Man detained for defacing Badaling Great Wall, banned from revisiting

A visitor detained for scratching on Beijing's landmark Badaling Great Wall on Tuesday became the first punished by a new rule which blacklists "uncivilized visitors" and bans them from revisiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The man surnamed Li was caught by patrolling staff while he was scratching on the wall. He was detained for five days and fined 200 yuan (about $28) for intentionally damaging the cultural relic.

The management authorities of the Badaling section of the Great Wall adopted the new rule Monday to blacklist "uncivilized visitors" engaging in seven misbehaviors. Carving words on the walls is listed as the top indiscretion. Violators are restricted from buying future tickets to visit the scenic site.

Starting from the main entrance of the Great Wall section, many bricks are scratched by a variety of tools from knives, keys, pointed stones to hairpins. Vandalism has long been a headache for Great Wall protectionists.

"Some scratchings cause irreversible damage to the wall bricks," said Li Dong, spokesman of the Badaling scenic administration office in Yanqing District of Beijing.

He said the office will regularly publish the names of blacklisted tourists and their misconduct in order to strengthen public supervision for the Great Wall protection.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall partly opened on March 24 after being closed for almost two months due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Visitors must book tickets on the official website or through WeChat in advance and register with their personal information to get a health code, while their temperature will be taken upon entry.