//Skip to content
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Chinese Tourist Damages 3000-Year-Old Temple in Luxor

May 26, 2013
The carving reads “Ding Jinhao was here.”

A Chinese tourist damaged a 3,000-year-old site in Luxor causing outrage in China and Egypt after photographs taken by an embarrassed Chinese tourist were publicly shared on Chinese social media. The tourist carved “Ding Jinhao was here,” while visiting Luxor in Egypt. Chinese social media and newspapers were quick to condemn and identify the offender, and the incident has attracted widespread criticism in China with headlines such as “China’s Tourist Shame.” The vandalist has reportedly been identified by Chinese internet users as a 15-year-old  middle-school student from Nanjing. Shortly after the outrage, Ding Jinhao’s parents issued a statement to Chinese media. “We want to apologize to the people of Egypt and to people across China,” said Ding’s mother. According to Chinese bloggers, several tourists attempted to remove the markings themselves, resulting in the white smudge that appears in the photograph above. In recent statements to the media, The Ministry of Antiquities confirmed earlier reports by Egyptian Streets that it is currently investigating the case. The Ministry also stated that the markings are superficial and can be easily removed to restore the temple wall to its original state. The damage had remained…


Hi guest,

You've read all of your free articles.
Subscribe now to support independent journalism and to enjoy:


Unlimited access to all our articles

Exclusive events and offers

First access to new premium newsletters

Ability to comment on articles

Full user profile