Compared with the paparazzi's long history in the West, China's paparazzi have only mushroomed over the past decade with the rapid development of Chinese TV dramas and movies. According to several media surveys recent years, more than 60 percent of respondents expressed great interest in celebrity-related news.

No wonder the paparazzi go to such lengths to satisfy the readers' curiosity in the rat race of the media market. But Yao's widely circulated photo in ICU showed it is time to strike a balance between the public's right to know and the privacy of public figures.

Celebrities, although they don't affect ordinary people's lives in the way government officials or business tycoons do, influence society by being the originators and leaders of social trends. Hence it's all right for the media to report both the good and the bad about the celebrities. The news about some actors and singers caught taking drugs can play an important role in urging celebrities to behave themselves and set a good example for the young.

However, in Yao's case, the paparazzi, despite claiming Yao's family forgave them later, showed no care for the bereaved family the minute they took photos without permission. And they didn't respect Yao's life or death.

Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call for the Chinese paparazzi to set up their moral bottom line, and Yao can rest in peace.

The author is an editor with China Daily. zhuping@chinadaily.com.cn