Tourists who leave inscriptions and scratches on the Great Wall of China will be fined, barred from access to other sights of the country and blacklisted. The administration of this UNESCO World Heritage Site made this decision on March 24, when on the very first day of its opening after two months of lockdown, the camera recorded a visitor who was defacing the historic site with a key.
The video in which the young tourist commits this act of vandalism spread with incredible speed in the Internet communities of China and infuriated the users. The hashtag #八达岭长城恢复开放首日被刻字, which translates to "Great Wall vandalized the first day it reopened," became a trending topic on Weibo, China's most popular social media platform.
In response, the Great Wall Office of China, which is responsible for administrative and public affairs in the special tourist area of Badaling, introduced a number of new disciplinary measures against vandalism on April 6.
Poor tourists will be added to the black list, which will be regularly published in order to "increase awareness and apply pressure [on tourists] with public opinion."
Offenders will also face restrictions when they try to buy tickets for the Great Wall of China online. The Beijing Municipal Government Information Office said they are also considering banning blacklisted tourists from visiting other attractions in the area.
Blogs
