Yellow Crane Tower installs electronic 'graffiti walls'  

武汉黄鹤楼设“电子涂鸦墙”

A couple leave names on the touchscreen at the Yellow Crane Tower. (Photo source: whwb.cjn.cn)

Wuhan (CNS) -- A popular tourist attraction in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, has set up large touchscreens to meet the needs of visitors who wish to leave graffiti at the scenic spot.

The Yellow Crane Tower has installed three two-meter-tall touchscreens, where visitors can write their own messages or pay specialized staff to create customized calligraphy.

Visitors can print their drawings or email them, as the marks could be erased when the database of the system is full.

Huang Fan and his family members where among the tourists who left their names on the screen. "When we view spectacular scenery from the ancient tower, we are touched and like to leave messages here. The touchscreen helps fulfill our wish," he said.

An employee said the park installed the walls in July, out of consideration for the long-standing "tradition" of leaving personal marks.

"Since ancient times, scholars and poets have left their names and literary masterpieces at scenic spots," the employee said. "But nowadays, visitors vandalize the site by carving into wooden pillars with knives."

Thanks to the graffiti wall, new cases of vandalism haven't been found during the Golden Week.