A Chinese teenager has come under fire at home for defacing an ancient temple in the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The incident triggered public criticism over the behavior of some Chinese tourists and prompted soul-searching over how the country can cultivate a good image overseas as more newly affluent Chinese people travel abroad.

The graffiti, which read "Ding Jinhao visited here" in Chinese, was scratched on a temple wall and came to light when another Chinese tourist posted a photo of it on a popular microblog.

The photo quickly caught the attention of the Chinese public and someone was able to identify the perpetrator as 15-year-old Ding Jinhao, a boy from the eastern city of Nanjing.

Public anger prompted Ding's parents to publish an apology in a local newspaper.