Teng is taking photos of his doll. Photo: screenshot of video posted by btime.com

A 64-year-old man who lives alone has gained online fame for traveling around the country with his doll, taking photos with it in scenic areas.

The man, surnamed Teng, lives in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, and has a beloved doll named Xiaoyan that he regards as his own child, according to a report on btime.com.

"He has more than 20 clothes that I made myself and can be changed according to the weather. I take him everywhere except when I go to the toilet or have a bath," Teng said.

In the video posted by btime.com, Teng takes Xiaoyan to visit the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province. "I like taking photos of him in scenic areas, and can take more than 1,000 pictures each time," Teng said proudly.

Teng considers the doll as his child. "My daughter has to call him younger brother and for my granddaughter, he is uncle," he added. "He is my spiritual support now."

The doll is popular among Teng's friends and when he posts photos on WeChat, many people praise the doll as cute, Teng told btime.com.

Although Teng smiles a great deal in the video, many netizens said they can see his loneliness behind the happy expression. 

"Most adults do not have time to stay with their parents, so what elderly people need now is company instead of money," one Sina Weibo user wrote.