Tourist sites must respect the past

THREE TOURIST SITES in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, lost their 3-A tourism rating last week because of poor management. Guangming Daily commented on Thursday:

Ostensibly the three Xi'an scenic spots, including the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum and a museum recreating "the eight wonders of the world", were disqualified for improper management. They were also criticized for having unhelpful information centers, poor display captions in English and for having replicas of the Terracotta Warriors that were painted like creepy-looking clowns.

The disqualified scenic spots are not allowed to reapply for their rating for at least a year, but even then they should not be given back the accreditation unless their managers show full respect for the country's cultural heritage. Indeed, being stripped of the 3-A rating was more like a warning about their careless exploitation of history.