Houtong Cat Village

Coordinates: 25°05′13.5″N 121°49′35.8″E / 25.087083°N 121.826611°E / 25.087083; 121.826611

Houtong Cat Village

The Houtong Cat Village (Chinese: 猴硐貓村; pinyin: Hóudòng Māo Cūn) is a village in Ruifang District, New Taipei, Taiwan famous for its cats population.[1]

Name

Houtong was originally called Hou Dong which means monkey cave due to the existence of cave inhabited by monkeys in the early days.

History

Houtong was once a rich small mining town in Ruifang, renowned for its well-preserved culture surrounding its railway, which was built during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. During its prosperous years, the area produced around 220,000 tons of coal per year, the largest coal output of a single area in Taiwan. This attracted many immigrants to the area, which further spurred the town's growth to as many as 900 households with a population of more than 6,000 people. The last facility built in the area was a coal purification factory, built in 1920.[2]

As the coal mining industry began to decline in the 1990s, the area declined. Young residents started to emigrate to look for other opportunities and only few hundred residents remained. The mining industry eventually died out.[3]

However, things have taken a turn for the better once again since 2008, when a local cat lover organized volunteers to give abandoned cats a better life. They posted the cats' pictures online and an received overwhelming response from other cat lovers around the nation. Soon, Houtong became a center for cat lovers as word spread and the number of cats living in Houtong grew bigger, thus reviving a declining village into a tourist destination.

Features

The village features shops, cafes and relaxing places for tourists. It is also located near the origin of the Keelung River. The pristine, green waters of the river are accessible via steps.

Access to the Keelung River is available via stairway

Walk and Taste Cafe

Transportation

The village is accessible from Houtong Station of Taiwan Railways Administration.[4]

From Jiufen, it is approximately 10 minutes and NT 350 by taxi, which makes it a good secondary destination after Jiufen if planning a day trip.

Houtong is also the origin of two trails which can be hiked to reach Jiufen.

Notes

The cats which have been sterilized have one of their ears trimmed to the indicate that it's been fixed. This helps to keep check on the local population of cats and also helps identify new cats which enter into the village.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Houtong Cat Village.

References

  1. ↑ "Houtong Cat Village, Taiwan - Amusing Planet".
  2. ↑ http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2013/11/09/393242/Taiwans-cat.htm
  3. ↑ Preston Phro (24 June 2014). "Visiting Taiwan’s cat village, where the cats are ready for cuddles!【Photos】 - RocketNews24". RocketNews24.
  4. ↑ "【景點悠遊】20140601猴硐貓村-萌芽悠遊網-萌芽網頁".
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