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‘because it’s there”,and his partner in crime Mr Patriotic because ‘‘it’s a national icon and a rite of passage’’, are already planning their assault on the summit the next morning.

‘That’s areally important, sacred thing that you are climbing,’’ continues the sign. ‘‘You shouldn’t climb. It’s not the thing to do.’’

‘I understand the traditional owners’ connection to the land,’’ the Birthday Girl says. ‘‘But what about my need to connect with the land?’’

photographer Ken Duncan, who said to me recently: ‘‘No person should own copyright on creation.

‘Please allow us to have our own beliefs and experiences, too.’’ And there lies the rub.

From our group, two chose to climb it and loved the experience; some didn’t climb because they respected the traditional owners’ request not to; others stayed on the ground because they were either afraid of heights or didn’t think they were fit enough to make it. But, we all had the choice and that’s what matters. A better question is: should our right to make that choice be taken away?

Last year a city-wide inspection by Shanghai's Language Affairs Commission found that more than one in 10 signs had incorrect translations

Beijing ran a similar campaign in preparation for last year's Olympics.

The Shanghai government, along with neighbouring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, published a 20-page guide book this week to standardise signs and eliminate notoriously bad, and sometimes amusing, English translations.

The official campaign prompted local media to share favourite mistranslations. At Shanghai's iconic Oriental Pearl Tower, visitors are warned "Ragamuffin, drunken people and psychotics are forbidden to enter", according to the Shanghaiist city blog.

Last year a city-wide inspection by Shanghai's Language Affairs Commission found that more than one in 10 signs had incorrect translations, the China Daily reported.

The city is preparing to hold the biggest-ever World Expo from May 1 to October 31. The city expects 70 million people, the vast majority of them Chinese, to attend the event, featuring pavilions from nearly 190 countries.