China To Publicly Shame Graffiti Artists At Mount Everest Base Camp

Vandals who graffiti their names at a base camp at Mount Everest may soon get the kind of attention authorities believe they deserve.

Chinese officials say they plan to shame graffiti artists who scrawl their names at the Tibetan base camp Mount Qomolangma by adding them to a public blacklist of offenders, China News Service reports.

Tourism officials hope the list will decrease graffiti at the area where a welcome sign is often seen covered in markings, as apparent in a number of photos posted to Instagram.

“The blacklist will be made public through media outlets,” Gu Chunlei, deputy head of the tourism bureau of Tibet's Tingri County, warned.

Because visitors have to register to enter the area, Chunlei said he hopes it’ll be easier to identify the culprits.

In addition to trying to deter the markings, Chunlei said they will additionally provide “tablets” specifically for those who cannot resist leaving their mark. Similar graffiti zones have been implemented at the Great Wall of China, the BBC reported.

The act of public shaming is not a new tool used by the Chinese government. Last spring, new rules that specifically target misbehaving Chinese tourists were unleashed. The penalties for those who make the list include a damaging credit score and travel restrictions, NPR reported.

h/t Hyperallergic