An Internet cafe located inside an ancient wall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has pulled down its signboard from the wall Tuesday after a few snapshots triggered a wave of controversy among net surfers. [moobol.com]

An Internet cafe located inside an ancient wall in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has pulled down its signboard from the wall Tuesday after a few snapshots triggered a wave of controversy among net surfers, placing the venue in the spotlight of local newspapers and TV stations.

The group of photos titled "Internet Cafe Inside Ancient Wall" were taken by a Xi'an resident who goes by the Internet handle 'Jin Chi Niao' (Golden Wing Bird). The pictures were posted on leading Chinese grassroots news website www.moobol.com on December 25, 2006.

According to Jin Chi Niao, he was walking past the Xi'an Railway Station on December 21 when he noticed a large Internet cafe was being launched inside the ancient wall.

The municipal government of Xi'an invested a total of 150 million yuan (US$18,750,000) in repairing the wall against the railway station. However, right after the facelift, commercial development was initiated inside the wall. In addition to the Internet cafe, there were also public toilets and supermarkets in use.

Opinions were divided over the exploitation of the ancient wall.

Supporters claim it is an efficient use of ancient achievements, saying there is nothing inappropriate in generating commercial profits by taking advantage of the hollow wall. Others say it is a waste of land resources if the ancient walls, which cover a large area of land, are not developed within reason.

Opponents argue the Internet cafe damages the aesthetic and historical value of the ancient wall as a whole.

The ancient wall in Xi'an, with a history of over 600 years, is the only one of its kind in modern China as well as the one of the largest existing in the world.

By December 26, 2006 the signboard for the Internet cafe had been pulled down, and the public toilets had been replaced by mobile ones, according to Jin Chi Niao's post.

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