The story behind Hong Kong's colourful MTR stations

[@shqip_sumejja]

I love how much effort put into them and designing

[@cheuklungli547]

It’s actually works really well, I just look out the window and I instantly know which station I’m in thanks to the paint colour

[@ulysseslee9541]

The original Chinese meaning for Diamond Hill is "Drilling the Rocked Hill", not the area is produce Diamond, the Chinese 鑽 is used as a verb for drilling, not as a noun for Diamond. Coz in the past, the hill nearby Diamond Hill Station, the original "Diamond Hill" is a quarry zone for rock for building work and settle new land for development. Now, the old quarry area become as Fung Tak Estate and Po Kong Village Park and School Village, where the area at south of Po Kong Village Road and north of Fung Tak Road. Due to crystals of the rocks mined from the area, having a diamond-like/shiny luminance, or the shape of the hill look like a diamond, these two reasons also ownable story for the name of Diamond Hill.

[@user-tr5fl4vv1z]

isnt 鑽石 = diamond? then it is correct

[@axemuth1757]

@@user-tr5fl4vv1z that is a noun for diamond. If its 鑽 as single wording, it means drill.

[@Soyepita-Pay-lh5eq]

Beautiful Chinese characters. So poetic and evocative names for these stations.

[@internationaldirector2917]

That's what I miss in HK the MTR system busy but efficient. One of the most organized in the world though people are not friendly I love to come back just to ride mtr from corner to corner HK island to Kowloon to NT like Tsun Mun and NT Yuen Long to Lou Wu.

[@kyledelrosario2081]

same

[@Alternatives_Universum]

You mean people in Hong Kong are not friendly? I expected them to be very friendly. That was my stereotype. So its not true?

[@seanrodgers1839]

Yes, I feel the same way. So many new lines since I last lived there. I'm waiting for the island north line.

[@Local_Akaza_Lover]

@@Alternatives_UniversumHK people can be rude and friendly. Mostly friendly

[@zProntoo]

As a Hong-Kong citizen, this makes a lot of sense!

[@Soyepita-Pay-lh5eq]

High functioning, pragmatic intelligent people. Of course HK can pull this off. USA has the worst most backwards public transportation on earth. It’s such a disgrace for a supposed “first World country.” USA sends all this money overseas to fight colonial wars and genocide instead of spending it to improve lives of its own US citizens.

[@clementihammock7572]

Nice colour selections, and efficient public transportation.

[@shqip_sumejja]

Hong Kong is an amazing full of life 👍🥰

[@ShelleyM007]

As an ex-flight attendant, who last flew in March 2020, this makes me miss Hong Kong so much!

[@josephinelin5525]

I find it weird that they are describing this as colourful, HAHA. Not that they are wrong at all, but rather, I grew up using the colors to remember which station to get off at. I am only realising for the first time ever, that they really are colourful, lol.

[@i_am_a_toast_of_french]

fun fact: the original ind stations in the nyc subway used a color mosaic tile scheme so passengers could easily identify what station and section of line they were at for example, stations between queens plaza and roosevelt av had red tiles while tiles were blue between roosevelt av and continental av

[@JamalTheFriendlySmiler]

Fun Fact:Causeway Bay (銅鑼灣) is the only Bright Pink Station in the MTR

[@FR2000LT]

I believe Causeway Bay is more purple than pink, and Sha Tin Wai uses bright pink too

[@dodobeardos]

MTR is so colorful is not because of Hong Kong’s lifeblood. As I’m a Hong Konger, people in few generations before are not common to know words. So the MTR make colors on each single station and the same color won’t repeat nearby, so they are able to know what station they are at. And it’s still convenience for me now, as I could know where am I when I see the color outside instead of looking at the station name.

[@strawberrystickcookiestan31415]

Me and the Metro enthusiasts when Singapore TEL4 opens:

[@Brick-Life]

The stations of mainland metro stations look very futuristic and also use lots of colours

[@robertbenitez3647]

No one cares

[@muhammadrayhanarifinsyah5834]

I feel like they were more of a copy and wasn't as thoughtful as the MTR's approach. Just look at SZ metro which is all over the place in terms of station design

[@WankeLim]

i think the colour are just decorations they look cool

[@mstrenukakhatun6770]

I Love hong kong. I miss you hong kong❤❤❤❤

[@alexanderip1003]

If the northern line gets built, the 100th station would be included

[@wc4109]

Great idea... who doesn't like bit of colors to their everyday lives?

[@haydenwong659]

It's wonderful

[@suryashrestha6007]

I love Hong Kong so much .

[@marvensabang9592]

Can we have this in Philippines? Please help us 😭

[@thomashe2496]

Very cool I like it

[@linewalker]

Love MTR❤ Love Hong Kong❤

[@chenvictor8]

I've been here it's amazing

[@guff9567]

another thing you can thank British colonialism for

[@Fluster]

Very cool.

[@jarrodyuki7081]

i see................

[@monkeyguy80]

HK MTR 🚉 Singapore MRT 🚉

[@Alternatives_Universum]

I am totally confused how to call a subway system now. In Taiwan its called "MRT", in Hong Kong "MTR", in other countries "Metro" in others "Subway". Quite confusing. I´ll just call it "U-Bahn" from now on.

[@WankeLim]

i am from hk i know all stations

[@help-me-im-luke]

Me too

[@erictiu2613]

Sadly the uniqueness of hk has diminished rapidly in the past few years, it will become just ordinary city of China....

[@joyjoyoo]

Wrong

[@karupsvivek992]

Wait no definitely not as a person living in Hongkong I can say

[@canto_v12]

@@karupsvivek992 It's propaganda spread by the bitter protest movement of 2019. They're trying to sell Hong Kong as unworthy of visiting to spite their government for clamping down on their violence.

[@muhammadrayhanarifinsyah5834]

@@karupsvivek992 it doesn't help that many major city in china that have metros uses the same approach regarding station colors

[@joyjoyoo]

But color blind says otherwise

[@_zyynnnnnnqqqv]

first

[@123.45-d]

1:03 illiterate 😂😂😂😂 that's what they call to tourists? So arrogant

[@canto_v12]

In the 1960s and 70s when the MTR was originally designed, literacy in Hong Kong was not great. The population of Hong Kong exploded figuratively overnight due to the influx of refugees from the Chinese Civil War. Many of these were families were poor or had lost everything as farmland was seized for communal use in the 1950s.

[@Alternatives_Universum]

They probably refer to foreigners as well as illiterate locals. Can be both.

[@brianngai1828]

Seriously. metro stations in China looks more fancier than HK MTR.

[@canto_v12]

There's a certain grit about the MTR aesthetic. At the time I'm sure it was a cheap way to add colour, and now it has been adopted as a sort of cultural identity. No such issue with mainland cities which are eager to adopt more forward-looking aesthetics.

[@muhammadrayhanarifinsyah5834]

@@canto_v12 i think in SZ and GZ most follow the MTR aesthetic. It works

[@SeelkadoomTHS]

Bad accent