Fifth Day in Taiwan
July 6– Houtong
I started my day a little late today. I had a meeting at 8:30am, then I did laundry from 10am-12:30pm. I had lunch at a nearby cafe while my clothes were drying, and the food was very tasty. I got a pork and egg sandwich with peanut butter. Interesting combination, but I thought it tasted good. When I got back to pick up my laundry, my clothes were still wet. The dryers in our hotel are not very good… I think I’ll either go to a laundromat or dry my clothes on my own next time.
After I finished my laundry, I went with Emily, Lauren, and Jess to Houtong. The trip was a little long. We had to ride the MRT to Beimen, ride a tourist shuttle for 30 minutes, then take a train to Houtong. On the way back, we had to ride the train for an hour then the MRT for a few stops. Our total travel time was approximately two hours. However, I really enjoyed the cat village. Although it was rainy, there were lots of cute cats. One of the stores even had kittens we could play with. I bought a couple of cat souvenirs, and I looked around where the cats’ lived in their homes. It was a little sad seeing so many stray cats. I looked up why Houtong has so many cats, and I found out it is because the town used to be a thriving coal mine, but when the business died and people moved away, many residents abandoned their cats there. I was grateful to at least see shelters made for the cats, especially because a typhoon was going to hit tonight.
I crossed the bridge with Lauren, and we stopped at a nearby Buddhist temple.
I saw stairs to go up a nearby mountain, so I prayed for our safety while hiking because it was raining. We were very cautious since it was raining a lot, and there was a nearby sign that said beware of falling rocks. We hiked up part of the mountain until we reached a platform and took pictures, then we went down because we thought it was too risky to keep going higher.
When we went back to the village, the worker in the Vision Center was very concerned for us because of the typhoon. When we left, she said be careful there’s a typhoon tonight all the way from her desk, and I nodded to acknowledge her. Then she ran to the doorway and asked if “you guys” knew about the typhoon tonight. At first, I didn’t think she was talking to us because I already acknowledged her when she told us about the typhoon earlier. Then she stopped us again, grabbed Lauren's arm, and asked if we were prepared and had umbrellas for the typhoon. I nodded and said “mhm,” then I told Lauren to grab her umbrella because the woman kept talking about the typhoon. I was a little confused why she kept telling us the same thing even after I acknowledged her. Then she told us to wait, and she started pulling out her phone for a translator. She walked up to us with the same sentence in Google translate about how there is a typhoon tonight and to be careful. I told her I understood, and I left. This entire interaction made me realize how differently people in Taiwan treat me depending on who I am with. If I am alone, they would acknowledge my nod and let me be. But because they heard me speaking English with my friends, they assume my nod is because I just smile and nod and have no idea what they say. I noticed if I am in a group with non-Chinese students, people tend to speak to me in English and treat me like a foreigner. When I am alone, they speak to me in Mandarin and treat me like a native. I’ve also noticed this when I commute alone versus with non-Chinese students. On the MRT, nobody blinks an eye, but if I am with a non-Asian student, people start to stare. Some people will even whisper to their friends saying “look, it’s a foreigner,” or children will yell the same thing and point. It’s really strange to witness this as someone who grew up as a minority.
Academic Reflection
I learned a lot about Houtong. It is way more than just a cat village. In fact, the name 猴硐 came from a nearby cave that monkeys lived in. The village was originally a coal mining town. During the Japanese colonial era, coal mining in Taiwan was very popular. It was a booming industry. However, the coal mining industry dissipated in Taiwan and moved to cheaper countries overseas. The coal mining history of Houtong is evident of the industrial and post-industrial eras of Taiwan. It is also evident of Japanese colonial influence because coal mining was a booming industry during Japanese rule.
Houtong was also known for its railroads, which are still there today. I got to walk on a tall bridge with a railroad. The view from the bridge was beautiful. There was also a minecart railroad attraction where tourists could pay 150 NTD to ride in. The cart goes through the coal mining tunnel and around parts of the village. The railroads of Houtong are evident of Taiwan's industrial history.
After the coal mining industry collapsed, many residents of Houtong packed up and left. Therefore, many cats were abandoned and left there today. Furthermore, a local resident of Houtong began to encourage other residents to take in stray cats. Therefore, the Houtong cat movement began in 2008. There are so many cats in Houtong. When I got off the train, there was one in the station. There were also a lot just roaming around in the roads, in shops, and on the sidewalk. The cats also bring in lots of business for the village as Houtong is now known as THE cat village. All the shops are cat themed, and there are lots of cat decorations and merchandise throughout the village. The cat village is symbolic of Taiwan's cat-loving culture. In fact, the first cat cafe in the world was established in Taipei, emphasizing the country's love for cats. After the first cat cafe was established, the trend began to spread globally. There are also cat cafes in the United States, though they are not as popular as in Taiwan. I feel like the U.S. tends to prefers dogs over cats, which is the biggest difference I noticed when I visited Houtong. In Houtong, there were so many cat lovers. The cat cafes being popular in Taiwan shocked me as well because I was so familiar with the dog-loving culture back in the U.S.
