Why are mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of MTR stations in Hong Kong?

Surrounded by a stream of passengers on an MTR platform in Hong Kong on a regular weekday, a couple paused to pose for photos next to a station sign to mark their journey.

“We took photos at most of the metro stations we visited, just to record our metro route,” said Arale, a 36-year-old tourist who was visiting the city with his wife, Qing, 37, for the first time.

Recording such a visual diary is part of a popular trend on Chinese social media in which people travel around Hong Kong to take photos on MTR platforms against the stations’ colourful walls.

Tourists often collect nine or more photos or videos of the station names, either of the signs themselves or with someone next to them, to share with others on RedNote, Douyin and WeChat Moments as collages or single posts.

On RedNote alone, #HongKongMTR has gained about 110 million views, with one post published on May 31 attracting 25,300 interactions and 291,100 views, according to data analysis platform Newrank.

The Post visited five MTR stations on a weekday this month – Choi Hung, Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central – and found visitors photographing themselves with station names at every location.