(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-27 21:11

NANJING -- A college student who quit school after winning a five million yuan ($683,000) lottery in east China's Jiangsu Province has sparked intense debate -- and a rush for lottery tickets -- among his fellow students and local residents.

The former second-year student at the Jiangsu Maritime Institute, who gave his name as Xiaoyong, learned of his luck from a local newspaper.

According to his roommates, he cried out "I am the winner" upon reading about his win. He "did not even finish brushing when he began to tell the news to everyone he met," said one of his roommates.

Xiaoyong, the only first-prize winner in that drawing of the China Welfare Lottery, left school the day he cashed in the prize, one of his  teachers confirmed.

"We don't know whether he will return or not," the teacher said. "We hope he will finish his college education."

His former classmates are avidly discussing his luck and spreading his zero-to-hero legend.

In some local university forums on the Internet, many students have voiced their envy and discussed their plans to buy lottery tickets, and that has some professors worried. "It is too distracting and unrealistic for a college student to base his dreams on risky lotteries," said Ji Zongshao, a professor at Nanjing Normal University.

But that hasn't deterred swarms of students from visiting the lottery stand near Nanjing Baixia Road where Xiaoyong bought his winning ticket.

"Ticket sales doubled today," said the owner of the lottery stand, surnamed Wang.

"We also want to win five million yuan so we'll try our luck at this auspicious stand," said someone in the queue.