Yang Qin, 29 attends a government meeting Photo: screenshot on the thepaper.cn

A 29-year-old president of a bank in East China's Jiangxi Province is under investigation after her appointment as the temporary deputy head of a county stirred a wave critical skepticism on Chinese social media platforms. 

Yang Qin was appointed as the temporary deputy head of the Hukou county, Jiujiang city of Jiangxi, in April, according to a notice published on the Hukou county government information platform on April 23.

The appointment quickly drew online discussions with many people questioning whether she is qualified, given her age and education background. 

Jiujiang Bank, where Yang is president of its Hukou branch, said on its Sina Weibo account Tuesday that the bank is looking into the case.  

An employee from the Organization Department of the CPC Jiujiang city committee told thepaper.cn on Tuesday that Yang is not a government employee and will be relieved from the post once her tenure is over.

Some netizens questioned Yang's qualifications and education and suggested family connections may have played a role in her appointment 

Yang's father, Yang Yong, is the president of Jiujiang Financial Holding Group in Jiujiang city and had worked for the Bureau of Finance in Jiujiang city, according to Hongxing News, a Sichuan-based newspaper affiliated to Chengdu Business Daily. 

The report said the Bureau of Finance in Jiujiang city is a shareholder of Jiujiang Bank.

In China, temporary government posts are usually taken by government employees from other departments, and are seen as an opportunity to enrich their work experience, according to China's law on civil servant.

In some cases, employees of state-owned enterprises and public institutions are also given the opportunity to fill temporary government posts. Those who take these posts are paid by their original employers, The Beijing News reported. 

Fourteen branch presidents at Jiujiang Bank have taken posts as temporary deputy heads at county governments, as part of the Jiujiang government's efforts to improve its financial sector, Jiujiang Daily reported in 2017. 

The Hukou county government's information platform shows that Yang started working for the Jiujiang Bank in 2009 after earning a diploma from a vocational school, and diploma from a local university in 2013. She was named as the president of Jiujiang Bank at Hukou branch in February. 

Global Times