A man in Beijing, China, is so obsessed with Friends that he’s transformed his entire life to mirror the iconic ’90s sitcom. He legally changed his name to Gunther, married a woman named Rachel (yay!), and named his son Joey. His apartment is decorated just like Joey and Chandler’s, he owns a real-life Central Perk cafe and even has a pet named Smelly Cat!

Beijing-based Gunther said that he first discovered Friends while going through a rough break-up. “My first love had left me,” he said. “Every day I was almost crying. One of my friends told me, ‘You have to watch Friends.’” So he ended up binge-watching the episodes, and it helped him get past the difficult time.

Photo: Sina

Gunther now uses the American sitcom as a guide for almost every aspect of his life. His apartment is an exact replica of the one that Chandler and Joey shared, down to the smallest of details. He even owns a copy of the Lionel Ritchie record that Chandler can be seen hugging in the episode where Janice dumps him. Gunther also has a foosball table, a Baywatch collection, and the ridiculous entertainment center that Joey built in season three. He couldn’t find a frame like the one behind Monica and Rachel’s door, so he made one for himself.

Of all the lovable charactersin Friends, Gunther seems most influenced by Chandler. He says that his marital relationship is a lot like Chandler and Monica’s. “I try to treat my wife like Chandler treats Monica,” he said. “I learn a lot from Chandler.” However, he seems keen on modelling his toddler son after goofball Joey and he has started by teaching the kid to say ‘How you doin’?’

Photo: [I-D]

But there’s obviously a bit of Gunther in the man formerly known as Du Xin, which prompted him to quit his full-time job and open a real-life version of the iconic Central Perk coffee shop. “It’s easy to act like Gunther,” he said. “Just keep quiet and provide good service. Also he’s a little bit cool, right?”

Gunther recommends the show to everyone he knows, strongly believing that watching it is a therapeutic experience. “I try to persuade more people to watch Friends just like persuading a lot of people to believe in some kind of religion,” he said. “It’s lucky for this generation to have Friends. Friends is my life. These six people spend ten years teaching you how to love. ”

“Friends makes me happy,” he added. “For me, I’m living in Friends, of course, I’m happy every day. We all want to live in this dream and never wake up.”

Source: [I-D]