If Wang Nana had not applied for a bank loan, she never would have learned that she had been admitted to college. She would have continued to think she had failed, that all of her studying was for nought, that her hopes for a better future were misplaced.

However, the loan application and a follow-up inquiry revealed that a well-placed bribe, an intercepted acceptance letter and lax procedures had changed the future for two high school graduates: Wang and the woman who assumed her identity in 2003.

"I cannot forget those days, when I was waiting for the college acceptance letter 13 years ago," said Wang, 33. "I studied so hard. But I didn't receive the acceptance letter. I thought I had failed."