Beijing Man Apologizes for Bizarre Act of Vandalism

By Justine Lopez, September 20, 2016

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If you’re going to commit an act of vandalism, perhaps it’s not the best idea to scrawl your name in bright red paint on one of Beijing’s very public natural attractions. It’s just a thought.

Believe it or not, one man recently had the brilliant idea to do just that. As he traversed up a rocky mountainside in Huangshandian village (located in Beijing's Fangshan district), a 53-year-old man named Chen Zhicheng wrote his name a whopping 13 times on 12 different rocks, AsiaOne reports. For good measure, he also thoughtfully included the date – which was September 1 – and a few personal musings on the natural landscape. 

Why, you ask? Well, we suppose he was just feeling really inspired that day. 

The graffiti caused public outcry after images of his work were circulated online, and police launched an investigation into the issue. After being notified of the controversy by his nephew, Chen came forward and paid a visit to village authorities on Saturday. He not only apologized for his actions but he volunteered to clean up the graffiti. 

It appears that his apology was so sincere that the village authorities decided not to press charges. Chen apparently committed the act of vandalism because he was concerned he would soon be too old to climb the mountains, which he loves, and because he wanted a memory to hold on to, Beijing Legal Evening News reports. 

Yeah, we kind of feel bad for him, too. But the good news is it appears that Chen not only learned from the experience but that he hopes others won’t make the same mistake he did. 

[Images via CRIENGLISH]

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