Nanjing citizens are outraged after a recent incident in which an icon of our city on Purple Mountain dating from the Ming Dynasty was left scarred, most likely for life. Tourists visiting Nanjing are thought to be the culprits.
南京市民对最近发生的一起事件感到愤怒，事件中紫金山上一座明朝的城市标志被留下了伤痕累累，很可能是终生的。来南京旅游的游客被认为是罪魁祸首。
It was 16 October when a volunteer for cultural relics protection in Nanjing made the discovery at Linggu Temple, a must-visit place for many people coming to Nanjing,
10月16日，南京市文物保护志愿者在许多来南京必去的灵谷寺发现，
There, a Ming Dynasty stone turtle in the southeast corner of Wuliang Hall had been damaged by the lighting of a candle at the base of its neck. This part of the stonework was blackened by the high temperature of the burning candle.
无量殿东南角有一只明代石龟，颈部根部被蜡烛点燃而损坏。这部分石雕因蜡烛燃烧的高温而变黑。
The volunteer, named Yin Xiaofei, described his discovery on his short video account. “As a cultural relic protection volunteer in Nanjing, I’ve made a sad discovery. … Such a small move will cause huge damage to cultural relics, because this centuries-old stone is very sensitive to fire. Wind, rain, lightning will all slowly erode it, and once it encounters fire, the high temperature of the flame will turn the stone very brittle and prone to cracking and peeling”, said Yin. “This will cause irreversible damage to the cultural relics.”
这位名叫尹晓飞的志愿者在他的短视频账户上描述了他的发现。 “作为南京的一名文物保护志愿者，我有一个悲痛的发现……这么一个小举动，就会对文物造成巨大的损害，因为这块百年石头对火非常敏感，风、雨、雷电都会慢慢侵蚀它，一旦遇到火，火焰的高温会使石头变得非常脆，容易开裂、剥落。”尹说。 “这将对文物造成不可逆转的损害。”
Local media picked up on Yin’s post and sent off a reporter on the morning of 17 October on the hunt for double confirmation.
当地媒体于 10 月 17 日上午关注了尹的帖子，并派出记者寻求双重确认。
They soon found it. There was remaining candle wax at the bottom of the turtle’s neck. In the function as a tourist, that journalist reported the matter to the management of the scenic spot, as per The Paper.
他们很快就找到了。龟脖子底部还残留着烛蜡。据澎湃新闻报道，该记者以游客身份向景区管理人员反映了此事。
Subsequently, staff with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Scenic Area Security Department said, “We have investigated and found that some tourists lit candles at night. We have taken measures to strengthen patrols at night. The candle wax has been cleaned up, the cultural relics department has already visited the site and hopes to restore it immediately”.
随后，中山陵风景区保卫处工作人员表示，“我们调查发现，有游客在夜间点蜡烛，我们已采取措施加强夜间巡逻，烛蜡已清理干净，文物部门已到现场进行勘察，希望立即恢复”。
Volunteer Yin also said, “I think we Nanjing residents, or tourists from other places who come to Nanjing, should have a better awareness of cultural relic protection when admiring or pursuing these local monuments, bearing in mind especially to not write graffiti on cultural relics. Should you see anyone harming them, you must dissuade them in time”.
志愿者尹还说，“我觉得我们南京人，或者是外地来南京的游客，在欣赏或者追寻这些当地的古迹时，应该有更多的文物保护意识，特别是不要在文物上乱写乱画。如果看到有人伤害它们，一定要及时劝阻。”
Such stone turtles in Nanjing are also known as “Bixi” (赑屃). In Han mythology, as a descendant of the dragon clan, Bixi is an auspicious, spiritual beast indeed. It looks like a turtle, has teeth and is able to bear heavy loads. The Chinese say it is capable of carrying three or even five mountains.
这种石龟在南京又被称为“赑屃”。在汉族神话中，碧玺是龙族的后裔，确实是一种瑞兽。它的形状像乌龟，有牙齿，能承受重物。中国人说它能够承载三座甚至五座山。
But little else is known about the Bixi in Linggu Temple; historical experts have said that the reason for its construction has never been determined clearly.
但人们对灵谷寺的碧玺知之甚少。历史专家表示，其建造原因一直没有明确的说法。
