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Yating Yang

In the wake of her Olympic triumph, China’s dive queen Quan Hongchan has transformed her hometown into a hot tourist destination, prompting local travel agencies to offer one-day tour packages there.
A local travel agency has launched a one-day tour to Quan’s hometown in Maihe village, Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, southern China, which costs only 58 yuan (US$8).
The tour, which has attracted widespread attention, is designed for visitors aged between 25 and 70 years old. People outside this age range must pay an additional 70 yuan.
Participants will also receive a five-litre electric hot pot cooker as a bonus gift.
A representative of the travel agency told Jiupai News that the tour is designed as a shopping trip, and that the age restriction is designed to ensure that people spend money.
Unlike the so-called “purely leisure-oriented tours”, such tours have lower fees but include several mandated shopping stops within the itinerary.

This allows travel agencies to earn commission from tourists’ purchases, thereby offsetting tour costs.
Since Quan clinched two gold medals at the Paris Olympics, her hometown has seen a surge in popularity, even being dubbed “Olympic Village” and “Champion Village” in travel advertisements.
Another travel company in Maoming, also in Guangdong province, has launched a number of tours to her hometown with prices ranging from a few dozen to several hundred yuan, offering both shopping-focused and pure leisure tours, according to The Paper.
As its popularity grows, Quan’s hometown, once a poor rural village, recently opened its first restaurant run by villagers offering local dishes such as roast suckling pig and white-cut chicken.
Quan Huacai, Quan’s neighbour, once known as “Loss Guy” due to his earlier failures in the beef offal business, decided to revive his venture and is now finding success.
“I’m not losing money now, it’s just more tiring. It takes two people two hours just to cut the beef offal every day, not to mention the other steps,” he said.
Quan Hongchan, now 17, has won three Olympic gold medals, including one from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
She claimed victory in the individual 10 metre platform event and, alongside teammate Chen Yuxi, also won gold in the 10 metre synchronised platform in Paris.
She first rose to fame aged just 14 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she earned three perfect scores out of her five dives and produced minimal splash, earning her the nickname “genius girl”.
She has since become one of China’s most beloved and iconic figures, with news about her consistently trending online.
Tours to her hometown have sparked lively online discussions and piqued the curiosity of many.

“It’s too far from where I am, but if it were closer, I’d definitely go. Only 58 yuan for a whole day – what a bargain!” said one person.
“Fantastic, she’s contributing to the local economy and creating more earning opportunities for villagers,” another said.
“I’d even buy pesticides if Quan Hongchan endorsed them, just for fun. I might even get some for my husband,” another joked, showing her affection for Quan.
However, some concerns have also been raised: “Is it OK to over-commercialise a young girl like this? She should have more time to do what she loves, spend time with her family, and not be kept from returning home,”one online observer said.


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People & Culture

Tourists flock to hometown of Olympic diving queen turn rural community into ‘Champion Village’


A travel agency in China is offering tours of the hometown of Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan for US$8 in a move which will boost the fortunes of what was a sleepy rural village.


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Place of pilgrimage: China agency offers US$8 tour of dive queen Quan Hongchan’s hometown

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Tourists flock to hometown of Olympic diving queen turn rural community into ‘Champion Village’

Tourists flock to hometown of Olympic diving queen turn rural community into ‘Champion Village’