Chinese national flag raised at the Victoria Harbor on Monday night Photo: Yang Sheng/GT

Jackson Wang Photo: VCG

Both Chinese mainland and Hong Kong stars expressed their patriotism by posting a hashtag on Sina Weibo showing support for Chinese national flag.

The hashtag #TheFive-StarRedFlagHas1.4BillionColorGuards went viral on social media on Sunday, following an incident in which rioters in Hong Kong removed and threw the Chinese national flag at the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier into the sea on Saturday.

Chinese mainland singer-actor Zhang Yixing, Hong Kong singer Jackson Wang, boy band WayV and other stars joined in on discussing the topic.

Fans liked, commented on and reposted their idols' posts. Many netizens posted comments such as "I am a member of the Chinese national flag color guard" or "we are Chinese national flag color guard members."

By Tuesday afternoon, the hashtag had earned more than 3 billion views on Sina Weibo.

Following the Saturday incident, another group of protesters removed the flag at the pier and threw it into the sea again on Monday.

After both incidents, patriotic Hong Kong residents came to the pier and raised the flag again.