Graffiti: street art or crime?

SherrySongSHSF

Chen Zhicheng, a 53-year-old Beijing local, who vandalized the rocks at a scenic spot in the city's Fangshan District has apologized for his behavior by calling local authorities and promising to clean the stains himself, reported The Mirror on Saturday.

Chen was found to have written his name and his travelling date on 13 places in the scenic spot with red oil paint which is hard to remove. The incident has drawn great attention on the internet and many expressed criticism towards the uncivilized behavior since it was exposed by local authorities on Thursday, September 15.

The reason for Chen to paint on the rocks was that he felt he could not climb those mountains anymore because of his age, according to the report. As Chen doesn't use the internet himself, it was his niece who told him local authorities were searching for the perpetrator of the graffiti. Chen said that he has realized the selfishness of his behavior and he also called on other tourists to protect the environment in the scenic spot and not to repeat his mistake.

The report added that local authorities are still considering how to deal with Chen and whether to report the incident to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development. If confirmed by the commission, Chen may end up being blacklisted and facing a series of bans as punishments.

Chen has reportedly begun cleaning the graffiti on the rocks himself after he admitted his faults. (news from People's daily online)

parcher

good for him. at least he admitted fault

Dracarys

better than those who just walk away with no apology ..

TedM

Public places sadly are still regarded as worthless in terms of littering and graffiti. There is a difference between graffiti as an art form used on derelict or deprived areas, and stupid vandalism.

BlondeAmber

TedM Post time: 2016-9-19 11:35
Public places sadly are still regarded as worthless in terms of littering and graffiti. There is a d ...

Banksy is an artist

dusty1

Old enough to know better

BlondeAmber

at 53 years old, this man would have been alive when this sort of thing was not discouraged, especially on cultural relics or buildings.