Ramping up the feel-good factor

The Chinese duo also wished their American counterparts good luck in upcoming competitions.

In return, the American curlers gave pins to Ling and Fan.

Delighted to receive the gifts, Ling said he would like to invite Plys to his hometown of Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, a city boasting a long history of ice and snow sports. Plys once competed at a tournament in Harbin.

"Chris told me he likes Harbin. He mentioned the Harbin Ice and Snow World. I sincerely welcome him to travel to Harbin when the pandemic is over," Ling said.

"So awesome. A real human-to-human interaction. Good job," read one comment on social media.

The Olympic spirit was also in evidence on the curling ice, when China and the US met in a men's round robin match on Feb 13.

With the US leading in the sixth end, five-time Olympian John Shuster admitted that the US had unintentionally touched China's stone and asked for the umpire's judgment.

China, however, chose to overlook the possible foul and continued to play.

The 39-year-old Shuster said of the incident: "I thought they did a tremendous job, and I commend them for being great sportsmen."

With five days to go until the closing ceremony, fans can expect plenty more heartwarming moments to show the Olympic spirit is alive and well in Beijing.