'Crowded as Disney'

University of Hong Kong students are furious over their campus becoming a hot spot for mainland tourists who barge into lecture halls for sightseeing and photo-ops during lessons.

The Pok Fu Lam campus was flooded by mainlanders recently and has turned into a photo-taking site after being suggested as a place to visit on mainland social media Xiaohongshu.

But students and Pok Fu Lam residents have complained about the disruption, saying that the HKU MTR station and campus facilities have become overcrowded.

One mainland student posted on Xiaohongshu that the university "is now as crowded as Disneyland" and advised it to have some supportive measures to cope with tourists visiting, such as conducting its own tours.

Comments on the post's thread said mainland tourists have been "disrupting the lives of students."

To highlight their concerns, four student representatives from the Committee on Student Affairs and Committee on Campus Life posted on the Instagram of the Joint Platform for Undergraduate Representatives of University Committees.

"Recently, most people on campus are not students but tourists," they wrote.

They said the school's current policy is unable to handle such an influx.

"It is good that the school can attract tourists, but only if the main users of the campus are not disturbed," they said.

They also listed out a few "travel black spots" on the campus, including the iconic red brick wall.

"Tourists were waiting next to the wall every time we passed by. Those study tour groups make University Street more crowded during peak hours," they said.

The representatives said they had received complaints that tourists entered lecture halls for sightseeing. Students also felt worried about being spied on and photographed.

A sophomore surnamed Ng shared a similar experience, in which tourists entered her classroom and disturbed her lesson.

"Tourists will knock on the doors of the lecture hall and sit at the back of the hall. They will also take pictures of the room as if they were a student in class," Ng told The Standard. "There are also children who come with their family. They will scream and play outside the corridor, which causes a lot of noise."

A university spokesman said: "HKU is aware of the situation and understands the concerns of students. The university will continue to closely monitor the situation and relevant developments. The top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and the university will take necessary actions as needed."

charlotte.wu@singtaonewscorp.com