A professor of real estate studies at Beijing Normal University expressed his expectations to students on his microblog, saying he would feel disappointed if students had not yet made 40 million yuan (US$6.1 million) in assets by the age of 40, heating Internet debates.

On his Sina microblog on Monday, Dong Fan posted: "Please don't come to visit me if you have not made at least 40 million yuan worth of assets when you are 40 years old. This is my requirement for my graduate students. When you become rich, you can make more contribution to society by paying more tax and providing more jobs. Poverty means disgrace and failure for highly-educated people."

Dong's statement sparked controversy among Chinese netizens and triggered topics on money. The post had generated 8,459 comments and was forwarded more than 20,000 times as of Thursday afternoon.

"What are the criteria differences between rich and poor? Can we use money as the sole gauge to judge whether people are a failure or not?" a web user commented.

"Some people make their contributions to society but do not have such a large sum of money, they also should be respected," another said.

Dong, in response to the public's response, posted a rhetorical thread on Wednesday afternoon, claiming that the purpose of his words is simply to encourage his own students to study harder, and he did not mean to discriminate against any particular group.

"I studied real estate, so I certainly should discuss money and investment with my students, this is my major. I am just talking about investment and management, which has nothing to do with moral integrity," said Dong on t.sina.com.cn/dongfan.

"I can not agree with the way Dong Fan encourages his students. Money should not be the judgement to evaluate one's achievements, especially for scholars. I demand much more from my students on their academics instead of making money," a teacher surnamed Du at Journalism and Communication Institute of Shaanxi Normal University told the Global Times Thursday.