China Central Television (CCTV) news anchor Wang Yinqi has been the topic across China and the online world after viewers accused her of showing off her Apple Watch while doing a news segment on air, Want China Times reported
According to the Chinese news agency, online users have been fiercely discussing if Wang's action is appropriate for a newscaster, as viewers usually see CCTV's anchors as "traditionally solemn."
Others think that the young news presenter is showing off her luxury in front of the television, and that her watch does not match her outfit, causing for her expensive accessory to catch the public's attention.
In Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblogging site, one user posted that media personalities should appear "thrifty."
The controversy started circulating on Wednesday after one Weibo user spotted Wang wearing an Apple Watch on her left wrist and posted the screenshots on her account, foreignpolicy.com reported.
However, some Weibo users defended Wang, stating that there is nothing wrong with wearing an Apple Watch.
“What’s wrong with wearing an Apple? It’s priced for the common people. A few hundred dollars for a watch, and they’re saying it’s ‘showing off' wealth," one Weibo user wrote.
Yang Quan, a Chongqing TV news presenter, told Want China Times that news personalities' dress code is not as meticulous as most people think.
According to Yang, the main rule is to wear something that would not divert the audience's attention from their news report.
"The Apple Watch only sparked such a furore because it is such an attention-grabbing product in China at the moment," Yuan said.
The Apple Watch model Wang was wearing is resistant to water and features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, speaker and microphone, ambient light sensor, as well as digital crown, retina display with force touch and heart-related sensors.
The timepiece can last up to 18 hours in full charge and costs 4,188 yuan ($675) in China.
It was released in the mainland on April 24.