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Chinese “computer genius” stirs controversy with fabricated MIT acceptance letter

(People's Daily Online)    17:02, December 12, 2017

A 14-year-old computer genius in Laiyang, Shandong, has been bombarded with criticism after his self-claimed MIT enrollment was proven fabricated, with many netizens criticizing the boy for being “vainglorious.”

Li Xiangnan, a ninth-grader at Laiyang No. 2 Shiyan Middle School, was reported by local news media as a genius in computer science. According to an article released by the Laiyang Education and Sports Bureau on its official WeChat account on Dec. 4, the boy signed a “contract” with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and has become the youngest MIT student in the province’s history.

In a video clip circulating online, Li told viewers that he was accepted to the “Massachusetts University of Technology.” The boy also reportedly received letters of acceptance from many other prestigious foreign universities, including Osaka University in Japan and the University of Waterloo in Canada.

The boy’s self-claimed achievement quickly attracted public attention. Many news websites reposted his story, hailing the boy as a “genius,” while many net users raised doubts, noting that the story seems farfetched.

“I saw the boy’s letter of acceptance from Waterloo University online. It’s odd that the addresser used Chinese instead of English to write the letter. Even more peculiar, the addresser’s name in the letter is ‘William Jefferson Clinton.’ I wonder is this the former U.S. president?” wrote a netizen on Sina Webo.

In response to the rumor, MIT told the Global Times in a letter that the institute does not make contracts with prospective students, and all of its students, without exception, follow the same application process.

The local authorities have promised to carry out an investigation into the incident, confirming that the article praising Li’s academic success was written by its employees in an announcement released on Dec. 11.

“As a kid, it’s understandable that fake news like this would let you feel over the moon. But I wonder why the local government and media outlets are so irresponsible to post such news without checking its authenticity?” asked another netizen online.

Li cannot be reached for comments, while the article posted by local authorities has been removed as of press time.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Web editor: Kou Jie, Bianji)

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