Travelling man faces up to facts with a show of happiness

Hong Kong's morning rush hour has the usual sea of grim faces making journeys from beds to desks, like dead men walking. But inside the MTR station in Central, a break in the normal pattern causes many in the shuffling mass to break into smiles.

The cause: an exhibition of smiling faces from around the world aimed at inspiring Hong Kong people to do the same.

'I rarely smile, but seeing all these smiles, I want to smile too,' says a university student.

The appropriately named Smiles exhibition in Arttube, a mini art gallery near exit J, is the brainchild of travel writer Walter Kei Hiu-wah and features 100 photographs he took over a decade of globetrotting.

Kei, 42, offers a wry smile as he recounts how some of his friends see his inability to focus on one profession as a failure in life: he has worked variously as food writer, travel programme presenter, image stylist and interior designer. At one stage, he ran a gift shop on the Peak.

Although he has his regrets, Kei remains philosophical. The exhibition wouldn't have materialised if it hadn't been for his willingness to try new things - and the help of a few friends.

With no experience of hosting an exhibition, he rallied their aid: a textile-maker helped print his photos on fabric, another designed the poster and logo, while a writer put together the introductory material.