Crowds at a hotpot restaurant in Beijing's Haidian district have recently been drawn by more than the food, as people from the capital and beyond flock to the eatery for a meal as well as to pay their respects to a hero who sacrificed his life to save others.

"I just want to come to see the hero's restaurant and show my respect," said Lyu Zhaoshun, a resident of Beijing's Chaoyang district, who drove his entire family to the restaurant.

"If it were just for a meal, there would be no need to drive so far. I came here because I want my children to experience the atmosphere of honoring a hero and to learn his spirit of selflessness," said Lyu.

Luan Liuwei, a 41-year-old man from Ningyang county in Tai'an, Shandong province, ran the Beijing restaurant with his wife for many years.

On Aug 10, while visiting Gu'an county of Langfang, Hebei province, with his daughter, Luan saved three children from drowning in the Yongding River. However, when he went back into the water to rescue an adult in distress, he drowned due to exhaustion.

On Wednesday, Ningyang, which was Luan's hometown, posthumously awarded him the title of "Model of the New Era in Ningyang" and buried him in the local martyrs' cemetery.

Luan's heroic act gained widespread attention and deeply moved people in Beijing and beyond. People from all over the capital city as well as from other areas have flocked to his restaurant to pay tribute to the hero and support the business.

"By around 5 pm, the restaurant was already full, and I waited for more than an hour without getting a seat," said a customer surnamed Wang, who had traveled from Beijing's Tongzhou district, about 50 kilometers away, according to a report in Beijing Daily.

Despite the long wait, customers showed no signs of impatience.

"People came here not just for the food, but also for Luan's story, so they don't want to leave," said one of the waiting customers.

Even some people from afar have gone to the restaurant to show their respect for the hero. A person from Heilongjiang province, after reading the news online, traveled more than eight hours by train to show support.

One restaurant employee said, "The restaurant doesn't open until 11 am, but there were already customers waiting starting at 9 am." The employee added that the previous day, the last group of customers left at 1 am.

People tried to make donations, only to have staff members chase them for several blocks to return the money. A waitress said that Luan's wife has declined to accept any donations.

Li Boyu contributed to this story.

dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn