Yao Ming attends a dinner banquet hosted by the Yao Ming Fan Club in Houston on Thursday. [Photo by May Zhou/China Daily]

Yao's image began to appear on the popular Chinese social media WeChat when he arrived in Houston on Tuesday on Air China – some enthusiastic fellow travelers snapped photos of him and posted it.

Following the reception hosted by the mayor, Yao also attended a dinner banquet hosted by the Yao Ming Fan Club, where he met with some of his loyal fans who cheered him over the years.

Tiffany Wang in Houston contributed to this story.

Contact the writer on mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com