Skeptical netizens found a local media outlet in Southwest China's Sichuan province giving inaccurate information in a report about a female graduate of one of the country's top universities who launched a company and now works as a deliverywoman.

Xu Lu, 34, enrolled as a journalism major at Peking University in 2000, and worked for a high-tech company and later for a property developer after graduating, the Chengdu Business Daily reported.

The media outlet cited Xu as saying that she could earn as much as 20,000 yuan ($3,074) a month at that time, but in 2010 she returned to her hometown, Shifang in Sichuan province, after she married.

In 2013, Xu conquered barriers to get a franchise for a large nationwide express company to operate her own company in Shifang.

In March, Xu was honored as "March 8th Red Banner Holder" in Deyang city, which governs Shifang. The honor is granted to those who are regarded as role models for women.

When the report was put online on Tuesday, it sparked hot debate among Chinese netizens on the uselessness of a university education, because it took physical work rather than metal work for her to become successful.

The hot debate later led netizens to question whether Xu was a student at Peking University.

Some netizens said that Peking University did not have a journalism school in 2000 and they could not find Xu's name on the list of students enrolled that year.

The online news portal thepaper.cn reported that its reporters contacted Xu, who said she studied at a college in Beijing and got her college degree in 2003.

After that she took part in a program at Peking University and took journalism courses in 2004. She got a bachelor's degree from Peking University in 2007, Xu told thepaper.cn.

"I did not know the report would say I was enrolled in Peking University in 2000. It was in 2004. I told the reporter that I got the bachelor's degree through an adult education program," Xu said. "I did not mean to hype."

Peking University confirmed late Tuesday that Xu studied journalism courses from 2004 to 2007 through the university's adult education program, Beijing Youth Daily reported.