The country ranked third in the overall medal standing, which was below what the Rio Olympics delegation expected, but China's Olympians became instant internet sensations.
Fu Yuanhi is the most memorable of all the athletes. The 20-year-old became an online celebrity for her quirky facial expressions and out of the ordinary expressions.
Her fame has spiked to 7 million followers, with an average of 100,000 comments and 500,000 likes on Weibo.
Zhang Jike, a tennis player, also gained internet popularity when he looked sleepy before the semifinals and when his coach yelled at him, "Wake up, boy! Don't be sleepy! You cannot win if you play in this casual way."
Fans in Weibo expressed admiration for Fu. Joanna Zhan from Chongqing said "she (Fu) so cute, and she is as powerful as a mudslide."
"Fu interpreted the Olympic spirit of challenging herself and enjoying the game," she added.
Many Olympic purists, however, believe that the country's athletic performance should be the measure of popularity.
A tweet from the Xinhua, the state media, reflected the government's disappointment with the team's performance.
The tweet said, "No gold for #CHN gymnasts, #TeamChina have suffered the worst Olympic flop at #Rio2016."
Fans in China seemed unfazed by the country's medal performance, which was below expectations. Many of Fu's fans believe that it's the personalities that are more interesting, rather than the athlete in action.
Another fan, JingYing Li, a female entrepreneur in Sichuan Province, said that her friends were always talking about Fu.
JingYing saw a lot of her photos and videos being shared online and started to appreciate the athlete's jokes.
She said, "I even checked her Weibo posts back to 2015. Although Fu seems to be a funny person on social media, she also had a tough time. And her experience encourages me to be strong when I am down."