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.
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,
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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”.
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”.
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.
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.
