China to release tourist blacklist after Great Wall vandalized


Officials in China are hoping the threat of public shaming will prevent tourists from defacing the country’s most famous icon — the Great Wall. 

a person standing on the side of a mountain: BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 27: A Chinese boy wears a protective mask as he walks on a nearly empty section of the Great Wall on March 27, 2020 near Badaling in Beijing, China. A limited section of the iconic tourist site was re-opened to the public this week allowing a smaller number of visitors to reserve tickets online in advance and to enter after passing health screening. With the pandemic hitting hard across the world, China recorded its first day with no new domestic cases of the coronavirus last week, since the government imposed sweeping measures to keep the disease from spreading. For two months, millions of people across China have been restricted in how they move from their homes, while other cities have been locked down in ways that appeared severe at the time but are now being replicated in other countries trying to contain the virus. Officials believe the worst appears to be over in China, though there are concerns of another wave of infections as the government attempts to reboot the worlds second largest economy. In Beijing, it is mandatory to wear masks outdoors, retail stores operate on reduced hours, restaurants employ social distancing among patrons, and tourist attractions at risk of drawing large crowds remain closed. Monitoring and enforcement of virus-related measures and the quarantine of anyone arriving to Beijing is carried out by neighborhood committees and a network of Communist Party volunteers who wear red arm bands. A primary concern for Chinese authorities remains the arrival of flights from Europe and elsewhere, given the exposure of passengers in regions now regarded as hotbeds for transmission. Since January, China has recorded more than 81,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 3200 deaths, mostly in and around the city of Wuhan, in central Hubei province, where the outbreak first started. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The popular Badaling section of the Great Wall reopened on March 24, after being closed for two months due to the coronavirus outbreak. That very same day, a visitor was reportedly caught on camera defacing the historic site with a key.

The news quickly went viral, enraging Chinese netizens. 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.

“How could such uncivilized behaviors happen repeatedly?” asked Weibo user Wuhan Luyoujia on a discussion board.”I think these people should be arrested and locked away for five days so they would remember the lesson.”

In response, the Great Wall Office, which is responsible for the administrative and public affairs within the Badaling special tourism zone, has implemented a series of new disciplinary measures against vandalism starting from April 6.

According to the Yanqing County Badaling Special Zone Office’s Weibo account, it “will impose administrative penalties on seven types of vandalism towards cultural relics including carving and other intentional damages.”

Misbehaving tourists will be added to a blacklist that will be announced to the public regularly to “increase awareness and apply pressure [on tourists] with public opinion.”

Offenders will reportedly face restrictions when they attempt to purchase online tickets to the Great Wall in the future, though the announcement doesn’t specify what those are.

Meanwhile, the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government said Yanqing County is considering banning blacklisted tourists from entering other tourist attractions in the district. If they’ve committed a criminal offense, violators will also be handed over to law enforcement agents.

Both netizens and media welcomed the new regulations.

“The epidemic has already ‘injured’ the tourism industry greatly, making the defacement of the Great Wall even more unbearable,” said an opinion piece on the state-run Beijing Youth Daily.

“Increasing exposure to the tourist blacklist will put more pressure on the offenders with public opinion, putting a tight chain on the tourists who ignore the rules,” commented another state-run media outlet, Beijing Daily.

Around 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Beijing, Badaling is the most popular section of the wall for tourists. According to the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, the vandal was found and confessed to carving the wall with a key.

It isn’t the first time China has created a tourist blacklist.

Parks in Beijing have also blacklisted “uncivilized visitors” and used face scanners to bar those visitors from entering the park last year during the annual Tomb Sweeping Festival.


  • a small boat in a body of water with a mountain in the background

    2021 cruise bookings are on the rise despite coronavirus chaos
    The cruise line industry has taken a major beating due to covid-19, still analysts say the number of bookings for 2021 cruises have increased since this time last year.

    Veuer Logo
    Veuer

  • a large ship in the water

    Coronavirus-hit cruise ships able to dock in Florida
    Two Holland America cruise ships with coronavirus patients aboard were finally allowed to dock at a port near Fort Lauderdale, resolving a days-long impasse that drew the attention of President Donald Trump. Jillian Kitchener has more.

    Reuters - US Video Online Logo
    Reuters – US Video Online

  • a group of people swimming in a body of water

    A 60-second virtual vacation in the Bahamas
    Find out why this stunning archipelago is a diver's paradise.

    CNN Logo
    CNN


CNN Logo
Source: Read Full Article