(China Daily)

NANJING -- A Chinese mainland tourist who has been lambasted on the Internet for carving his name on a rock face in a Taiwan scenic spot apologized to the public yesterday for his behavior.

Zhao Genda, a 63-year-old pensioner from Changzhou, Jiangsu province, gained instant notoriety after Taiwan TV reported that he carved his name and that of his hometown on the rock face at Taipei Yeliu Geopark last Friday.

The story quickly spread to the mainland, where a report carried by the popular www.163.com has drawn more than 5,000 comments, with most respondents calling his behavior "despicable" and "shameful".

In a poll conducted by major portal Sohu.com, almost 95 percent of the 29,404 respondents considered graffiti at tourist attractions as "inconsiderate behavior" and "vandalism".

Newspapers and websites in Zhao's hometown, Changzhou, also highlighted the story, urging locals to reflect on their inappropriate behavior in daily life.

Zhao said he was unaware of the controversy he had caused until he returned home on Sunday.

"My wife and daughter severely criticized me for the misconduct," he said. "I'm very regretful and apologize to the public through the media."

According to the Sohu.com survey, more than 95 percent of the respondents said they would never write graffiti at tourist attractions, and fewer than 4 percent said they did so "once in a while".