Daabaa Surprise 03

The rise of China and Chinese higher education is historically inevitable," added the poster, who uses the name "Boycott Japanese goods forever".

Another user added: "Taking Chinese people's money and giving it to people who are able to study in America -- what a great definition of 'poverty'!"

Others defended the decision by the couple, who have also established a foundation to support education in rural areas of China.

"A lot of people are saying Pan Shiyi and his wife spent $15 million to buy their son a ticket to Harvard. However, we shouldn't find fault with how they decide to spend their own money," wrote one.

Zhang responded to the criticism on her own Weibo account, writing that without funding for poor students, good education would be reserved for the wealthy.

"Our scholarships will change this phenomenon," she wrote.

Pan has previously driven public opinion online on a variety of issues, and incurred the government's wrath by posting details of Beijing's dirty air levels, which at the time were not officially released.

At a meeting in mid-August, one of China's top officials responsible for Internet censorship told Pan and other well-known bloggers to be "more positive and constructive" in their online comments, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.