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.

　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.

　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.

春風輕拂，高雄公園綠地與道路行道樹陸續迎來花開時節，其中原生樹種苦楝（楝樹）也悄悄綻放，一串串淡紫色圓錐花序在枝梢間輕盈搖曳，散發淡淡清香，正所謂「紫絲暈粉綴鮮花，綠羅布葉飛煙霞」，將城市景觀點綴詩畫般的夢幻場景，為城市增添一抹低調而優雅的春日景色，也吸引不少市民駐足欣賞。…