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| Jiasian Cat Year: Reimagining Jiasian District Through Art and Memory |
◎Written by Li Siao-ping
◎Translation by Lin Yu-ciao
◎Photos by Cindy Lee, Huang Jing-wun
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Kaohsiung's Jiasian District（甲仙區）is the gateway to the Southern Cross-Island Highway（南橫公路）, a spectacular high-altitude road connecting the southwest of Taiwan with Taitung in the east. Jiasian itself has long been known for its taro, bamboo shoots, and plums. In 2025, however, the district gradually reinvented itself through the Jiasian Cat Year Project. |
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| Photo by Cindy Lee |
Jiasian is not a town overrun by cats—so why make cats the central theme? Lin Wei-ling（林瑋凌）, chairperson of the Jiasian Image Business District Promotion Association（甲仙形象商圈促進會）, explains that Jiasian's affectionate relationship with cats dates back to the 1970s and 1980s. At the time, residents fed cats in the back alleys, turning narrow lanes into secret pathways where children played with felines. This childhood memory of “cats and back alleys” inspired the creation of the first “Cat Alley” in 2015, a mural street jointly painted by local residents and schools. The project was further expanded in 2025. According to project advisor Huang Cong-jyun（黃琮駿）, its core concept is “using cats to tell stories in a town without cats.” Once a shared memory, cats have been transformed into a symbolic presence that invites visitors to pause, explore, and imagine. |
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| Photo by Huang Jing-wun |
Initiated by Lin Wei-ling with support from the graffiti art team CITYMARX, the Cat Year Project invited artists from around the world to take up residencies. Dutch artist Fleks and French artist Doom created Godzilla Meow and The Coolest Little Town, respectively; Taiwanese artists COLASA and Mr. Ogay collaborated on Hundred Cats; and Hong Kong artist SINIC produced Cats in Bloom, Fortune Abounds. During the creation process, local residents bridged language barriers by offering tea and snacks to the artists, creating moments of warmth where community spirit and art resonated deeply. |
Stretching from Jiasian Commercial District to Jhongsiao Road and Linsen Road, the artworks form a new travel route. Visitors are invited to follow the trail of cat paw prints and write their own chapter in the story of this mountain town. |
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| Photo by Huang Jing-wun |
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