Why are Chinese tourists kneeling at this statue in Rome Termini?

A bronze statue outside Rome Termini station has accidentally become one of China’s funniest overseas travel check-ins.

The sculpture was originally created to honor Pope John Paul II, showing him opening his cloak as if welcoming and sheltering people. But most Chinese tourists discovering the meme honestly have absolutely no idea about any of that. 😭

Instead, Chinese netizens saw something completely different: a scene straight out of Scarlet Heart, one of China’s most iconic time-travel palace dramas. Released in 2011, the series follows a modern woman who travels back to the Qing dynasty and gets caught in royal romance, palace politics, and emotional damage on a professional level. For many Chinese millennials, Scarlet Heart is not just a drama — it is THE drama.

The specific scene people are referencing is the famous rain scene where Fourth Prince shields Ruoxi from the rain with his robe.

So when people noticed the Rome statue’s open “cloak” looked exactly like that moment, the internet immediately renamed it “Fourth Prince of Rome.” 👑

Chinese netizens even came up with the joke:

“罗马的罗，是爱新觉罗的罗；罗马的马，是马尔泰若曦的马。”

The joke is basically saying “the Luo in Rome is the Luo from Aisin-Gioro, and the Ma in Rome is the Ma from Martai Ruoxi,” linking “Rome” (罗马) to the characters’ Qing dynasty family names through shared Chinese characters. It makes absolutely no sense in English, which somehow makes it even funnier. 😭

Now Chinese tourists are lining up to recreate the scene: one person standing under the “cloak,” another kneeling in front like Ruoxi in the rain. Meanwhile, Italian locals are reportedly watching in total confusion, wondering why this statue suddenly became the site of a very confusing Asian ritual.