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BEIJING, April 16-- Chen Peiyu, a 27-year-old office worker in Beijing, deeply regrets that she may not have the chance to visit the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris this May due to the fire that engulfed the gothic church Monday. A huge fire broke out at the historic cathedral, located in the heart of Paris, destroying the spire of the building on Monday afternoon. Online footage showed flames pouring from the roof, sending thick smoke into the sky. "Such a pity! I didn't even have the chance to see it," Chen said. The blaze simultaneously ignited concern across China, with many Chinese netizens expressing their sadness on social media. The catastrophe soon became the hottest topic on China's social media platform Sina Weibo, with more than 1.2 billion reads. Broken hearts are everywhere. "It is the landmark of Paris, as well as the cultural heritage of all humankind, the accident should ring the alarm," said Ma Weidu, a celebrated Chinese antique collector, on his microblog. "The destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral will be the loss of all humankind, it is heartbreaking," read a comment by a Weibo user named Qiandaixi Rebecca. The iconic cathedral is one of the city's most recognizable symbols, and listed as one of the top three tourist sites in Paris on Chinese travel services platform Mafengwo. Built in medieval times, the world heritage attracts 13 million visitors from all over the world every year, according to its official website. | 
