Diving darling Quan wins nation's heart

'Tourist attraction'

Quan's inspirational story has won the heart of the nation. Aside from being inundated with congratulations and messages of support, she has been contacted by numerous organizations, companies and individuals offering to help her family.

Fans have even been mailing spicy gluten strips to Quan's family, with boxes of the snacks piling up and blocking the door to their home.

As well as detailing her favorite food, Quan also told media she has never been to an amusement park or zoo due to her years of training.

That revelation prompted Guangdong's Chime-long Paradise and Chime-long Safari Park to announce on Weibo that the parks will offer annual membership cards for free to all Chinese national diving team members "with VIP-standard services".

Quan's sudden fame has also brought some unwanted attention, with fans flocking to the family home in search of photo opportunities. Experts have voiced concerns that the hysteria could be detrimental to the youngster's development.

"Quan Hongchan's family has become a tourist attraction, and every day nearly a hundred people go there to take photos. Some internet celebrities have even started doing online live broadcasting in front of Quan's family home," read a Chinanews.com commentary.

"As she's still just a teenager, society needs to protect her innocence. We need to shield her from the harmful side effects of social media. After all, Quan is only 14 years old, and there's a long journey ahead of her."