As China marks a decade since the devastating Wenchuan earthquake, a photography project focused around glamorous ruins has touched a raw nerve, Beijing Morning Post reported Tuesday.

Organized by a Beijing-based chain of camera stores, the photography event was scheduled to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the quake in southwestern China’s Sichuan province on May 12, 2008, that left more than 80,000 people dead or missing. Many argued that the company was aiming to exploit the tragedy for marketing purposes.

An online advertisement published on Saturday read: “On the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, we would like to invite you to join our ‘May 12 Blossom at the Ruins’ photography activity.” Photographs included in the post juxtaposed elegant models against a landscape of industrial decay.

The post went on to explain that there were 16 spots available to interested photographers. For a fee of 999 yuan ($160) each, participants could spend a day photographing four female models at a site in Beijing — which was not affected by the quake — under the tutelage of two professional mentors.

The advertisement drew immediate backlash from netizens. “I thought it was a charity campaign at first glance, but it was actually using the hook [of the disaster] for profit,” Beijing Morning Post quoted one netizen as saying.

Li Fei, the manager of one of the company’s stores in Beijing, told Sixth Tone that the project was intended as a memorial, but after public criticism, the organizers realized the advertisement seemed improper. The ad could no longer be found online on Tuesday.

Professional photographers also weighed in on the ethical questions of how to respond to tragedy. “In the face of a serious disaster, a photographer should behave with reverence for life,” said Chang He, a Shanghai-based photographer who traveled to the earthquake site shortly after it struck. Chang told Sixth Tone that people would likely be more understanding if an event were a public service project rather than for personal gain.

Perceived insensitivity toward suffering often incites heated public debate in China. Shortly after the 2008 earthquake, fledgling pop singer Wei Chen was taken to task for posing with a smile in front of a national flag flying at half-mast. Last year, a reporter in Anhui province was fired after she was snapped grinning and flashing a peace sign at the scene of a highway accident that killed 18. And in recent months, several people have even been detained by police for making flippant or disrespectful comments in chat groups about the Nanjing Massacre of 1937.

Editor: Qian Jinghua.

(Header image: A model poses while standing among construction ruins in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, Oct. 29, 2015. VCG)