The boy's father, Lin Dakun, said the family agreed to let the child act only because the sitcom touches on stories about the days following the earthquake.

"We didn't ask for a penny from the producer, and Lin Hao could finish it during weekends," he said.

Dad doesn't want his son to become "a commercial star". According to him, Lin has turned down quite a number of offers, including one from a foreign chocolate maker that promised 500,000 yuan ($73,240) for appearing in an advertisement.

The family stayed in Shanghai, where Lin recovered and went to school for a semester, but moved to Chengdu earlier this year because of the high cost of living in the eastern metropolis. Lin has been enrolled in Chengdu's Yandaojie primary school since spring.

Lin's father, who works at a construction site, says he is the family's sole breadwinner. The boy's mother quit her job and is now a full-time housewife.

"I earn just more than 2,000 yuan a month. I can't manage to save any of it," his dad told China Daily.

The young quake hero, meanwhile, says he has no pocket money, although his parents have allowed him to keep presents from kindhearted people and friends who met him after he became famous.

The presents range from clothes, bags and CDs to just plain cash, but Lin, with no personal computer, said he has no idea about what is on the CDs.

Luo Xiaohang, headmaster of Yandaojie primary school, told China Daily that the school has refused all media interviews and photo shoots with Lin during school time.

A gatekeeper at the school said: "Lin Hao is a polite boy. He says 'morning, uncle' to me every day. But he never seems like he wants to talk to venders around the school or any passersby who recognize him."

The third grader is trying his best to catch up with his classmates in studies, and speaking English has emerged as one of his favorite activities at home.

"I like speaking English my zodiac sign is 'tiger' in English, daddy's is 'monkey' and mommy's is 'cow' the movie I just watched is called Kung Fu Panda in English," Lin told China Daily. (He hopes to learn kung fu from Jackie Chan, but may have to settle for a class he had with the action star's apprentice.)

"I also know the creature that swims in the river near my home in Yingxiu is 'fish' in English".