Recently, three tourists in Shandong province visited a tourist site and broke off pieces of a 4-million-year-old stalactite rock formation.

According to Kankan News, the savagery took place at a scenic area in Yishui, a county in the prefecture-level city of Linyi, on April 27. A surveillance camera caught the middle-aged male tourists walking up to the stalactite, grabbing pieces of stone off the floor and then hacking away at the deposit of calcium carbonate. The name of this particular stalactite, biyi niao, is in reference to a mythical bird that only has one wing and one eye, thus requiring the animal to fly in pairs. The creature is a symbol of a happy marriage.



Screengrab via QQ

Watch these barbaric men hack away at the 4-million-year old rock formation below (VPN off):

The men managed to chip off sizeable chunks of the rock, destroying it beyond repair. Two suspects have since been detained, according to a post by Linyi Public Security Bureau.

Meanwhile, the video has spread like wildfire online, as netizens voice their disapproval at the selfishness of the tourists. On Weibo, over 100 million have tuned in to the hashtag ‘4-million-year-old stalactite rock broke off and stolen’ (#400万年钟乳石被掰断偷走#).

Some netizens have called for the hooligans to be banned from visiting tourist sites in the future, with one person saying, “Can they be added to the backlist? Don’t allow them on a plane or train to prevent them from going to other tourist sites.”

This comes right as millions of travelers are gearing up for their May Day adventures in the Middle Kingdom. “Nature is a gift. We should cherish and protect it, instead of using it for our personal gain. This upcoming May Day holiday please be respectful while traveling,” posted one user.

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[Cover image: screengrab via QQ]