China's Peking University, no stranger to controversies in recent months, is embroiled in another heated debate following the release of proposals to build a golf course on its campus.

The course will be located on the northeast coast of the Weiming Lake, the favorite place for students to gather on lecture breaks, reports Friday's China Times newspaper.

Sources at the university's sports center and the physical education department confirmed the existence of the plan.

The golf course will be mainly used for students' golf lessons and activities of the university's golf association but it will also be leased to the public, the sources said.

Peking University, one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in China, was recently shrouded in controversy over a Hong Kong scholar's allegations of irregularities in the recruitment of overseas professors, which the university denies. The university also hit the headlines with news of restrictions on tourists entering the campus.

The newspaper quoted a law student surnamed Wang as saying that the university should spend more money on sports facilities accessible to its students rather than the golf course.

Another student named Zhang said learning golf will help students acquire a useful social skill.

Zhou Xiaozheng, a sociologist, told the newspaper that it is too early to say that building the golf course is a bad decision but the university must consult the students and teachers before making such decisions.

Golf has always been considered a sport for the elite in China. Rapid industrialization is eating away at the farmland needed to feed 1.3 billion people so the government has tried to keep rigid controls over the building of golf courses.

The country's golf courses, however, have increased rapidly in recent years, as some local governments believe golf courses will attract investors.

Source: Xinhua