An elderly man calmly reads the newspaper in a flooded cafe.

An image of an elderly man sitting and reading a newspaper while enjoying a drink in a flooded cafe in Hong Kong has attracted thousands of likes on social media.

The elderly man reads the newspaper and drinks coffee despite the flooding. Photo: TV Most

The photo, taken at a cafe in Chai Wan district, went viral online after being shared on Facebook by Hong Kong's online video platform TV Most.

"The newspaper said it would rain today, but I forgot my umbrella," the page captioned the photo in Chinese, attracting 19,000 likes and 1,500 comments.

The moment above was captured byKristy Chan, a 23-year-old healthcare worker, took the photo. She told the BBC that she was taking pictures of the flooding to show her family when she passed the elderly man, who was sitting near the entrance to a supermarket. She didn't expect the photo to attract so much attention because there were other people inside the store as well.

"That's nice. Maybe he's an experienced man, so the flooding doesn't bother him," she said.

This week's heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in Hong Kong, but the photo above has sparked optimism among residents. "Look, it's just rain, nothing to be afraid of. I won't be afraid of flooding anymore. Let's be as happy as him," one person wrote.

"Let the rain stop, this old man can't have coffee another day," another person commented.

According to VNE