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Anger in China over teenager's graffiti at Luxor temple | |
(about 20 hours later) | |
The exposure of a Chinese teenager who vandalised an Ancient Egyptian artwork has led to a wave of anger among China's internet users. | |
On Friday a microblogger posted a photo of graffiti at a Luxor temple complex saying: "Ding Jinhao was here." | |
A 15-year-old boy from Nanjing was then named and his date of birth and school were posted online, reports say. | |
His parents have apologised to a local newspaper, saying they are sorry for his actions, Chinese media say. | His parents have apologised to a local newspaper, saying they are sorry for his actions, Chinese media say. |
Luxor, on the bank of the Nile, is home to a large temple complex, built by Amenhotep III, who lived in the 14th Century BC, and later by Rameses II. | |
The graffiti was found carved on an ancient stone relief by a tourist named Shen, who visited Luxor three weeks ago. After he posted it on his Sina Weibo microblogging account, more than 100,000 net users commented. | |
'Too much pressure' | 'Too much pressure' |
"We want to apologise to the Egyptian people and to people who have paid attention to this case across China," Mr Ding's mother told local newspaper Modern Express on Saturday. | "We want to apologise to the Egyptian people and to people who have paid attention to this case across China," Mr Ding's mother told local newspaper Modern Express on Saturday. |
She added that the teenager, now a middle school student in Nanjing, committed the act when he was younger and had realised the seriousness of his actions. | |
Ding Jinhao's father also appealed for the public to let his son be, saying: "This is too much pressure for him to take." | Ding Jinhao's father also appealed for the public to let his son be, saying: "This is too much pressure for him to take." |
The boy's identification led to the hacking of his primary school's website, the Global Times newspaper said. | The boy's identification led to the hacking of his primary school's website, the Global Times newspaper said. |
The incident comes as another example of the growing phenomenon of Chinese internet users exposing private information about those perceived to have done wrong. | The incident comes as another example of the growing phenomenon of Chinese internet users exposing private information about those perceived to have done wrong. |
In recent months a number of officials have been felled or shamed by information made public via microblogs. | |
Egypt's ministry of antiquities was quoted as saying the damage to the temple wall was superficial and measures were being taken to restore it. | Egypt's ministry of antiquities was quoted as saying the damage to the temple wall was superficial and measures were being taken to restore it. |
But this latest controversy comes days after Wang Yang, one of China's four vice-premiers, said on 17 May that the "uncivilised behaviour" of some Chinese tourists was harming the country's image. | But this latest controversy comes days after Wang Yang, one of China's four vice-premiers, said on 17 May that the "uncivilised behaviour" of some Chinese tourists was harming the country's image. |
Chinese tourists spent $102bn (£67bn) overseas last year, up 40% on the year before, and the UN World Tourism Organisation says China is now the single biggest source of global tourism income. | Chinese tourists spent $102bn (£67bn) overseas last year, up 40% on the year before, and the UN World Tourism Organisation says China is now the single biggest source of global tourism income. |