Playful 'Princess, please board the train' announcement charms metro riders

A recent announcement on Kunming Metro's Line 1 in Yunnan province has sparked a wave of online discussion and amusement among netizens. Instead of the usual pre-recorded announcements, the new recording says, "Princess, please board the train" when the train arrives at the terminal station of University City South Station.

The playful announcement quickly gained traction on social media platforms, with netizens engaging in lighthearted banter. Some jokingly questioned the absence of a prince, commenting, "Princess, please board the train. What about the prince?" Others suggested adopting the announcement nationwide, mentioning their own city's metro systems.

The phrase "Princess, please board the train" originally stems from a famous line in the classic movie Roman Holiday. The line gained further popularity as an internet meme due to a humorous short video posted on the short video-sharing platform Douyin by a user nicknamed Zhou Kai Xin. In the video, a father attempts to pick up his daughter on an electric bike, while the daughter playfully insists that her father say, "Princess, please board the bike," before she will get on. The father, refusing to comply with her request, eventually drives away without looking back, leaving his daughter chasing behind.

The video sparked a wave of imitations, with netizens testing whether their friends, partners, or family members would join them in the "Princess, please" trend. The trend has even extended beyond transportation, with some school cafeterias displaying banners saying, "Princess, please enjoy your meal." Additionally, out of consideration for male students, "Prince, please have your meal" signs have also appeared in some school cafeterias. Even livestreamers have incorporated the trend into their sales promotions, saying, "Princess, please place your order."

On Monday, a representative from Kunming Chengguang Cultural Communication Company Co, the company responsible for the metro announcement, stated that their aim was to bring some lightheartedness and joy to passengers during their daily commutes.

According to the representative, the unique broadcasts have been implemented at 21 different stations across the line, with a total of seven different versions.