[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] In China, a fire caused by a five-year-old boy's prank destroyed mobile phones worth tens of millions of won, but the story has drawn attention after it emerged that his father used the incident as a teaching moment rather than getting angry.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a fire recently broke out at a mobile phone workshop and warehouse in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China.
The fire was initially blamed on a short circuit in a power strip.
Later, the owner's five-year-old son, Feng, out of curiosity, held tissue paper up to the sparks, and the flames quickly spread through the workshop.
About 30 mobile phones stored in the warehouse were destroyed in the blaze. More than half of them were reportedly iPhones. The damage came to 200,000 Chinese yuan, or about 45 million won, and because there was no separate insurance, Feng had to bear the loss himself.
Fortunately, there were no casualties.
The incident could have led to a far worse disaster, but the child showed an unexpected response. Believing his sleeping father could be in danger, he closed the bedroom door to keep smoke out, turned on the air conditioner, and moved to another room.
In an interview with local media, Feng said, "My son did not wake me up, but he closed the bedroom door and even turned on the air conditioner," adding, "It was his own way of worrying about me."
He woke up after smelling smoke and put out the fire himself, but part of the workshop and living room had already been badly scorched.
After the fire, the boy tried to clean up by wiping the floor. Once he realized the damage had been caused by him, he reportedly gave his father his pocket money to express his apology.
Instead of scolding him harshly, Feng asked, "Are you happy now?" The boy shook his head.
Feng then explained a Chinese saying about how playing with fire can bring harm upon oneself and told him, "Memorize this saying and never do this again."
It was also revealed that the boy had taken four packs of cigarettes from the workshop during the fire. Feng explained that the child knew his father smoked.
"I was angry, but I was also touched, and at the same time I found it funny," Feng said. "When I was young, I was afraid of being scolded if I made a mistake. I do not want to treat my child the same way."
After the story was made public, netizens reacted by saying, "Raising a child well is not about money, but about teaching reason," and "For the son, this must have been an expensive safety lesson he will never forget."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
