Memories of his home in Yingxiu and its destruction always remain close to the surface, yet like many other "earthquake celebrities," Lin has distanced himself from public recollections of the disaster.

He did, however, head back to Yingxiu during the Qingming Festival last month to mourn his classmates who died in the tremor.

The mountains there now, he said poetically, "are like they've been clawed by eagles".

And like the defaced mountains, the life of this boy, and those around him, will never be the same. Following the tragedy of that day, the powerful, spontaneous and prevalent media coverage has changed Lin in ways the boy could never have imagined.

The overnight fame has unmistakably turned him into a premature idol, foisting on him all the downsides of fame as well - like inescapable media exposure.

As his bus pulls into the airport, a gaggle of reporters prepares to pounce. He tries to evade them by ducking into a washroom. Yet when he emerges, the TV camera is still there.

"I don't like repeating the same answers to the same questions and I don't understand why some people would wait outside the toilet when I hide in there and say 'no'," Lin said, hiding his face from the camera.

Seems like he's already picked up a few tips on how to handle the paparazzi.

So what does the future hold for the budding superstar?

"Acting on TV is interesting but playing with my classmates in school is much more fun," the boy said.

Spoken more like any 10-year-old boy rather than a national hero. And maybe that's just the trait that's propelled him to fame.