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Actor filmed dancing atop the Great Wall of China apologises after backlash


A Chinese actor has apologised for dancing on the Great Wall after a video of the incident outraged some people in China who claimed it was disrespectful to the World Heritage Site.

Yin Xiaotian was with a team to shoot a video of them dancing on a section of the Great Wall in Chengde, Hebei, on Friday, news portal 163.com reported.

A video taken by other tourists at the site spread on social media, with many people attacking Yin for his actions.

“The Great Wall is a solemn place. It’s not appropriate to dance hip hop which is not suitable with the atmosphere on it,” wrote one person on Weibo.

“He does not show any respect for the Great Wall. Even a small kid knows we should protect ancient heritage, but Yin Xiaotian went further by standing on the top of its verge,” another user said.

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A manager of the section of the Great Wall said Yin’s team entered the tour area as ordinary tourists without seeking permission to film.

“It’s definitely not acceptable for visitors to dance on the Great Wall”, a female staffer whose name was not released in the report said.

In a post on Weibo on Sunday, Yin, 43, apologised to his 6.7 million followers for his actions setting “wrong examples” to the public.

“Please don’t copy my misguided behaviour. We should all obey management rules and pay attention to safety,” he wrote.

The Great Wall is one of China’s most famous historical sites. The main sections of the ancient military fortification open to tourists are located in Beijing and Hebei.

The country’s Great Wall Protection Regulation law bans activities including carving on the wall, removing soil or bricks from the area, planting trees, driving vehicles on it or using equipment that could destroy the ancient construction.

However, media reports of vandalism and damage to the wall due to visitors’ behaviour, especially the carving of names, are common.

Last year, the management authority of Badaling Great Wall in Beijing’s Yanqing district released detailed regulations against behaviour deemed harmful to the wall. For example, visitors going to sections that are not open to the public will be fined 200 to 500 yuan (US$31 to US$77).

People caught carving on the wall will be detained for five to 10 days, according to the Badaling Great Wall management office.

There were some who supported Yin.

“I think it’s fine to dance on the Great Wall because after all, it’s OK to walk on it, right? But it’s too dangerous to climb on the high verge of the wall,” wrote one person on Weibo.

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.



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