Can YOU bear it? Video showing Chinese tourists washing their feet in a UNESCO heritage site sparks debate
你能忍受吗？一段游客在联合国教科文组织遗址上洗脚的视频引发了争论
Footage showing dozens of visitors washing their feet in a famous Chinese lake has ignited a heated discussion on whether or not the behaviour is acceptable.
数十名游客在一个著名的湖泊里洗脚的画面引发了热议，网友对是否可以忍受这种行为展开了热烈讨论。
In the video clips from last week, tourists young and old are seen dip their bare feet into the UNESCO-listed West Lake while relaxng on the embankment.
在上周的视频中，人们看到老少游客在河堤上放松时，光着脚走进被列为联合国教科文组织遗产的西湖。
While some web users called the visitors 'rude' and 'uncivilised'; others came to their defence, arguing that the lake is not a source of drinking water and those visitors were simply enjoying nature.
有些网友则称这些访客的行为“粗鲁”、“不文明”；也有一些人则为他们辩护，认为这个湖不是饮用水的来源，这些游客只是在享受大自然。
The controversial videos were taken on the night of July 7 along the indai Bridge and Broken Bridge at the north side of the 650-hectare lake, according to Zhejiang News.
据《浙江新闻》报道，这段有争议的视频拍摄于7月7日晚，拍摄地点是金代大桥和这座650公顷湖泊北侧的断桥。
West Lake, one of the 53 UNESCO World Heritage sites in China, has always been regarded as a romantic scenic spot by the Chinese public, having inspired poets and painters for thousands of years.
西湖是联合国教科文组织在的53个世界遗产之一，千百年来一直被公众视为一个浪漫的风景胜地，激发了诗人和画家的灵感。
Apparently, such phenomenon is not new.
显然，这种现象并不新鲜。
Similar reports could be traced back to 2013, when the news of 'thousands of tourists' putting their feet into the freshwater lake made headlines on newspapers.
类似的报道可以追溯到2013年，当时“成千上万名游客”将脚伸进这个淡水湖中的消息登上了报纸的头条。
It's said that at the time, security guards had to set up loudspeakers to blast out the message: 'Dear visitors, please do not put your hands or feet into the lake. Please enjoy the lake in a civilised way.'
据说，当时保安人员不得不使用扩音器，发出这样的信息：“亲爱的游客，请不要把手或脚伸入湖中。请文明游览。”
After the latest videos were shared on Chinese social media this week, web users have expressed different point of views.
这段最新视频发布于社交媒体上之后，网民们纷纷表达了不同的观点。
Some said the act spoiled the picturesque scenery and turned the celebrated lake into a 'public feet-washing basin'.
有人说，此举破坏了风景如画的景致，把这个著名的西湖变成了“公共洗脚池”。
While others argued that the habit of washing or bathing in public had been observed for centuries, and it did not cause harm the environment.
而另一些人则认为，在公共场合清洗或洗澡的习惯已经出现了好几个世纪了，并不会对环境造成伤害。
A trending hashtag, called 'West Lake becomes a feet-washing basin', has gathered more than 960,000 views on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
一个名为“西湖沦为洗脚盆”的热门话题，在微博上获得了超过96万的点击量。
Some users considered the action 'obscene' and 'indecent' and compared it to graffiti vandalism.
一些用户认为这种行为是“下流”、“不雅”，并将其与涂鸦破坏行为相提并论。
One such commentator, who claimed to be a Hangzhou resident, stressed that West Lake is not a public bathhouse, but a scenic spot.
一位自称杭州居民的评论人士强调，西湖不是公共澡堂，而是一个风景区。
Another user, clearly upset by the tourists, wrote: 'The fish are going to die because of their smelly feet.'
还有另一位显然对游客行为不满的网友写道：“西湖里的鱼会被他们的臭脚熏死。”
On the other hand, there are also many people who did not see it as a problem at all. They claimed that it was a normal way for people to relax at the tourist spot. One even said that he 'did it all the time' when he was a child and was never caught.
也有很多人根本不认为这是个问题。他们称这是人们在旅游胜地放松的一种正常方式。其中一人甚至说，他小时候“一直都这么做”，从来没有被抓住过。
'As long as they didn't fall into the lake, what's wrong with putting their feet in the water?' A user called 'ibianrichuV' said.
“只要他们不掉进水里，把脚放在水里又有什么错呢?” 一位名叫 'ibianrichuV' 的用户说。
Some emphasised those tourists did not bring any harm to the environment or pollute the water, therefore it should be within their rights to do so.
一些人强调，这些游客不会对环境造成任何伤害，也不会污染水，因此他们有权利这么做。
'If this can easily pollute the lake, Mother Nature could have died long time ago,' wrote 'Linglingzifeng'.
“如果这么容易就能污染湖泊，大自然早就死了。”
In fact, chief officer Miao Qitao at West Lake Waters Management told People's Dailythat West Lake could purify the water itself.
事实上，西湖水务管理局局长苗奇陶告诉《人民日报》，西湖本身就可以净化水质。
'We started a programme to grow seaweed at the bottom of the lake in order to cleanse the water in 2011.
“我们在2011年启动了一项计划，在湖底种植海藻，以净化湖水。”
'The water quality is improving year by year thanks to the 31-hectare seaweed planted under the water.'
他说，“由于在水下种植了31公顷的海藻，水质正在逐年改善。”
West Lake was listed as an UNESCO world heritage site in 2011.
2011年，西湖被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产。
The committee praised the area's beautiful scenery and the inspiration it had provided to painters and poets.
委员会赞扬了该地区美丽的风景，以及它给画家和诗人带来的灵感。
The lake, decorated with numerous temples, pagodas, and gardens, inspires people to 'project feelings onto the landscape', stated the UNESCO committee.
联合国教科文组织委员会称，这个湖泊由无数的寺庙、宝塔和花园装饰，使人们“寄托情感”。
英国每日邮报读者的评论：
原创翻译：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/45561.html 译者：Joyceliu
外文：http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/china/article-5946403/Chinese-tourists-wash-feet-West-Lake-UNESCO-heritage-site.html
Titania__, Nowhere, Equatorial Guinea, about 2 hours ago
They are not poisoning the waters, and certainly not defiling it in any way. Why the drama?!
他们并不是在污染湖水，也没有以任何方式污染湖水。值得这么夸张么? !