A history of conflict, ongoing diplomatic spats and a rise in nationalist sentiment have led to several vitriolic attacks on Japanese users. But one Japanese Olympian has become a media darling in China, as the BBC's Yashan Zhao explains.
She may have lost her match to a Chinese player, but she has won China's heart.
"Don't Cry, Ai-chan" has been trending on China's micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo since Japan's Ai Fukuhara lost the table tennis semi-final 4-0 to China's Li Xiaoxia on Wednesday.
