Hong-Mei

**Hong-Mei the Chinese Number 1 Tank Engine** is a supporting character in the Seventyverse and is the first engine of the Chinese Railway from China.

## Backstory

Hong-Mei took part in the Shunting Challenge at the Great Railway Show in Canada, competing against Ivan, Logan, Gina and Natalie. Although Hong-Mei won the challenge and celebrated her victory, Ivan pointed out that she didn't beat Percy's record from two years prior, much to her frustration. This didn't stop the Chinese tank engine from bragging about it though.

When Percy visited China, Hong Mei challenged him to a race. However, as the two tank engines raced along, Hong-Mei's trucks kept spilling stone and her driver had to stop her each time so the stone could be picked up and put back in the trucks. Percy won the race and Hong-Mei challenge him to a rematch. This soon led to Hong-Mei derailing when she hit some trucks that fell from her trucks. Percy brought the breakdown train to lift her back on the tracks and with him, was Hong-Mei's controller, Ms. Kim who was not pleased with Hong-Mei's behaviour. Hong-Mei would later try to play a trick on Percy about dragons, which soon backfired on her. She would also biff Lei too hard, causing the magenta van to run away, but Yong Bao saved the van from crashing.

When Percy was picked to take a film crew to film a documentary about the giant pandas, Hong-Mei grew jealous and whilst taking a new bamboo water wheel to the main village, she went too fast and ended up on the wrong line. Dai Yu warned her about the bridge and Hong-Mei tried to stop but it was too late. Hongi-Mei crashes through the barrier and plunged into the river. Luckily, Dai Yu had the breakdown train on standby. Yong Bao came to help too and bought Ms. Kim with him. Once again, the Chinese controller was furious and when Hong-Mei tried to blame Percy, Yong Bao, having had enough of Hong-Mei childish behaviour, told her that it was all Hong-Mei's fault and not Percy's. Ms. Kim then ordered to Hong-Mei to apologise to Percy before he returned to Sodor and when Hongi-Mei was at the works, waiting for repairs, Percy arrived. It was then that Hong-Mei apologised, explaining that she was cross that she learnt that Percy had gotten a better time in the Shunting Challenge than her and that she wanted to use Percy's presence to try to be better than him at racing. When Percy explained he wasn't trying to be better than her, the two tank engines soon became friends.

## Relationships

### Percy

Hong-Mei was cross to learn that Percy had set a better time at the Shunting Challenge than her, so when the green saddletank engine came to China, Hong-Mei got competitive and jealous of him. This led to her getting into trouble multiple times. After Hong-Mei's accident in the river, she apologized to Percy and the two became friends.

## Personality

Hong-Mei is a good-natured but cheeky tank engine from China who loves to race. She is also blue like Thomas and out to prove she's the No. 1 blue engine. Like Thomas, she can be careless and hasty at times, but always tries to make up for it. Hong-Mei can also be competitive and jealous, as was shown with Percy during his visit to China.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Hong-Mei is based on a China Railways GJ 0-6-0T class. 122 members of this class were built and primarily saw industrial use in places such as steelworks, with some remaining into service well into the 2000s. In addition to service in China, some members of the class worked in North Korea and Vietnam. Five members of this class are preserved.

### Livery

Hong-Mei is painted royal blue with yellow lining and a red stripe along each of her side tanks. Her handrails, boiler bands and cylinder lining are brass, her wheels are red with light grey rims and her number 1 is painted on the sides of her tanks in yellow. Before she was bought for Ms. Kim's railway, she was numbered GJ-1022 (a reference to the season she debuted in during Thomas and Friends). However, it's unknown when this engine was built, withdrawn and scrapped in real life.

## Differences between Thomas and Friends and the SeventyVerse

* In the original episodes, Thomas met Hong-Mei during his visit to China and the race was to prove which one was the better number one tank engine. In this series, it was Percy who visited China and Hong-Mei challenged him to the race, spurred on by jealously as Percy had set a better time in the Shunting Challenge than her.