Pee-utiful! Chinese Mom Lets Son Piss on Russian Palace Floors
by Kurt
echinawire.com
Children peeing and sometimes even pooping on the streets of China is a daily occurrence, and one that many people have learned to accept the longer they stay in China. However China may find that this is one export that other countries won’t be so interested in trading for.
Chinese child urinating on a street in China
Radio Free Asia reported that last month during a tour of the Catherine Palace, the Russian equivalent to the Summer Palace, a Chinese mother allowed her son to pee directly on the hardwood floors of the palace.
The palace staff were understandably shocked and outraged by the callous disregard for the historical site. One worker commented to Petersburg TV that this was likely the first time in the 250 year history of the building that someone pissed on the floors.
Replica of Empress Elizabeth's ball gown in the palace
The Catherine Palace was originally constructed in 1717 for Catherine the 1st, the wife of Peter the Great. Later it was reconstructed by Empress Elizabeth in order to “rival Versailles”. It is a common misconception that the Catherine Palace was built for Catherine the Great, who actually found the Palace to be old fashioned and said that it had “whipped cream” architecture. No doubt Catherine probably would have preferred the taste of whipped cream architecture over the flavor of piss stained floors.
Catherine the Great
Once the summer vacation home to the Tzars, the incredible decadence of the palace has become a hot tourist destination for people visiting St. Petersburg. Great lengths are undertaken to preserve the majestic building, they even require visitors to wear foot covers so that their shoes don't damage the hardwood floors. No word yet on how the palace staff plans to combat urination.
Tourists wearing shoe covers
Apple Daily reported that while the onus is on the Chinese tour guides to set guidelines for the Chinese tourists, they can sometimes be hesitant to enforce rules fearing they may anger the travelers who pay their salaries.
Chinese tourism has been steadily increasing as the wealth of the middle kingdom has grown, becoming the second largest tourism market in the world. It is estimated that by 2020 China’s outbound tourism will triple that of Japan. While many countries welcome the influx of Chinese money, reports of rude Chinese tourists have dogged the reputation of Chinese tourists abroad.
China has taken actions against bad mannered travelers, introducing a blacklist for ill behaved tourists at home and in other countries. Of course most Chinese tourists don’t let their children pee on the floors of historical sites, but the reality is that the actions of the few will keep damaging how the rest of the world views Chinese people.
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