THREE ROCK CLIMBERS, who intentionally damaged a rock on Python Peak in the Sanqing mountain scenic area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jiangxi province, were ordered by a court to pay 6 million yuan ($861,373) for the ecological damage they caused. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

The ruling in the case was passed by the Intermediate People's Court of Shangrao in Jiangxi province, which also sentenced one of the rock climbers to one year in prison and another to a six-month probation for hammering 26 pitons into a rock on Python Peak.

The court ruling has been applauded by the public.

Located in the Mount Sanqing National Park, which is home to many animals and plants, and a famous Taoist sacred mountain, Python Peak is the world's highest natural python-shaped peak.

The damage the rock climbers inflicted on the mountain is irreparable, because it could affect the relic's structure and stability.

The Criminal Law states that those who intentionally destroy or damage historical sites will be sentenced up to five years in prison and fined.

But despite the media exposing some cases of people intentionally destroying cultural relics at historical sites, few offenders had been punished.

Which led many to believe that there's no price to be paid for damaging cultural relics.

So the Shangrao court ruling is a welcome change. That the offenders have been asked to issue a public apology shows that offenders will also be named and shamed.

And the amount of compensation the court has ordered the offenders to pay will deter potential offenders from damaging relics, and to better protect the environment and ecology.