Wealthy pay millions to put kids in college

Billionaire denies influence-peddling, says donation a personal, family matter

A college admissions cheating scheme in the United States has triggered widespread discussion among Chinese netizens during the four-day May Day holiday after it was reported that a wealthy family paid $6.5 million to assure their daughter's admission to Stanford University.

Billionaire Zhao Tao, 52, president and co-founder of Shandong Buchang Pharmaceuticals, a company that specializes in traditional Chinese medicine to fight cardiovascular disease, reportedly funneled money to William Rick Singer, the admissions consultant who is at the center of the explosive case brought by US federal prosecutors.