[File photo]

A flood of posts from Chinese netizens has inundated American basketball player Robert Brown’s Sina Weibo page, with many attacking him for the graffiti that he recently drew on the Great Wall.

As of press time, around 400 comments had been written in response to a Weibo post that Brown wrote on Oct. 10, with many commentators fiercely accusing Brown of disrespecting Chinese historical relics and people. Brown has fewer than 2,000 Weibo followers, a tiny number compared to other NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant, who has around 5 million followers.

Bobby Brown is an American basketball player for the Houston Rockets, who also worked for China's Dongguan Leopards for three years.

[File photo]

The surge in posts comes after the NBA player reportedly doodled on the Great Wall during his visit to Beijing on Oct. 10. According to a report by Beijing Youth Daily, Brown wrote his name and uniform number on the Great Wall, later posting a picture of it on his Weibo. The post was deleted after Chinese netizens attacked Brown for his “rudeness."

“The Great Wall is our precious cultural heritage. What you did was rude and illegal. Don’t do it next time, especially in our country!” one netizen wrote.

Others showed sympathy for Brown, suggesting that he may have just unthinkingly copied other tourists’ behavior, as many Chinese visitors have also written their names on the Great Wall.

“No blame should be assigned to an unconscious wrongdoer. Many Chinese people also write their names on the Great Wall - maybe Brown just followed them without thinking too much,” another netizen commented.

According to Beijing Youth Daily, Brown posted an apology on his Weibo on Oct. 11, saying that he “respects the Chinese culture” and made an “honest mistake.” The post has also been deleted as of press time.

“We haven’t yet confirmed the incident, but many of our employees have heard about it. As a world cultural heritage site, the Great Wall should be protected not only by Chinese, but also by tourists from other nations. No matter the person, it is always inappropriate to write on the Great Wall,” an employee from the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall company told Beijing Youth Daily in an interview on Oct. 12.