Medical graduate accuses Chinese college of shaming her for selling ice cream

The woman, surnamed Li, graduated from privately-run Zhongshan College of Dalian Medical University in northeastern China three years ago with a degree in medical imaging. After briefly working at a hospital in her home province of Guangxi, she quit for personal reasons, the South China Morning Post reported.

In April, Li opened a mango-flavored ice cream stall in Hechi, Guangxi, to earn money while preparing for China’s civil service exam, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported.

Her video sharing this career shift went viral in May, drawing over 5 million views.

But soon after, Li said she received a phone call from her former teacher, who urged her to take down the video to protect the school's reputation and avoid worrying current students about their futures.

Li said she deleted the video and stopped mentioning the school's name. "But people from the school kept leaving negative comments, attacking me. It's disrupted both my life and my business," she said, as quoted by the SCMP.

Her former school, Zhongshan College, denied forcing Li to remove the video, insisting it respects all jobs and does not feel embarrassed by graduates starting their own businesses. Yet an unnamed college official admitted the video had caused a "bad impact" and accused Li of spreading "untrue" messages to seek attention, NDTV reported.

Li denied this, explaining she only mentioned her alma mater after viewers questioned whether she really held a medical degree. "So I can’t disclose the name of the college where I studied for four years with a tuition exceeding CN¥ 100,000 (US$14,000)?" she said, SCMP reported.

Frustrated by the school's public denials, Li reposted her video, saying: "If you think I’m defaming you, sue me."

Online, many people criticized the school for shaming Li over honest work, while others accused her of using the school’s name for attention.