Chinese tourists have long been known for their particular habits, like sleeping in the bus and their love of photos besides statues. But another one has been highlighted recently: Chinese love throwing money, whether it's at ponds, temples, or ancient tombs.

It was reported that the No.3 tomb of Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) at Mawangdui, Changsha of Hunan Province was filled with coins and paper money thrown by tourists. The grave, more than 10 meters deep, was bestrewed with money, most of which were small bills. Some travelers told the media that throwing coins right at the center of the grave would bring them good luck.

This is nothing new. In China, whenever there is a pool or a fountain in a scenic spot, tourists compete to see who can hit the center of the pool.

I've traveled to many places, and I found none of the well-known spring pools escaped. The floors of the pools were covered with sparkling coins, and tourists around the pool were delightedly continuing the game.

Of course, this is a habit of travelers and tourists all over the globe. Fountains and wells all over the world are full of small changes thrown by visitors, from British monasteries to Roman fountains. The habit may derive from ancient times, when people would invoke water spirits to ask for blessings.

In Beijing, the Baiyunguan, a Taoist temple, was famous for having a bell over a well that pilgrims would throw coins at to try and get it to ring.

But today travelers simply follow suit, rather than praying for fortune for themselves. After all, it only takes a small penny to join the game. "It's just like a lottery," a friend explained to me about why he threw money at pools in scenic spots, "You don't lose much even if no big fortune comes to you." These travelers seem to forget that their coins are not picked up by gods, but other Chinese.

In Mawangdui, staff working at the ancient tomb group clean the grave, and give the money to the cultural relics management authorities. But this is not always the case.

Last year in Beijing, a man stood beside the Chengrui Pavilion in the Forbidden City, holding a three-meter long rope with a magnet on one end. He kept lifting up coins from the pond and then put all the money in his own pocket. After getting enough money, he changed clothes and became a street vendor at the scenic spot.

The Chinese have long been criticized for their pragmatic attitude to tourism. They do not seek relaxation from amazing landscapes, but try to prove "I've been there" by endlessly taking photos with landmark buildings. Once in a holy religious temple in Tibet, I saw a tourist shuttle quickly between rows of statues of the gods, to throw money in front of each of them. My jaw almost dropped at the brazen demonstration of pragmatic pilgrimage.

The younger generation of Chinese has higher goals. Through traveling, they want to broaden their vision, discover local customs, and follow the tracks left by history.

As long as this generation grows, Chinese tourism will increasingly return to pure and simple goals.

After all, travel should be a pilgrimage to your own heart and soul, rather than a rush to scout for a quick fortune.

If coin throwing does work, I'd like to try my luck there and make a wish too: I hope that Chinese can learn to travel for the sake of it, not for the hope of fortune or point-scoring from sites. And I hope that Chinese tourists can learn to simply enjoy the landscape with their eyes and heart like travelers from other countries do.

The author is a freelance writer based in Shanghai. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn