SOHO scholarship project criticized
Print Edition
A CHINESE billionaire couple are facing criticism for donating US$15 million to one of the richest and most prestigious universities in the United States, with Internet users saying it would be better spent on students in China.
Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, the husband-and-wife duo behind real estate giant SOHO China, are giving US$100 million to support disadvantaged Chinese students at top universities across the globe.
The first stage of the program was last week’s gift to the Ivy League institution, widely regarded as one of the world’s best universities.
Pan is not only one of China’s wealthiest people but also one of the country’s most-celebrated “Big V” bloggers, with nearly 17 million followers on Weibo.
China is the largest single source country for international students in the US, providing more than a quarter of all foreign students, according to the Institute of International Education.
Most of the young people’s fees are paid by their families, but Zhang told the Wall Street Journal that the firm’s “SOHO China Scholarships” will help less-well-off Chinese youngsters to study abroad.
Nonetheless some Weibo users criticized Pan and Zhang, questioning the couple’s motives and arguing that disadvantaged students in China are more deserving of help.
One unnamed person wrote: “Taking Chinese people’s money and giving it to people who are able to study in America — what a great definition of ‘poverty’!”
Others defended the couple, who have also established a foundation to support education in rural China.
“A lot of people are saying Pan Shiyi and his wife spent US$15 million to buy their son a ticket to Harvard. However, we shouldn’t find fault with how they spend their money,” a person wrote.
Zhang said on Weibo that without funding for poor students, good education would be reserved for the rich.
“Our scholarships will change this,” she wrote.
It is not the first time wealthy Chinese have faced criticism of their decisions.
Last year, China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, came under fire after spending US$28 million on a painting by Pablo Picasso.
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