London's hottest male commuters have suddenly become a huge hit in China, the BBC reports. It's all thanks to TubeCrush.net, a blog that posts photos of "handsome" men riding on the Underground and other parts of the capital's transport network.
It seems there's a huge demand in the Far East for men in suits gazing longingly into the distance. The British website has gained widespread popularity with Chinese people, who share some of the sexier images on the country's blogging platform Weibo.com. Reels of sneaky shots — and probably some deliberate poses — have turned up on the other side of the world.
And many go viral.
According to the BBC, the right image of a hunk can rack up around 100,000 likes and shares — and receive loads of positive comments. "I want to take Tubes everyday," is just one of the declarations on Weibo.
Just incase you didn't spot him yesterday. Here's a tube hottie to cheer up your morning! pic.twitter.com/LUu5Hp52l1
— TubeCrush (@tubecrush) February 26, 2015
TubeCrush gets lots of Facebook likes and Twitter shares in the UK, too. People send in "secret" shots that they capture on the London Underground and the city's overground trains. It was set up by a bunch of friends about four years ago.
The captions are pretty funny.
Some of the more recent images include "Sporty Nice."
And this guy, titled: "Globally Gathering His Thoughts."
TubeCrush compiles the pictures from readers who send them in or posting them on social media. The site has thousands of followers/likes on Facebook and Twitter. When posting photos, the team simply lists the date, what line the person was on when they were snapped, and a witty description.
One of the founders, Stephen Motion, told the BBC that around a third of its traffic comes from China these days. He said it's particularly popular in Guangzhou and Shanghai. If anyone does not want their photo on TubeCrush there is also a take-down service.
What do you all think of this guy? #cute#possiblyitalian? pic.twitter.com/0hHJkRkCvo
— TubeCrush (@tubecrush) February 1, 2015
The BBC's Ruhua Xianyu, from the broadcaster's Chinese Service, explains the website is revered because people in China think British men are "gentlemen" who have "good manners and politeness." (That belief might not withstand the actual experience of the Northern Line during the peak morning rush.)
TubeCrush also recently noted former deputy prime minister John Prescott reading The Independent:
“@PropertyJT: May have been busted by @johnprescott taking his snap on the tube... One for @tubecrush ?! pic.twitter.com/QOj5lgtVGS” not sure.
— TubeCrush (@tubecrush) December 9, 2014
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