Ex-PKU president lashes back at online critics

A recent speech by a former Peking University president in which he said that "some Chinese are so pathetic that they would rather abuse their mother than the US" has stirred heated debate online.

Zhou Qifeng, a chemist who served as president of Peking University from 2008 to 2013, made the comment Sunday during an alumni event in his hometown of Changsha, Hunan Province, in response to criticism over a previous comment.

Zhou came under fire in December, 2011 when he criticized the US education as a complete failure as "every US president has no idea how to respect people and always impose their ideas on others."

He then compared it with the Chinese education model: "The education in China is very successful since the country has been developing rapidly over the years, which stands as proof of the talent it produces."

Net users argued that many top-ranked grads from Zhou's university later sought degrees in the US.

"I was educated in China and got my master's and doctorate degrees in the US. I am qualified to comment, but many people are not qualified to abuse me," Zhou said.

The speech sparked discussions online, as many said Zhou is patronizing. Others commented there is a prevailing mentality that everything in the US is better than in China, and people should not have blind faith in the US' education system.