Tourists visiting the Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark, also known as Demon Castle, in Northwest China's Gansu Province, found that hedgehog-like fences were installed to protect the Yadan topography during the National Day Golden Week holiday.
A video which went viral on Twitter-like Weibo on Saturday shows dense metal poles circling a rock. Tourists walk around the spot with the pole tips pointed toward them.
Most Weibo users supported the installation of the fences thinking it was a special measure for the busy Golden Week travel period. But some thought the construction might cause damage to the site.
An employee of the Geopark surnamed Wang told the Beijing Youth Daily on Saturday afternoon that fences were not an urgent protection measure, but installed two to three years ago to prevent tourists from climbing onto the rock.
The poles are actually soldered on steel plates. It is temporary and the park is planning to construct trails around the spot, Wang said.
News about tourists stepping onto the 6,000-year-old Danxia landform sparked public anger in August. Uncivilized behavior by some tourists became a matter of concern again during the Golden Week holiday when most sightseeing spots braced for an extraordinary influx of visitors.
