Chinese Olympic Champion Quan Hongchan Bullied; Analysis: 'Fan Culture' is Just the Surface
Chinese Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan has revealed her distress over online bullying regarding her body image. The police have detained a perpetrator, and Chinese authorities are condemning the disruptive 'fan circle culture' in sports, with experts suggesting the issue reflects deeper structural problems within China's sports system rather than just fan behavior.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 11:45
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 12:00 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 13, 2026 at 12:05 (5 min after Collected)
The 19-year-old Quan Hongchan recently tearfully disclosed in an interview with mainland media that negative online comments and external pressure regarding her body shape and weight have caused her significant long-term psychological burden.
A chat screenshot subsequently appeared online, showing a WeChat group named "Water Splash Conquerors Alliance" with 282 members, which regularly published insulting remarks targeting Quan Hongchan. The group rules explicitly stated, "No personal attacks (except Quan Hongchan)." It is rumored that the group members included Quan Hongchan's teammates and other figures in the Chinese diving community.
Guangzhou police announced on the 10th that a 31-year-old man surnamed Xu, who created the WeChat group and posted insulting remarks, was given a 10-day administrative detention and a fine.
The Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security also announced on the same day that the chaos of 'fan circles' seriously disrupts the order of sports work and damages the industry's reputation. State media CCTV News commented on Weibo that 'fan circle' chaos has become a major risk factor affecting the healthy development of the sports industry.
'飯圈 (fànquān)' is an internet term meaning 'fan circle.' The English word 'fans' is transliterated as '飯 (fàn),' and the group of fans is called '飯 (fàn),' so the circle they form is called '飯圈 (fànquān).'
Prior to this, Chinese official agencies and state media had repeatedly condemned 'fan circle' culture. Both the Guangdong Provincial Ersha Sports Training Center, where Quan Hongchan is based, and the Swimming and Diving Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China recently issued statements rejecting distorted 'fan circle' culture.
Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao quoted Li Zhuoxian, an assistant professor at King's College London, who has long studied 'fan circle' phenomena in East Asia, on the 12th. He pointed out that there are structural contradictions within the Chinese sports system: on one hand, sports are seen as a vehicle for collective honor and national identity, while on the other hand, market forces transform athletes into stars, drawing them into the logic of fan culture and placing them in a vulnerable position.
Li Zhuoxian said, "Regulators often attribute problems to fan behavior, but this individualizes a structural problem. 'Fan circle' culture serves as an outlet for these contradictory pressures and, to some extent, becomes a scapegoat, thereby diverting attention from systemic issues."
Wu Changchang, an associate professor in the Journalism Department of the School of Communication at East China Normal University in Shanghai, also noted that the online violence and bullying faced by Quan Hongchan cannot be simply attributed to 'fan circle' issues; it involves more systemic problems within the sports system.
Wu Changchang cited the example of Chinese table tennis Olympic champion Chen Meng being booed by fans and subjected to online rumors at the 2024 Paris Olympics, noting that such behavior is a manifestation of 'fan circle' idolization, but in Quan Hongchan's case, such explicit fan behavior was not clearly seen.
Furthermore, Tan Gangqiang, director of the Chongqing Hexie Psychological Consulting Office, analyzed that 'fan circle' culture is merely a superficial phenomenon because it facilitates gathering and quickly forms a focal point. In Quan Hongchan's incident, some stakeholders might be using Quan Hongchan as a symbol to convey certain emotions regarding problems in sports training management. (Editor: Chou Hui-ying / Chen Kai-yu) 1150413
A chat screenshot subsequently appeared online, showing a WeChat group named "Water Splash Conquerors Alliance" with 282 members, which regularly published insulting remarks targeting Quan Hongchan. The group rules explicitly stated, "No personal attacks (except Quan Hongchan)." It is rumored that the group members included Quan Hongchan's teammates and other figures in the Chinese diving community.
Guangzhou police announced on the 10th that a 31-year-old man surnamed Xu, who created the WeChat group and posted insulting remarks, was given a 10-day administrative detention and a fine.
The Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security also announced on the same day that the chaos of 'fan circles' seriously disrupts the order of sports work and damages the industry's reputation. State media CCTV News commented on Weibo that 'fan circle' chaos has become a major risk factor affecting the healthy development of the sports industry.
'飯圈 (fànquān)' is an internet term meaning 'fan circle.' The English word 'fans' is transliterated as '飯 (fàn),' and the group of fans is called '飯 (fàn),' so the circle they form is called '飯圈 (fànquān).'
Prior to this, Chinese official agencies and state media had repeatedly condemned 'fan circle' culture. Both the Guangdong Provincial Ersha Sports Training Center, where Quan Hongchan is based, and the Swimming and Diving Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China recently issued statements rejecting distorted 'fan circle' culture.
Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao quoted Li Zhuoxian, an assistant professor at King's College London, who has long studied 'fan circle' phenomena in East Asia, on the 12th. He pointed out that there are structural contradictions within the Chinese sports system: on one hand, sports are seen as a vehicle for collective honor and national identity, while on the other hand, market forces transform athletes into stars, drawing them into the logic of fan culture and placing them in a vulnerable position.
Li Zhuoxian said, "Regulators often attribute problems to fan behavior, but this individualizes a structural problem. 'Fan circle' culture serves as an outlet for these contradictory pressures and, to some extent, becomes a scapegoat, thereby diverting attention from systemic issues."
Wu Changchang, an associate professor in the Journalism Department of the School of Communication at East China Normal University in Shanghai, also noted that the online violence and bullying faced by Quan Hongchan cannot be simply attributed to 'fan circle' issues; it involves more systemic problems within the sports system.
Wu Changchang cited the example of Chinese table tennis Olympic champion Chen Meng being booed by fans and subjected to online rumors at the 2024 Paris Olympics, noting that such behavior is a manifestation of 'fan circle' idolization, but in Quan Hongchan's case, such explicit fan behavior was not clearly seen.
Furthermore, Tan Gangqiang, director of the Chongqing Hexie Psychological Consulting Office, analyzed that 'fan circle' culture is merely a superficial phenomenon because it facilitates gathering and quickly forms a focal point. In Quan Hongchan's incident, some stakeholders might be using Quan Hongchan as a symbol to convey certain emotions regarding problems in sports training management. (Editor: Chou Hui-ying / Chen Kai-yu) 1150413