A professional actor has been pretending to be a beggar for 12 years: how much money he has

For the past 12 years, a Chinese professional actor has been making a living by playing a beggar in a popular place and collecting money and food from kind-hearted citizens.

SSPDaily tells about it.

Seeing Lu Jingang at work, you might think he's just a poor man trying to make ends meet, but that's only because he's really good at his job.

Lu "works" in the picturesque Qinmin Shanhe Garden in China's Henan Province. With his grimy face, sad puppy eyes, and modest clothes, he is a master at making tourists reach into their pockets and help the poor guy. He's just very good at pretending to be poor, because he's not really poor at all. The talented actor reportedly earns up to 70,000 yuan ($9,730) a month, plus has more food than he could ever eat.

According to Time Doctor, the average monthly salary in China is currently around 29,000 yuan ($4,000), making Lu Jingang one of the highest paid people in the Asian country. Some people even call him the richest beggar in China, which is technically not true, as he is a professional actor who plays a beggar for profit.

Lu says he chose this unusual career path because he simply loved performing, and it gave him the opportunity to do so without having to audition. At first, his family did not support him, which is understandable, but after they saw that he was earning a fairly good monthly amount, they changed their minds.

Over time, as Lu Jingang adjusted to his daily role and the performance that recently made him an Internet celebrity, he became increasingly better at attracting people's sympathy and their money. His humble attire, sad expression on his unwashed face, and pleading all paint a picture that makes people dig into their pockets to help him.

Lu's monthly salary has sparked quite heated discussions on social media, with many expressing envy.

• He is happier than me, and I am a real beggar
• I want to quit my job and go begging

Interestingly, Lu Jingang warned people not to come to Qinmin Shanhe Garden to try their luck as a beggar, as they would have a hard time competing with his well-rehearsed performance.