Teen diving sensation Quan Hongchan has become a household name in China after her Olympic success.
After the general public learned her main motivation for competing, her family were offered free property and cash, which they ultimately refused.
The 14-year-old said after winning the gold medal in the women’s 10m platform that she is helping to support her family of seven.
“I want to make enough money to support her,” said Hongchan, referring to her mother who was involved in an accident four years ago.
She is doing a fabulous job, as the Olympian registered two perfect tens en route to winning the competition and securing the gold medal.
Hongchan was born and raised in Maihe in Guangdong, a province in South China where her father works as an orange farmer.
A local hospital in Zhanjiang offered to provide a full range of medical services for her mother as well as her sick grandfather.
The Global Times reported that “three enterprises in Zhanjiang will provide her with a house, tuck shop and bonus to her, according to the Zhanjiang City Federation of Industry and Commerce”.
The gifts and goodwill gestures continued to pour in as Hongchan and her family were offered lifetime free passes to several amusement parks, zoos and resorts.
She was also offered unlimited supplies of her favourite treat latiao” — a spicy snack made of wheat flour and chilli.
However, Quan Wenmao, Hongchan's father, rejected all of the offers, according to the Southern Metropolis Daily.
“I thank them for coming. But I did not take anything. I did not take a penny,” he said three days after his daughter won gold in the Olympics.
In the wake of her triumph, fans flocked to her home village to catch a glimpse of Hongchan’s home.
China’s Twitter-like social media platform Weibo, a hashtag that translates as “how to view Quan Hongchan’s home becoming an Internet photo hotspot” has been viewed over a staggering 25 million times.
Reports state the crowds have caused chaos for the village and “live-streamers even intend to climb up the trees planted at her house and take a jackfruit as a souvenir”.
As a result the general public are no longer allowed to visit, with fears it may be become a covid hotspot due to the unusual traffic and large groups of people.
Wenmao was in agreement as he asked the crowds to stay home
He added: "They can just send their regards. There’s no need to come here. It’s disturbing their lives and ours too, isn’t it?”
After setting such a high standard in her debut Olympics, all eyes will be on Hongchan in Paris 2024 where she will aim to successfully defend her Olympic crown.
