Teen of the Nile: Chinese teen defaces Egypt temple; sparks outcry

[onedef92]

Chinese teen defaces Egypt temple; sparks outcry

Tuesday, May 28, 2013, 4:53 AM

BEIJING - A Chinese teenager who defaced an ancient temple in Egypt with graffiti has come under fire at home where his vandalism prompted public fretting about how to cultivate a good image overseas as more newly affluent Chinese travel abroad.

The teen scratched "Ding Jinhao visited here" in Chinese on a temple wall in the ancient city Luxor, and the incident came to light when another Chinese tourist posted a photo of it on a popular microblog with the comment: "My saddest moment in Egypt. Ashamed and unable to show my face."

The photo quickly caught the attention of the Chinese public, attracting thousands of comments, and someone was able to identify the person responsible for the graffiti as 15-year-old Ding Jinhao from the eastern city of Nanjing. Many criticized Ding's act as an embarrassment to the country.

"Why there are so many citizens who go abroad and humiliate us? How many generations will it take to change this kind of behavior?" Xuan Kejiong, a prominent journalist with Shanghai Television, wrote on his microblog.

The sentiment was echoed by the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, the People's Daily newspaper.

"Nowadays, people in China no longer want for food and clothing, and even in the luxury shops abroad, there are advertisement posters in Chinese," the paper wrote in a commentary. "But many people also feel as though their `hands are full but hearts are empty.' In the process of modernization, how have the people come to lack modern manners and consciousness?"

The outcry prompted Ding's parents to publicly apologize. In an interview with a Nanjing newspaper, Ding's father said "the child has committed a mistake and the main responsibility falls on the adults. It was because we did not supervise him well, and have not taught him well."

The soul searching comes as Chinese tourism overseas has seen an explosion in growth over the past decade, fueled by rising incomes and the relaxation of government restrictions on citizens' ability to travel abroad.

China has been the fastest-growing source of international tourists in the world for the past 10 years, the World Tourism Organization, a U.N. agency, said in April. The organization said the volume of international trips by Chinese tourists has grown from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012 , accompanied by a nearly eightfold increase in spending.

Last year, China surpassed Germany to become the largest spender in international tourism, with tourists' expenditure amounting to a record $102 billion, the organization said.

But Chinese travelers, many of whom join tour groups, are frequently criticized for rude behavior. Deputy Premier Wang Yang earlier this month during the passage of a tourism law urged Chinese travelers to mind their manners.

"They make a racket in public places, carve words at scenic spots, cross the road when the light is red, spit, and do other uncivilized things," Wang was quoted as saying. "This is detrimental to the image of the country's people and leaves a bad impression."

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[Joecooool]

I was in London in 2004 and I remember watching a group of Chinese tourist get off a bus. They were all dressed in suits going to the theater district to watch a show. One of the men was chatting with another when he passed a sewer opening, dropped his pants and took a quick shit over it. He pulled his pants back up with out wiping, and continued his discussion with the guy as if nothing happened.

I could not believe what I had just witnessed.

[onedef92]

Originally Posted by Joecooool

I was in London in 2004 and I remember watching a group of Chinese tourist get off a bus. They were all dressed in suits going to the theater district to watch a show. One of the men was chatting with another when he passed a sewer opening, dropped his pants and took a quick shit over it. He pulled his pants back up with out wiping, and continued his discussion with the guy as if nothing happened.

I could not believe what I had just witnessed.

One thing's for sure, they won't try that shit on Tiananmen Square. I was there in 1995 and an American tourist in our group extinguished a cigarette butt she'd just finished with the heel of her shoe and was immediately swarmed by 15 or so uniform and plainclothes Chinese police officers.

They made her pay a mandatory, on-the-spot fine of $150 or face worse consequences of the Chinese legal system. Spitting on the square is also strictly forbidden. We all tonked in and paid the fine and she was released from their custody.

[VatorMan]

Wife and I ran into huge groups of Chinese in Paris. The lines for all the top designer stores were enormous. Men and women were carrying multiple bags out of Louis Vitton like it was Walmart. And yes, they were loud, rude and arrogant. They made the French seem nice.

[island14]

Originally Posted by Joecooool

I was in London in 2004 and I remember watching a group of Chinese tourist get off a bus. They were all dressed in suits going to the theater district to watch a show. One of the men was chatting with another when he passed a sewer opening, dropped his pants and took a quick shit over it. He pulled his pants back up with out wiping, and continued his discussion with the guy as if nothing happened.

I could not believe what I had just witnessed.

Did it blink at'cha?