Funky Subway Themes Hit Beijing and Other Cities
While the West prefers to follow the authority of a burrowing rodent, China has its own way of forecasting the end of winter. For Beijing commuters, the signs of an early spring can be seen at Xidan Station of the Beijing Metro's Line 4 where the corridors have been decorated with hundreds of pink peach blossoms.
The peach blossoms are part of an advertising campaign for a new historical TV drama, and are even seen on some subway trains. Coinciding with Valentine's Day, the campaign plays up the chivalry and romance associated with Chinese period dramas.
Although temperatures haven't warmed up yet, the campaign does seem to be resonating with Chinese audiences. The drama has already attracted over a billion views in just seven days, accounting for a staggering 42 percent of all Youku traffic during peak hours.
As it turns out, fully decorating subway cars is a popular way to send out a message to China's urban commuters.
Hangzhou's subway has repeatedly used this technique. Here they are promoting green development last autumn:
And here's how Hangzhou promoted the 12th China International Cartoon & Animation festival last May:
Hangzhou celebrated International Women's Day last year with this subway train decorated for an advertisement for a sanitary napkin:
Subway trains belonging to Line 3 of the Chengdu Metro are decorated in a panda motif, especially fitting since one of its stops is the country's biggest panda breeding and tourism center:
Line 3 of the Nanjing Metro featured Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan, and Hello Kitty in a subway car advertisement back in September 2015:
In May 2015, the Ningbo Metro promoted an exhibition that showcased the maritime Silk Road culture:
The previous summer, Ningbo promoted a Sea World 3D exhibit with a decorated subway train:
2014 also saw Beijing promote a Van Gogh exhibit with a decorated subway train:
Additionally, the Youth Olympic Games were promoted with a decorated subway back when Nanjing hosted the games in 2014:
Who knew that Chinese subway cars could be so artfully decorated... or so empty?
Images: Tieba, Daily Mail, China Youth, NetEase, People, People's Daily