tuesday, with most supporting Chen’s decision to remove the gourds and lamenting that excessive online attention had spoiled a heartwarming tale. 

Now, the seven cut calabashes are neatly arranged on the second floor of Chen’s home. “I won’t grow calabashes again — this experience was enough for me,” Chen said. “Thank you all for your kindness.” He added that he would take good care of the gourds. 

“The calabashes are my children.”

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: Chen Jin’ao poses for a photo alongside the seven gourds he grew in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, Sept. 5, 2026. VCG)