Wu-Tang clan: Family carve their names on famous Chinese mountain
Staff Reporter 2013-06-15 14:17
The family may get a visit from some angry kung fu practitioners after leaving their address along with their names. (Internet photo)
Vandalism of cultural relics at popular tourist sites has become a hot issue in China after a Chinese traveler visiting Egypt's Luxor Temple posted evidence that a previous visitor had carved the Chinese characters "Ding Jinhao was here" onto its ancient walls.
The post brought great outcry and much hand-wringing on the internet, leading several internet users with the same name to come forward to publicly deny that they were the culprit. A teenager from Nanjing was eventually identified as the offender and his parents issued a shame-faced apology for his behavior and for besmirching the reputation of the Chinese people overseas.
Now an internet user surnamed Chen has uploaded a photo of graffiti which he considers even more shameless: six signatures carved by a family together with their address and ending with the ubiquitous phrase "We were here" on a rock in the Wudang (or Wu Tang) Mountains in central China's Hubei province. The mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of their historic Daoist temples and the area's association with Chinese martial arts.
"When a young tourist from Nanjing vandalized the Egyptian temple, he was widely criticized. This family has gone further. They have all carved their names," said an outraged Chen.
Other comments posted online said that this kind of vandalism does permanent and irrevocable damage to natural landscapes. To commemorate a trip by means of graffiti is shameful, said another comment.
