The Hong Kong South China Morning Post reports that Chinese social media is trending with stories of motorists in the farthest northern reaches of the country offering free rides to semi-tropical southerners coming to visit.

The spontaneously formed fleet of volunteer drivers cruises through the city when bad weather hits with signs on their windshields to alert lost or frozen tourists that the driver is willing to offer a free ride and ensure they feel warm and welcomed.

The northern city of Harbin and its province of Heilongjiang are only about 1,000 miles from the Arctic Circle, and decorated in snow and ice, with Russian architectural influences and a world-famous ice sculpture festival, it's a tourist destination that offers a lot of what there's not in southern China.

28 million domestic visitors came to Harbin over the winter season from the warm tropical southern megacities like Shenzhen, Nanjing, or Guangzhou.

SCMP reports that to the tall northern Chinese people who deal with extremely cold temperatures equivalent to those on the US Great Plains, these shorter, thinner southerners are affectionately termed "small potatoes."

"Free rides. Please wave if any small potato fails to get a ride-hailing service, so I can offer you a lift," the signs inside the windscreens of Harbin volunteer drivers say.

Social media in China often trends with stories of generosity and compassion, and many of the small potatoes shared their experiences in posts and videos.

On such driver, Mr. Hu, assured SCMP that "we are very happy to offer this help."

"We do not go home until we've made sure there are no visitors left standing in the street," he said, adding that it serves to demonstrate the warm and friendly hospitality of people in northeastern China.

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