Chinese Tourists Cover Everest Base Camp with Graffiti
By Cathy Wu
In an effort to put a stop to graffiti that litters the path to Mount Everest, Chinese authorities will name and shame tourists who scribble messages on monuments at the world's highest mountain.
According to The Paper, graffiti can routinely be spotted on signs and monuments at Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain. Photos show the signs rife with signatures, short sentences declaring “I was here” in Mandarin and doodles.
Most of the scribbles are inscribed at a base camp located 5,200 meters above sea level that serves as a resting spot for hikers and other visitors.
Tourism official Gu Chunlei told The Paper that starting from this year, tourists who draw graffiti on the monuments will be named and shamed. Along with being blacklisted, their names will be put on a "bad behavior list" which will be released to the media.
Gu said that they are also considering building dedicated “graffiti statues” in some areas to keep scribble-happy tourists occupied.
The new regulations come as Everest Base Camp reaches its peak season in May. According to Xinhua, 550 people come to Everest Base Camp each day during peak season.
Chinese tourists have a reputation for defacing famous monuments around the world. In 2013, teenager Ding Jinhao caused an uproar when he carved his name into the Luxor Temple in Egypt.
[Images via The Paper, Daily Mail]
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