Suzhou clerk shatters ₹1.28 crore jade bangles, owner chooses compassion over compensation

A young shop clerk in Suzhou, eastern China, accidentally broke jade bangles valued at over ₹1.28 crore, but the store owner chose understanding over demanding payment, giving the employee a chance to learn from the mistake. The incident happened in October at a jewellery shop in Jiangsu province and was caught on surveillance cameras.

While moving a table at the request of the shop and a customer, the clerk accidentally knocked over a box of jade bangles, producing a loud crash that echoed through the store. He immediately tried to collect the pieces, but when he realised many were beyond repair, he squatted in frustration, overwhelmed by the damage, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The shop owner, Mr. Cheng, said more than 30 of the 50 bangles were completely shattered, leaving him with a loss exceeding ₹1.28 crore. The expensive Russian nephrites, prized for their clarity and rarity, were uninsured, so the financial burden fell entirely on him.

Despite the significant loss, Cheng did not demand that the clerk pay for the broken items. “It was my request, along with a customer’s, to relocate the table. The clerk acted carelessly, as inexperienced and a bit rash young people sometimes do,” he was quoted as saying by SCMP.

He emphasised that young people deserve opportunities to learn and hoped the incident would serve as a valuable lesson. The broken bangles will be displayed in the store as a reminder for employees. The clerk, a recent university graduate who had been working at the store for only a few months, admitted feeling scared and anxious while picking up the shattered pieces.

“Cheng’s leniency preserved my hope for the future,” he said, promising to work diligently to repay the owner’s kindness, as per the media outlet Jimu News. Chinese actor Tan Kai, who has 6.7 million followers online, was at the shop selecting bangles when the accident occurred. After asking the clerk to move the table for a product video, the box toppled over.

Feeling guilty, Tan said: “If it weren’t for my request, this wouldn’t have happened. I am now contemplating how to salvage the broken jade and recover some of the owner’s losses.”