PASSENGERS taking Line 1 of the Guangzhou Metro from the Nongjiangsuo Station to the Lieshilingyuan Station can view short films in the tunnel starting from this week.

The move is part of the Guangzhou Metro Company's experiment in creating the first "movie tunnel" system in China. In the future, all lines of the Guangzhou Metro are expected to be equipped with "movie tunnel" systems in allocated sections.

The "movie tunnel" system was first seen in the United States and Germany. It was adopted to prevent Metro drivers getting fatigued while traversing dark tunnels, and thus avoid accidents.

"The system makes use of the same principle as TV and movies," said a source from the Metro company.

Visual images can linger for 0.04 second in the human eye after they are captured. Therefore, a series of pictures on the tunnel wall will appear to "move" when the train runs at a certain speed, and passengers can hence enjoy "movies."

At present, the movies displayed in Guangzhou Metro are all silent, keeping security in mind.

There are six short films in the tunnel, each lasting about 10 seconds. The movies include short commercial films and a promotional movie for the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010.

This new system has aroused great interest among Guangzhou citizens since it was put into operation. The trains are very crowded during the "movie tunnel" section these days.

Editor: Yan