Chinese tourist defaces 3,500-year-old Egyptian temple
A Chinese schoolboy has been caught defacing an ancient Egyptian temple just a few days after China’s government attacked ‘uncivilised’ tourists for ruining the country’s reputation abroad.
Chinese visitors to the Luxor Temple were outraged when they spotted the graffiti reading: ‘Ding Jinhao was here’ on 3,500-year-old hieroglyphics on the wall of the temple.
They posted a picture of the graffiti written in Chinese online along with comments expressing their disgust at the boy’s actions.
‘We try to wipe out the shame with tissue, but it was difficult to clear it out, and we could not use water as the relief is a historical relic 3,500 years old.
‘All of the 14 members of our tour group kept silent after seeing the sentence as we felt ashamed.’
The post prompted an online search which revealed Ding’s identity, his date of birth and his school in Nanjing in east China’s Jiangsu Province.
The parents of a 15-year-old Ding Jinhao have since issued a grovelling national apology to their fellow countrymen over their son’s behaviour.
They told the Nanjing-based Modern Express newspaper: ‘We apologize to Egyptian authorities and Chinese people who pay attention to the incident.
‘He has realized he made a mistake, and we beg your pardon, please give him a chance to correct his act.’
Many social media users in China condemned Ding for damaging the ancient relic and his parents for not educating him properly.
One said: ‘Ding’s uncivilized behavior disgraced Chinese people.’
