Egypt’s sites are known for their towering obelisks, statues and, now, graffiti.
A 15-year-old Chinese tourist found himself at the center of international outrage after carving the words “Ding Minhao was here” over an image of Alexander the Great thousands of years old.
Since then, the boy’s parents have gone to the press stating that they “did not fulfill their duty to educate and monitor” their son, as well as calling for “public tolerance and for their son to be given an opportunity to self-improve,” according to the Chinese state media outlet Xinhua.
The act subsequently became a symbol for many Chinese citizens after Shen Yuwen, who visited the temple on the same day, posted a photo of the graffiti on his blog where he explained he felt “saddened and shamed by the behavior” and that he tried to clean it away using napkins, Xinhua further reported.
In fact, the government-news run agency has joined the outcry, featuring images of other sites vandalized by Chinese graffiti including examples in Thailand, Palau and the country's very own Forbidden City and Great Wall.
As a result the events, the Chinese government announced on May 28 a national convention calling on the people of its nation to “act as civilized tourists when traveling,” Xinhua reports.
In all, the convention put forth seven rules of thumb for its citizens to adhere to while traveling: maintain a clean environment, complying with public orders, protecting ecology, protecting public infrastructure and utilities, respecting other people’s rights, showing courtesy when with others and seeking appropriate entertainment.
The convention comes just a month after United Nations reported that China has surpassed Germany and the United States as the number one source of tourists with the nation expending $102 billion in travel abroad in 2012.
“Emerging economies continue to lead growth in tourism demand,” Secretary-General of agency’s World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai said in statement. “The impressive growth of China … reflects the entry into the tourism market of a growing middle class from these countries, which will surely continue to change the map of world tourism.”
To see a picture of the graffiti, click here.
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