Friday 1 July 2016 16:06, UK
Hulk has become the latest big-money signing for the Chinese Super League (CSL), joining Shanghai SIPG in a £46.2m deal.
The Brazil international is yet another coup for a league determined to catch up to Europe's elite.
Hulk joins a growing contingent of household names in China, a list that already includes Jackson Martinez, Alex Teixeira and Ramires among others.
So how have these intrepid explorers fared?
When Gervinho, until recently at AS Roma, swapped Rome for Qinhuangdao in January, he left behind one of the world's cultural capitals for China's largest coal shipping port.
But the Ivory Coast international has quickly settled in China's 145th most populous city (population: 1,029,670, roughly comparable to Birmingham in the UK).
"The club has done everything it can to help me integrate and not just from a footballing point of view. I'm enjoying discovering Chinese life - the people have been very welcoming and Qinhuangdao is a very beautiful city," Gervinho told FIFA's official website.
For his part, the former Arsenal man has done his bit on the pitch too, scoring three goals and adding five assists in 13 games for Hebei China Fortune FC, who sit second to Guangzhou Evergrande in the CSL table.
Hebei were one of the most active clubs in the winter transfer window, adding Ezequiel Lavezzi from Paris Saint-Germain on wages reportedly worth £400,000-a-week. But the Argentine is without a goal in 10 league matches and a broken elbow suffered at Copa America will prevent him from breaking his duck anytime soon.
Another Hebei purchase, Stephane M'Bia, has fared better, and QPR fans may be surprised to learn the former Loftus Road enforcer has four goals to his name at the half-way point of the season.
Chinese clubs have spent more than £250m on players this year alone, and while deals for Gervinho, Lavezzi and M'Bia were significant, they are just the tip of a very expensive iceberg.
Prior to Hulk's arrival, the most expensive import was former Liverpool and Chelsea transfer target Alex Teixeira, a £38m addition from Shakhtar Donetsk.
His side, Jiangsu Suning, are third in the table and have former Man City striker Jo and Chelsea old boy Ramires on the books too. In fact, the Brazilian trio have combined for 50 per cent of Jiangsu's goals this season.
"I'm happy with the partnership between myself, Jo and Teixeira," Ramires said in June. "It's getting better with every game and we hope to continue this way.
"I'm having a great time, scoring goals and that makes me happy. Jiangsu is what I expected when I accepted this challenge."
For Teixeira, though, the goals have not come easily, especially when you consider he scored 22 in 15 leagues games shortly before departing Shakhtar. He may be the Jiangsu's joint-top scorer as it stands, but his current tally of four from 14 games is underwhelming when compared to his exploits in Ukraine.
Jiangsu's rivals Shanghai Shenhua are regular big spenders too. They signed Obafemi Martins from MLS side Seattle Sounders in February but the Nigerian has struggled to get on the pitch, with two goals from 11 appearances so far, ten of which have come as a substitute.
It's a record that stands in stark contrast to his strike partner Demba Ba, who is averaging almost a goal in game (13 goals in 15 games) for Shenhua and currently leads the CSL scoring chart.
The Chinese club appear to have found their star after false-starts with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka; a striker if not on the way up, then not quite on the decline.
Ba, 30, came with an impressive CV that boasted 43 goals in 77 Premier League starts for Newcastle and Chelsea. The fact he was coming off a season in which he scored 27 times in 44 games for Besiktas suggested he fit the bill, and he has proved to be one of the most successful buys, accounting for 54 per cent of his club's league goals so far.
At the other end of the spectrum sits Jackson Martinez, once one of Europe's most wanted strikers.
The leading scorer in Portugal's top flight for three consecutive seasons, his subsequent move to Atletico Madrid flopped and in February he joined Guangzhou Evergrande.
It started brightly, with two goals in as many league games, but injury has restricted him to just five CSL matches and cost him a place in Colombia's Copa America squad.
Guangzhou, six-points clear at the top of the table, are doing just fine without him thanks to the goals of Brazilian duo Ricardo Goulart and Alan, and Martinez's struggles have prompted speculation he could call time on his Chinese tour early, with AC Milan reportedly interested. His Guangzhou team-mate, former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho, appears more settled having played in all 15 league matches to date for the table-toppers.
Further down the Chinese football pyramid you find Nikica Jelavic, who swapped West Ham for China League One side Beijing Rehne in February. He has six goals from 15 league games with his side three points off a promotion place.
Like many young leagues, the CSL - and China League One below it - is a mixture of expensive acquisitions and local talent, which raises questions about the standard of football on offer.
"China has still got a way to go in terms of its development," Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said in May.
"The foreigners from all over the globe are absolutely top quality, so our guys are getting tested individually, which is great. But in the overall intensity and tempo, I think the A-League is probably a little bit ahead of it at the moment."
For Gervinho, though, the addition of players like Teixeira - and now Hulk - means those expecting little more than an easy pay-day in the Middle Kingdom are in for a rude awakening.
"I knew that coming to China wouldn't be a walk in the park, because the level of Chinese teams is now quite high," he added. "We played against Asian teams quite a few times during tours with Arsenal and the arrival of quite a number of foreign players has boosted the overall level even more.
"Any player who ever thought that this league was easy would quickly have to revise their opinion."
Shanghai SIPG, who have made a significant investment in the hope of boosting the quality further, will hope Hulk does better than the man he's set to replace, former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan.
The Ghana international is something of a cautionary tale, having been lured away from Al Ain by a salary that reportedly made him the world's sixth best-paid player. SIPG's return has been just seven goals in 20 games over two years, prompting the club to sign Hulk.
They've not finished there either, as Sky sources understand SIPG had a £37.5m offer for Watford striker Odion Ighalo rejected on Friday.
With money seemingly no object in the CSL, it's unlikely to be the last headline-grabbing bid before the Chinese transfer window closes on July 15.
