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A successful Chinese entrepreneur-cum-motivational speaker has come under suspicion for falsifying her track records.
According to the Shin Min Daily News, 23-year-old Dong Siyang has claimed, among other things, to be a graduate from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Her biggest claim so far is that she became a CEO when she was 21.
Young, beautiful and successful, she is often dubbed "the CEO-beauty" by the Chinese media.
Ms Dong's book, "21-year-old woman president", was a national bestseller in China and catapulted the 23-year-old into the Chinese media spotlight.
Since May last year, Ms Dong has been travelling to schools around China, giving motivational speeches to students. Many youths in China even look up to her as a "beacon of hope and guidance", according to the Chinese daily.
Ms Dong has also been making her rounds in the media, recounting her impressive history and road to success.
Her blog, which started in August last year, has received more than 10 million hits.
In her book, Ms Dong stated that she became the President of her Hong Kong-based multi-national company when she was 21, and was once named "the youngest female entrepreneur" in a Chinese magazine, amongst other accolades.
She claimed that she was also named "Asia-Pacific's most promising female entrepreneur" by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI).
Connection to SCCCI questioned
Ms Dong had also mentioned previously that she had joined the Chamber through recommendations from the "Vice-Secretary", whom she referred to as "Hai Liang", and that she had received an entreprenuership award in 2005 due to a nomination from the Chamber's president, "Wang Yang Tai".
However, when reporters from Shin Min brought this up to a spokesperson from the Chamber, he stated that the position of "Vice-Secretary" did not exist. He also said that the Chamber did not have members with names that corresponded to the two persons Ms Dong had mentioned.
In addition, the SCCCI does not appear to have a record of Ms Dong Siyang as a member either.
When interviewed by reporters, a member of the association said he had no recollection of such a person, and that the Chamber did not have a tradition of giving out awards.
Netizens question claims
Meanwhile, curious netizens have also been picking apart her biography and list of accomplishments.
According to online reports, Ms Dong stated that she earned her MBA at an American university.
However, the American university in question is reported to be an unaccredited California-based institution offering degrees for a 27,800-yuan (S$5877) fee.
Netizens also investigated her multi-national company and found that the website's address was only registered in 2007.
The online address does not display a website.
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Set up chicken rice stall in NTU?
In her book, Ms Dong also claimed that during her time in NTU, she had set up a popular shop selling accessories. She also opened a Hainanese chicken rice stall in response to demand from students.
According to Ms Dong, her accessories shop was located at the intersection of the " 'A' hostel block and classroom block".
However, hostels in NTU are identified by numbers, and not letters of the alphabet. In addition, the hostels are located in a separate area from the teaching blocks, so it is impossible for there to be an intersection.
An NTU alumnus, when interviewed by Shin Min, disputed some of her claims. The NTU graduate pointed out that Hainanese chicken rice could be found in almost all the canteens.
He said: "Hainanese chicken rice is a popular Singaporean dish. Hence, her claim that she set up the stall for students who complained they could not not find chicken rice on campus is ridiculous."
At press time, NTU has not replied to queries as to whether Dong was once a student of the university.
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