Houtong Cat Bridge

Updates : 2024-05-13

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Introduction

The Cat Bridge was originally a pedestrian bridge for local residents after the construction of Houtong Train Station in 1970. After the place became famous as "Cat Village" in 2009, increasing tourists have relied on the pedestrian bridge of the train station to proceed to the Cat Village and Houtong Coal Mine Ecological Park. Due to the response from local residents that the pedestrian bridge was too old and narrow, New Taipei City Government decided to renovate the bridge and started the renovation construction project of the "Pedestrian Bridge between Houtong Train Station and the Cat Village" from 2012. By taking local residents' suggestions as references, the new bridge added features of the Cat Village by combining the images of local coal mines, cats and tunnels to create a one and only "Cat Bridge". Inside the bridge, trails, photos and illustrations of cats can be seen and platforms for cats to pass and jump were also added. In 2013, it won the recognition of the Public Construction Golden Quality Award.

How to Get There

Choose a transportation method based on your departure location.

Datong, Dadong Mountains

Datong is known as Shulin’s backyard garden. To climb this 237-meter-high mountain, you can start heading upward from Lane 45, Section 2, Baoan Street, or Lane 312, Daan Road. At the Nanliao Fude Temple beside the Earth God statue is the starting point of a trail. From the pavilion at top, you can look out over the Taipei Basin.

Liulang Road Scenic Trail

The Liulang Road Scenic Trail is one of the busiest tourist routes in the Shuinandong/Jinguashi/Jiufen region. The name ;Liulang; originates from the term "liu-long;, which is a local slang for gondola lifts. In the past, traffic problems in Jiufen led to the construction of a light rail connecting Ruifang to Jinguashi, but a stretch of terrain that became Liulang Road of today proved too steep for rail construction, so a gondola was built to transport passengers between the light rail stations.In principle, the Liulang Road Scenic Trail follows the original route of the light trail and gondola. The cliffs en route consist mainly of tough rocks. These rocks house gold urns containing the remains of past gold miners.