NANJING: A Chinese mainland tourist who has been lambasted on the Internet for carving his name on a rock face in a Taiwan scenic spot apologized to the public yesterday for his behavior.

Zhao Genda, a 63-year-old pensioner from Changzhou, Jiangsu province, gained instant notoriety after Taiwan TV reported that he carved his name and that of his hometown on the rock face at Taipei Yeliu Geopark last Friday.

The story quickly spread to the mainland, where a report carried by the popular www.163.com has drawn more than 5,000 comments, with most respondents calling his behavior "despicable" and "shameful".