<p>A Chinese tourist who defaced an ancient Egyptian monument was hunted down by Internet users who prompted his parents to apologise, state media reported today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A photo posted on Chinese social networking service Sina Weibo showed crudely drawn Chinese characters written over an ancient sandstone panel lined with hieroglyphics, the Global Times newspaper said.<br /><br />According to reports, the vandalism took place in a temple dedicated to Amenhotep III in Luxor, on the banks of the Nile River.<br /><br />Internet users hunted down the perpetrator, a 15-year-old boy named Ding Jinhao, and hacked the website of his school, forcing users to click on a sign parodying Ding's graffiti before entering.<br /><br />The online furore prompted his parents, who said Ding had "cried all night" after learning of the cyberattacks, to issue an apology in a local newspaper.<br /><br />The incident highlights fears over perceptions of the growing number of Chinese heading abroad for their holidays.<br /><br />"This incident is not just about the problem of one person but has everything to do with national quality," one Weibo user wrote.<br /><br />"People must die if they lose face for the nation," another said.<br /><br />Asked about the incident, Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "There are more and more Chinese tourists to foreign countries in recent years.<br /><br />"We hope that through tourism, we may improve our friendship with foreign countries, and we also hope that Chinese tourists will abide by local laws and regulations and behave themselves."<br /><br />Earlier this month a top official said the dire manners and "uncivilised behaviour" of some Chinese tourists overseas were harming the country's image, as he lamented their poor "quality and breeding", according to state-run media.<br /><br />Wang Yang, one of China's four vice premiers, singled out for condemnation "talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and wilfully carving characters on items in scenic zones".<br /><br />China has seen rapid growth in outbound trips in recent years, and Chinese travellers are now the biggest source of international tourism cash in the world, according to a the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.<br /><br />Renaud de Spens, a Beijing-based independent expert on both the Chinese Internet and Egyptology, told AFP that commenting on the case gave ordinary posters the opportunity to "denounce the behaviour of their elites".<br /><br />"Chinese media feel compelled (to) draw a moral from this... It amounts to propaganda, with the message: 'Be careful, citizens. When you are abroad you represent China. Be loyal, wherever you are,'" he said.</p>
<p>A Chinese tourist who defaced an ancient Egyptian monument was hunted down by Internet users who prompted his parents to apologise, state media reported today.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A photo posted on Chinese social networking service Sina Weibo showed crudely drawn Chinese characters written over an ancient sandstone panel lined with hieroglyphics, the Global Times newspaper said.<br /><br />According to reports, the vandalism took place in a temple dedicated to Amenhotep III in Luxor, on the banks of the Nile River.<br /><br />Internet users hunted down the perpetrator, a 15-year-old boy named Ding Jinhao, and hacked the website of his school, forcing users to click on a sign parodying Ding's graffiti before entering.<br /><br />The online furore prompted his parents, who said Ding had "cried all night" after learning of the cyberattacks, to issue an apology in a local newspaper.<br /><br />The incident highlights fears over perceptions of the growing number of Chinese heading abroad for their holidays.<br /><br />"This incident is not just about the problem of one person but has everything to do with national quality," one Weibo user wrote.<br /><br />"People must die if they lose face for the nation," another said.<br /><br />Asked about the incident, Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "There are more and more Chinese tourists to foreign countries in recent years.<br /><br />"We hope that through tourism, we may improve our friendship with foreign countries, and we also hope that Chinese tourists will abide by local laws and regulations and behave themselves."<br /><br />Earlier this month a top official said the dire manners and "uncivilised behaviour" of some Chinese tourists overseas were harming the country's image, as he lamented their poor "quality and breeding", according to state-run media.<br /><br />Wang Yang, one of China's four vice premiers, singled out for condemnation "talking loudly in public places, jay-walking, spitting and wilfully carving characters on items in scenic zones".<br /><br />China has seen rapid growth in outbound trips in recent years, and Chinese travellers are now the biggest source of international tourism cash in the world, according to a the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.<br /><br />Renaud de Spens, a Beijing-based independent expert on both the Chinese Internet and Egyptology, told AFP that commenting on the case gave ordinary posters the opportunity to "denounce the behaviour of their elites".<br /><br />"Chinese media feel compelled (to) draw a moral from this... It amounts to propaganda, with the message: 'Be careful, citizens. When you are abroad you represent China. Be loyal, wherever you are,'" he said.</p>