Rock carvings cover image
Photo Credit: VCG
ANCIENT HISTORY

Carved in Stone: Why Did Ancient Chinese Etch Messages into Rock?

Exploring the ancient Chinese obsession with carving messages and poems on rocks and walls

Every year, tourists cause controversy by carving graffiti on China’s renowned ancient sites. In June, a 41-year-old tourist surnamed Chong used a key to scratch his name into the side of the Great Wall. When another tourist videoed his behavior and posted it on the social media platform Weibo, the police soon tracked Chong down, detained him for five days, and fined him 200 yuan for damaging cultural relics.

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author Sun Jiahui (孙佳慧)

Sun Jiahui is a freelance writer and former editor at The World of Chinese. She writes about Chinese language, society and culture, and is especially passionate about sharing stories of China's ancient past with a wider audience. She has been writing for TWOC for over six years, and pens the Choice Chengyu column.

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