{ NEWS } Cat-friendly overpass to be unveiled in ‘Cat Town’

Cat-friendly overpass to be unveiled in ‘Cat Town’      Sun, Mar 24, 2013

A 60m long overpass furnished with cat stands and cat furniture is to be unveiled on March 30 in the Houtong (猴硐) area of New Taipei City’s (新北市) Ruifang District (瑞芳), where the presence of a large cat population has been a big tourist draw in recent years.

The town used to be one of the country’s largest coalmining sites, but it is now focused on its other natural resource: stray cats.

Over the years, the town has become home to an estimated 100 cats.

As Houtong is currently being renovated, city officials said it was a good opportunity to install cat-friendly facilities.

“We must take the cats’ needs into consideration because they have become an important part of the town,” city official Chen Ching-fang said.

She added that she hoped the bridge will reflect the harmonious coexistence of the town’s residents and the cats, as well as promote animal protection.

The overpass cost NT$18 million (US$602,600) and took eight months to build. It is expected to not only benefit cats, but also attract cat-lovers, Chen said.

The cats will be able to walk, relax and interact with pedestrians on the overpass.

Since 2009, Houtong has been nicknamed “Cat Town” after news was published about its large cat population.

The town attracts many tourists, especially on weekends, Chen said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/03/24/2003557870

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        Two years age, I have been to Houtong. In my memory, there was a beautiful small town with many cute cats. Now, it is full of tourists to see and play the stray cats. Because of more and more tourists, the government also began planning and construction. This overpass is one of the construction. On the other hand, the volunteers feed the cats in regular time. They also take the cats to see the doctor. I think the government should notice the problems of tourists numbers. That will be better to the cats and people in Houtong.

A memorable teacher

Everyone will have a chance to learn something from someone or something and it will change us a lot. One person who influenced me a lot was my teacher “Anna Chang” who taught me the meaning of compromising with others.

    I recall when I was a junior college student, I quarreled with my classmate over trivial details. Because of our stubborn and opinionated personalities, we both refused to compromise with each other. Afterwards, we hadn't talked to each other for whole summer semester. With the passing of time, I felt very depressed and painful. Therefore, I decided to ask Anna what I should do.

    Anna told me, “In one sense, compromise doesn't necessary mean that you give up your principle. In other words, it can produce more harmony and reduce the hostility in your relationship between people.”

    After listening to her words, I decided to compromise with my friend and apologize for my impulsive action. To my surprise, she also said sorry to me. Even now, we are still best friends. Anna changed my thinking of compromise, though I haven’t seen her for a long time, I still remember her very much. 

Long Time No See

        A month ago, my elementary classmate, Cherrie, invited me to join a facebook group. That is surprise to me to see many elementary classmates also join that, including some I didn’t meet them for a long time. We dated for dinner or KTV someday this month.