A girl takes a photo at Jishuitan Subway Station on Line 2 Sunday. Photo: Li Hao/GT



Residents and tourists have complained about security regulations after they were banned from taking photographs on the Beijing subway.

Kang Guoping, a Beijing resident, was taking photos with his relatives at Haidianhuangzhuang Subway Station on Subway Line 4 in early February, when he was told to cease by subway platform staff.

"My family and I were on Subway Line 4 and we were stopped by uniformed staff as we were taking a commemorative picture," he posted on his Sina microblog.

His remarks were reposted hundreds of times. Most comments were critical of what they called an "obscure" regulation or questioned the purpose for having it.

An employee from Beijing MTR Company, who would not give his name, said he has not heard about Kang's complaint, but confirmed that people are not allowed to take photos at stations. Beijing MTR operates Line 4 and the Daxing Line.

"Standing on platforms taking photos will hinder passenger flows," he said.

"Camera flash can also affect train drivers," he said, adding this is a matter for security and therefore prohibited on the subway.

Beijing Subway Company (BSC), which operates 14 of the capital's 16 lines, said it has the same regulation.

An anonymous employee from the operation department of BSC said photography is banned on trains and at stations for security reasons.

"You won't be fined, just stopped if you take photos," she said.

Yet she also noted the regulation is difficult to follow and therefore staff will be flexible when enforcing it. 

"As long as people don't use large cameras or video shooting devices then it should be fine," she said.

Despite the assertions that such a photography ban exists, there are no signs posted on subway stations or inside trains warning passengers that  photography is forbidden.

An anonymous official from Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport said that there is a regulation on taking photos at subway stations, but it is not to be found written in any specific document. 

"You can take photos with the approval of the corresponding authorities," she said, not revealing who the authorities are.

Zhang Xin, an associate professor at the School of Public Administration of Renmin University of China, said that the regulation is ambiguous and not reasonable.

"I can't see how the regulation has anything to do with safety and security," he said, noting the reasons given by the subway companies are farfetched.

"Too much regulation like this will get on public nerves instead," he said.