Luxor temple relic restored after teen’s vandalism

Egyptian authorities Monday removed the characters scratched on a 3,500-year-old relic by a 15-year-old Chinese schoolboy, while Chinese media drew attention to a government convention that aims to promote civilized tourist behavior.

Officials from the Temple of Luxor in Egypt said the damage is not permanent, and the relic has been restored, China Radio International reported. 

The teenage vandal, from Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, was traveling in Egypt with his parents when he scratched "Ding Jinhao was here" in Chinese characters on the relic.

Another Chinese tourist, who saw the vandalism, posted a photograph to his Sina microblog, and spoke of his shame that a fellow Chinese had done this. 

 The incident has triggered a backlash against poorly behaved Chinese tourists, both at home and abroad, with media reports exposing other examples of historic or protected sites that have also been defaced. Many have blamed the bad manners on a lack of education. 

The Chinese government announced recently a new raft of guidelines aimed at improving tourist behavior, encouraging them to be civilized. Spitting, littering, vandalizing, jay-walking and cutting queues are improper, the Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said that while education in basic civility is lacking in schools, the Chinese education system is also a problem.

"We stress the sense of collectivism, instead of strengthening children's awareness of individual responsibilities. In this case, people are talking about the child making the whole country suffer from shame, which is not right," said Xiong, adding that children should be educated to have good manners. 

Li Mingde, vice president of Beijing Tourism Society, agreed that education is the problem, saying that there is always a wave of criticism following these incidents, but it never lasts long.

"Including more content on Chinese culture and national spirit in basic civilization education is the ultimate way to solve the problem," Li said.