He Jiang, a biology student from rural China, became the first Chinese citizen to deliver a graduation speech as a representative of excellent graduates at Harvard University.

In his speech on Thursday, He, who grew up in a village in Central China's Hunan province, recalled that when he was bitten on his hand by a spider 15 years ago his mother burned the bite. This incident, he said, inspired him to bring scientific knowledge to where it is needed the most.

His speech provoked much comment in China with some expressing a sense of pride and others feeling dissatisfied with his uncovering of the poverty of China's rural areas. Some even doubted whether he would indeed go to work in the poor areas where scientific knowledge is needed the most.