CHINA> Survivors
China's youngest 'quake hero' return home
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-18 18:40

"If the TV commercial is suitable, I might let my son take the offer and we might even help those needy people with the money" despite the  economic pressures facing the family, said the elder Lin.

PRESSURE FROM MEDIA

China's youngest 'quake hero' return home
Chinese flag bearer Yao Ming (R) leads the Chinese delegation next to nine-year-old Lin Hao during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. [Agencies]

Lin Hao has kept the stories that newspapers wrote about him. One of the stories was about a memorable moment at the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, when the little boy walked hand-in-hand with basketball idol Yao Ming.

The father isn't too sure whether so much fame is good for Haohao, the boy's nickname. "I don't want him to think he's different from other kids."

The father has done his best to shelter the boy from media attention in Sichuan, a lesson he drew from their experience in Shanghai, where Lin Hao did so many interviews, he neglected his studies.

"My son was very nervous in Shanghai, where he was a celebrity and couldn't play like other kids," said the father. He said Lin Hao wanted to attend Tsinghua University, one of China's best universities.

"I don't want anyone to disturb his studies," said Lin Dakun.

The father said he had no ambitions for himself, beyond a stable job that would allow him to support his family.

"If I cannot find a job in Chengdu, I will go back to the countryside, and so will Haohao," said Lin Dakun. "We are farmers. I'm ready for that."

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