Now, a novel stress-buster for subway commuters

Passengers traveling through Yingbin Road Station on the subway in Changsha, Hunan province, can now manage their stress at a novel emotion transition center. They can dismantle their emotional burdens and rediscover joy by hugging plush toys, pressing different mood buttons, or hitting a punching wall.

The center includes a mood wall with buttons labeled as emotions like "Happy", "Awkward", and "Unhappy". Passersby can tap these buttons to express their current mood. The "Super Happy" button is so far a runaway favorite, having been tapped more than 660,000 times, followed by "Loving" with 2,200, "Pleased" with 1,800, and "Unhappy" with 1,600.

If commuters are looking for something more tactile, there are plush toys they can hug and take pictures with to relieve stress. There is also a punching wall, wrapped in foam and similar to a punching bag. It comes with a screen displaying a strength index — the higher the number, the harder the punch.

The installation has gained popularity online. Netizens said they have been "cured" by it, while others said they could not help but hit the emotion buttons and feel much happier afterward.

The staff explained that the stress-relief wall component functions like a punching bag. They clarified that a recent malfunction in the strength index screen was due to a technical flaw in the design. The screen is currently under maintenance. However, the plush toys and mood buttons remain fully operational for public use. Staff noted that Yingbin Road Station, being a transfer with a high passenger volume, naturally sees more people interacting with the buttons.

Yu Qing, from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, said she saw photos of the subway mood installation online and found it so novel that she made a special trip to experience it.

After pressing the "Super Love" button herself, Yu expressed great admiration for the installation, calling it "excellent".

Tang Minghao, 6, from Shaoyang, Hunan, was visiting Changsha with his mother for dental treatment. He encountered the mood installation by chance while taking the subway and thought it was "very cute". After trying it, he felt happy.

Qin Rong, 40, a tourist from Nantong, Jiangsu province, discovered the installation while transferring between attractions. He immediately pressed the "Super Happy" button, stating: "This is already my third day traveling in Changsha. I visited Yuelu Academy this morning and am now heading to Orange Isle. I find Changsha's pace of life very relaxing, and this trip has been a great experience."

After using the installation, he said his mood became even brighter.

Shen Junwen, a 22-year-old university student from Tianjin who was visiting Changsha as a tourist, said as a psychology major, he felt the installation was "very relatable to daily life" as it guides people to pay attention to their emotions.

He added: "Negative emotions need to be released, and this offers a good way to do that."

Zhu Youfang and Rao Linjun contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn