Recently, in Shangqiu, Henan Province, a acrobat performer experienced a tragic accident during a high-altitude performance when the rope suddenly snapped and he fell from a great height. The incident was witnessed by thousands of viewers in a live broadcast.
According to footage circulating on the internet, on the evening of November 25th, acrobat performer Zhang Kai was performing high-altitude acrobatics in Shangqiu, Henan. While spinning rapidly on a suspension rope, the rope unexpectedly broke, causing Zhang Kai to plummet from several meters in the air and land directly on the ground, creating a harrowing scene.
At the time of the accident, Zhang Kai’s mobile phone was live-streaming the performance. The moment he fell from the height was witnessed by over a thousand viewers in the live broadcast. In the video, someone can be heard shouting to call 120 (China’s emergency number), after which the broadcast abruptly ended.
A blogger shared a video of Zhang Kai’s fall on social media platforms, sparking widespread attention. According to the blogger, both she and Zhang Kai are from Yongcheng City, Shangqiu, Henan. On the night of the 25th, around 11 p.m., she witnessed the incident of Zhang Kai’s fall in the live broadcast.
“It’s not just me who saw it, there were over a thousand people in the live broadcast room,” the blogger said, speculating that the incident likely occurred in Yongcheng City or its surrounding areas.
She also revealed that Zhang Kai’s wife tragically passed away in a high-altitude acrobatics performance on April 15 of the previous year. Originally, Zhang Kai had expressed his reluctance to continue in the acrobatics industry after that tragic event, but unexpectedly returned to it, only to face another accident.
Footage shows that Zhang Kai was promptly taken to the hospital for treatment after the fall and is now out of life-threatening danger.
Many netizens expressed sorrow, saying, “Exchanging life for money, life is truly not easy for ordinary people.”
“It’s really hard to make a living.”
“It’s heartbreaking. Life is tough.”
“We earn money with our lives, we are all the same in life.”
Some netizens highlighted the need for better safety measures in high-altitude acrobatics performances, where accidents are not uncommon: “Performing acrobatics is fine, then why not place protective mats below as a precaution?”
“Acrobats falling from high altitudes happens frequently. Safety measures must be taken seriously, and the mats on the ground should be thicker to prevent any mishaps.”
“This industry is too risky; requiring the use of safety ropes as a mandatory rule for skill demonstration. Safety ropes should be compulsory.”
(Translated from New Tang Dynasty)