‘I only eat one meal a day’: Chinese student on university grant pushes back online criticism over US$70 concert ticket

University administrators in China threatened to revoke aid money from a student after she posted on social media about a concert she attended that cost 520 yuan (US$70).

The student, surnamed Tang, from Zhejiang province in eastern China, pushed back against the school counsellor who asked her to delete the WeChat post, saying she had earned the money and it was not the school’s business how she spent it, according to Jiupai News.

A counsellor from Zhejiang Guangsha Vocational and Technical University of Construction had told the young woman to “relax her high-profile lifestyle” and instructed her to delete her WeChat post.

Tang agreed at first, however, she became frustrated when the counsellor said: “Just lay low. Otherwise, you will be reported. I even struggle to afford that concert ticket.”

“520 yuan is not expensive, and I bought it with the money I earned,” Tang replied.

The counsellor responded: “If so, you don’t need to apply for the student grant.”

Tang retorted that students who spent a lot of money on daily milk teas should also not be qualified to apply for aid.

“To save money for this ticket, I only ate one meal per day. Do I have to advertise a poor lifestyle to receive a student grant?” Tang asked.

The counsellor reminded Tang that she had given her a warning during a previous grant evaluation because other students had complained about Tang’s aid fund.

“A student grant is meant for students who cannot afford to eat, not for you to go to a concert,” the counsellor said.

Tang responded: “I don’t need to prove myself because of complaints from others. I submitted all the required documents for the student grant.”

An unidentified employer at the university verified that Tang was eligible for the aid money.

On October 31, Tang shared another WeChat post saying she had purchased one more concert ticket priced at 1,314 yuan (US$180).

Many people online supported the counsellor.

“Is 520 yuan not expensive? Please cancel her grant,” said one commenter.

Another person wrote: “What a student. The counsellor was trying to be kind.”

Since 2010, the Chinese government has set up a university student aid system for student living expenses if they come from low-income families. The aid ranges from 2,000 yuan (US$280) to 4,000 yuan per year.