Debate Over Responsibility and Ethics Persists Despite Insurance Coverage
Child's Accountability Questioned After CCTV Footage Released
An incident occurred at an exhibition held in Beijing, China, where a child touched a display case, resulting in the damage of an expensive handcrafted golden crown, sparking debate over who should be held responsible. On December 18, Yonhap News TV, citing local Chinese media, reported that a Chinese influencer with tens of millions of followers faced controversy after releasing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the accident, which took place at an exhibition in Beijing hosted by herself and her husband.
At an exhibition held in China, a child who was viewing the display was seen fiddling with the showcase and dropping a golden crown. SNS
The released footage shows a young child repeatedly shaking and fiddling with the display case containing the golden crown, playing around. Eventually, the protective cover of the display case collapsed, causing the golden crown inside to fall to the floor and break. The damaged crown was a wedding gift, designed and handcrafted by the influencer Zhang Kaiyi’s sculptor husband. The piece is known to be a high-value item, made with about 2 kilograms of gold. The exhibition was hosted by Zhang Kaiyi and her husband, and there was no admission fee charged for entry.
After the incident, Zhang Kaiyi stated, "We informed visitors not to touch the artworks," and sought advice on how to assess the loss. Some Chinese netizens criticized the intent behind releasing the footage, suggesting it was meant to blame the child. Others pointed out inadequate safety management at the exhibition. As the controversy grew, Zhang Kaiyi clarified that the golden crown was insured and that she had never demanded compensation from the child’s family. She added, "The purpose of releasing the video was not to criticize, but to raise awareness about exhibition safety."
During the exhibition, a child accidentally dropped a golden crown while touching the display case. Amid this, influencer Jang Kaka released CCTV footage of the incident on social media, sparking controversy locally. Social media
Local sources in China reported that repairing a gold ornament weighing about 2 kilograms could cost tens of millions of won. In response to the controversy, some experts emphasized that for exhibitions with many child visitors, it is especially important to have proper protection for artworks and to design visitor pathways carefully. There have been previous cases in places like Taiwan and Europe where expensive artworks were damaged due to the carelessness of visitors, particularly children. As a result, renewed attention is being paid to the responsibilities of safety management in public exhibition spaces and the duty of caution on the part of visitors.
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