Businessman Jia Jihai lives a life as colorful as some of the characters he loves to impersonate. Provided to China Daily

The day I met Jia Jihai, he was not dressed up as George S. Patton, but rather as his combat signaler, carrying a military backpack with a radio antenna sticking out.

"I have hundreds of costumes, especially military uniforms, and I pick one according to the occasion. Or, if there's nothing special that day, I'll let my mood make the decision," Jia said in his bar on Harbin's Central Street.

His bar seems to function as a gallery for his memorabilia, collected from his globe-trotting adventures. Among the photos posted on the walls are those of him posing as celebrities, from Charlie Chaplin to Elvis Presley. But his favorites, he readily admits, are G.I. Joe and the cowboy.

"Of all military uniforms, I love the American and the Nazi ones most. Since I cannot walk around as a storm-trooper, I have to dress up as an American soldier," he says. Or, for that matter, an American general.

It is obvious Jia is enamored with Patton. He even produced a 17-minute film re-imagining himself as "General Jihai", a Chinese officer in World War II fighting Nazi Germany. However, he did not bother to change "America" to "China" when he recreated Patton's opening scene, where he delivers his signature speech in front of a giant United States flag. Perhaps the character is meant to be Chinese-American?

Jia does not simply wear costumes to attract business. He carries his dramatic personas wherever he goes. As soon as he steps out onto the crowded street, the spotlight is on him. He is gazed at, stopped and asked for photo ops. But he relishes such attention. If nobody is looking, he may kiss his girlfriend Elena, a Russian student at Heilongjiang University, or even go so far as to recreate the iconic kiss in Times Square.

"I'm young at heart. I feel like 25. Well, make it 28 as it's more mature," Jia says to me.

Jia was born in 1957, but certainly acts like a 20-something, an age fit for cosplay. His business card lists 16 titles, yet none captures his multifaceted and idiosyncratic personality. Jia is not a typical impersonator. Actually he does not see himself as an actor - even though he has appeared in nine TV series, mostly in minor roles. He would rather talk about the times (twice) when he was made image ambassador of Harbin's Central Street.

"My motto is, make your life entertaining," he explains. There is not a party he wants to miss, and if there is no party, he'll throw one. When he wants music, he gets together a few musicians and plays on the street.

"I never fear a big crowd. What I fear is nobody will come," he says.

"What if people mistake you for a starving artist begging for money?" I ask.

"You know what? We Chinese are very smart, but we exhaust ourselves with petty concerns. Westerners are adorable because they tend to do what they want, regardless of what others think of them. I prefer it that way - simple," Jia answers. "If I'm unhappy, the mood won't last longer than 10 minutes."

Jia is not worried he may be mistaken for a struggling street performer. He is sure of his wealth and is not afraid to flaunt it. The day we visited his restaurant, he had two of his vintage cars - out of a fleet of two dozen - parked outside in lieu of the ubiquitous stone lions.

Besides military uniforms and vintage cars, Jia also collects things as big as Soviet military aircraft retired from service (he has two) and as small as beer labels (he has 12,000). "I served as Mr Beer for the 2008 beer festival," he adds.

All these activities are made possible by his business ventures, which include a chain restaurant with 42 outlets nationwide, "31 of them franchisees". However, he rarely makes visits in his capacity of top brass. The day we arrived at his flagship eatery, a waiter told him utterly deadpan: "You'll have to wait, like other customers."

My jaw dropped. "Did he recognize you?" I asked.

"Yes, but I don't intimidate him."

"Not even as the Patton character?"

"I'm not the kind of boss who breathes down their necks. I bring laughter in my wake."

"But you look so forbidding," I said.

Regarding his stern and masculine look, Jia explains he has a feminine side.

"I can do anything a woman does, except bear children. I learned sewing at the age of 13. I cook for my girlfriend. I'm a DIY guy, tinkering with everything I have."

Affected by the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), Jia did not get much of a formal education. He was sent to a farm at 17 and became a bench hand at a factory at 22. By 30, he got into business and, with money, discovered what he really liked, military fantasies and all.

If he could relive his life, he adds, he would not change anything because he does not have any regrets.

China Daily