Kaohsiung MRT’s famous cat has a new collab with Beigang Chaotian Temple

Kaohsiung MRT’s famous cat has a new collab with Beigang Chaotian Temple

2026-01-22

Mikan the cat station stationmaster has two new, formidable looks! This Saturday, Kaohsiung MRT is debuting a special livery featuring Mikan in a Beigang Chaotian Temple procession. Ahead of the big day, a fan of Mikan made him two on-theme costumes: one for the Tiger Deity and another for the Mazu procession. Check out the looks and see why so many people worship cats.

Mikan the Stationmaster is channeling the formidable Tiger Deity in this costume. Looking on with a steady and fierce gaze, he’s both adorable and dashing. His other new look is modeled after Beigang Chaotian Temple’s procession robes. Worshippers may want to pray to him instead.

Caroline Chang
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation
It’s a collab between cats and gods. We have a red costume for Mazu processions, and another for the Tiger Deity. They’re really festive, too.

Kaohsiung MRT has teamed up with Beigang Chaotian Temple in Yunlin to unveil a special livery this Saturday. Ahead of the big day, a fan of Mikan made him these two costumes, which he gladly posed in for promotional photos.

Member of public
Mikan fan
I like both looks. My favorite is the Tiger Deity, because it’s super cute. He looks just like a little tiger.

Member of public
Mikan fan
The collab is really special. It’s great to see our licensing industry team up with folk religion for a really special crossover.

Sora Yu
Cosplayer
Making costumes is a hobby of mine. I thought Mikan would look really cute in those costumes, so I made them.

This collab between the Beigang Chaotian Temple and Mikan the Stationmaster has become the latest talk of town, even before the livery’s debut. Kaohsiung residents can’t wait to catch a glimpse of the stunning visuals. What’s more, you can catch Mikan himself in these costumes, in a meet-and-greet event, on Jan. 31.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#kaohsiung #cat #cute #travel #folkreligion

高捷攜手北港朝天宮蜜柑站長"虎袍加身"亮相

2026-01-22

高雄捷運和雲林北港朝天宮合作，即將在這週六舉辦聯名暨彩繪列車首航記者會。活動開始前，蜜柑站長穿上北港朝天宮轎班服以及虎爺戰袍亮相，為活動提前造勢，超萌模樣曝光，讓不少粉絲線上大暴動。

蜜柑站長穿上黃色的虎爺戰袍，張著水汪汪大眼睛，乖乖坐著東看西看，可愛中帶有滿滿的帥氣感。另外還有這一套，朝天宮轎班服，縮小版的服裝，穿在貓站長身上，可愛爆表。

[[高捷公共事務處媒體事務組經理張珏瑋]]
“貓界跟神界的聯名合作，我們有一套紅色的是媽祖的轎班服，還有我們虎爺會有虎爺的轎班服，增添了非常多過年的喜氣。”

高雄捷運與雲林北港朝天宮合作，即將在這週六舉辦聯名暨彩繪列車首航活動，在活動都還沒開始前，就有粉絲把朝天宮的服裝，打造成適合蜜柑的縮小版，蜜柑穿上為活動提前預告。

[[民眾]]
“兩個我其實都很喜歡，我最喜歡的是虎爺的那一款，因為超級可愛，牠就好像一隻小老虎的感覺。”

[[民眾]]
“聯名是蠻難得，看到我們台灣IP產業，跟神明有做一個比較異業特別的結合。”

[[蜜柑粉絲小空]]
“做衣服是我的興趣，我就覺得穿在蜜柑身上應該會很可愛，就把它做出來了。”

雲林北港朝天宮這回與蜜柑站長跨界合作，還沒正式登場就已經掀起滿滿話題，也讓民眾迫不及待，想搶拍貓站長穿新衣的模樣，高捷公司表示，蜜柑將在這個月31號的見面會變裝，穿著新衣，與大家見面。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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The famous Houtong Cat Village was once home to over 200 cats, but now there are less than 30. Residents say this is because of more cats being neutered, as well as tourists feeding them too many treats. In addition, the local office that once cared for these cats is no longer running. The village chief says the animal protection office should start a breeding program so that the cat village continues to live up to its name.

Two cats happily chase each other across a field. Nearby, a tabby cat and calico affectionately greet visitors. This is New Taipei’s famous Houtong Cat Village. But recently, people have noticed the number of cats there is dwindling.

There are less than I thought there would be.
There aren’t that many cats.

There were once over 200 cats living in the Houtong Cat Village, with people responsible for feeding them and vets from the animal protection office often visiting. But today there are less than 30. A big reason for this is that more cats are being neutered, but residents also think that tourists fed them too many treats. If cats eat too much salty food, it could cause kidney failure.

Houtong resident
It’s split into areas, so our area originally had 40 cats. Now, counting the old and new cats, there are only seven left. Tube treats are too salty. Cats can’t eat it all the time. It’s just a snack they can have when getting their claws cut or with medicine. Everyone feeds them these, but it’s too salty and impacts kidney function.

Chou Chin-yi
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At most there were one or two hundred of them, maybe more than the people, but now there are fewer and fewer. I think the animal protection and cat public offices should be responsible for breeding cats and releasing them when they are a little bigger. You could put microchips in them.

New Taipei previously set up a cat public office in Houtong Village, commissioning a team to run it. But that team ended their contract, and the city is still looking for a new one, leaving residents to care for the cats at the moment. The local village chief suggested running a breeding program to boost the cat population, so the village can continue to live up to its name.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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This juice stand has a large following thanks to great fruit

A fresh fruit juice stall at the Taitung Tourism Night Market has such delicious juice that it’s gained a large following. The proprietor, Lo Yung-feng, has even won awards. Lo has established long-term relationships with local farmers that enable him to find the highest quality fruit. What’s less well known is that Lo was once a prison instructor and is devoted to promoting good health. Let’s meet Lo.

First the pineapple is washed with water.

Then the fruit is chopped and sliced on the spot. The proprietor is working quickly, aiming to maintain the freshness of the fruit.

A dragon fruit is added and there’s the same process. Even its weight must be calculated precisely.

It’s all put in a blender and ice cubes are added. Pineapple and dragon fruit juice, it’s fresh and delicious.

Whether it’s papaya, watermelon or pineapple, cups of fresh fruit are displayed in front of the stall, and many people are queuing up. This fresh juice stall is quite famous in Taitung Tourism Night Market because of its freshly extracted fruit juice and hygienic conditions.

Lo Yung-feng
Taiwan Tourism Night Market stall keeper
When I was younger, I was working a regular job and didn’t have much to do in the evenings, so I started doing a side business at the night market. I started with bubble tea but in recent years I’ve come to realize that health is more important than anything else. So I thought I’d sell healthy fresh fruit juice.

The proprietor was originally a rehabilitation instructor who taught inmates skills in prison. After clocking off from work, he and his wife moonlighted at the night market selling cups of boba. He retired ten years ago and a plasticizer scandal led him to believe that health is more important than anything else. This prompted Lo Yung-feng to switch from selling bubble tea to selling healthy fruit juice.

Lo Yung-feng
Taiwan Tourism Night Market stall keeper
The idea of eating seasonal, local produce is to encourage consumers to enjoy the
ingredients of each region they visit—they are the freshest and most delicious.

Eating seasonal fruits is the freshest and tastiest way to enjoy them, but turning them into fruit juice for sale is not something anyone can do. Lo puts in a lot of effort to produce the highest quality juice.

Lo Yung-feng
Taiwan Tourism Night Market stall keeper
After working with them for a long time, you’ll know which fruit farmers have fruit with excellent sweetness and quality. That’s based on experience.

His years of accumulated experience have enabled him to find local fruit farmers with high-quality produce and he’s cooperated with them for the long-term. His high standards for the production process have also earned him many awards.

With cups in their hands, people are happily drinking. This retired prison instructor may be busy, but he is also living a fulfilling life.

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Inferno in Keelung residential building leaves 2 dead, 4 injured

A man and a woman were killed and a further four people were injured after a fire broke out in a residential building in Keelung. Investigators discovered that there was clutter piled to the ceiling in the apartment where the fire broke out, which impeded rescue efforts. The man killed was Chan Neng-chieh, a squad leader with the Keelung City Fire Department’s Renai branch. Before he was killed, he rushed into the burning building three times to rescue people, even giving his own oxygen mask to a resident. Let’s find out more about this heroic fire fighter and how the fire started.

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Thick white smoke fills the air. The firefighters are racing against time, rushing into the flames to rescue people who were trapped and bring them out, one by one.

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I can’t get out; I have to crawl.
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Building resident
There was a strong odor of plastic. It was big—building after building. Some places had their doors locked; even when you knocked, no one answered. Everyone was asleep.

The inferno occurred late in the night on Jan. 21 in a residential building on Leli 3rd Street in Anle District, Keelung. The fire started on the second floor, where a large amount of clutter had been hoarded, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Chan Neng-chieh, a squad leader with the Keelung City Fire Department’s Ren-ai Branch, and the homeowner’s daughter both lost their lives, bringing the total toll to two dead, four injured.

Upon closer inspection, clutter had been piled almost to the ceiling, obstructing movements and making search and rescue extremely difficult. It’s suspected that the fire broke out in the living room. The homeowner said that before the fire broke out, she saw the intercom at the door appearing to be short-circuiting and emitting sparks. After the fire was extinguished, fire investigators found that even more than 10 hours later, residual voltage of 90 volts was still detected in the walls. They suspect that the fire caused internal wiring to melt and short-circuit, or that the issue stemmed from the building’s shared electrical lines. As a result, the walls became electrically charged, turning the walls into an invisible killer that rescue personnel could not see. One firefighter was injured after being electrocuted.

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The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is undeniable that the mountain of clutter piled inside the apartment, coupled with the weird electrical currents running through the walls, was the chief culprit behind this blaze and the heavy casualties it caused.

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Alex Honnold readies for Saturday’s high-stakes climb up Taipei 101

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I think safety is more important.

If it’s too dangerous, meaning the winds are too strong, it could put him at risk, making it not such a great idea.

Of course not! It’s too dangerous. It’s safer to use ropes.

People in Taipei believe safety should come first, and that the event should be postponed if it rains.

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At a seminar titled “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” hosted by Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, US de facto Ambassador Raymond Greene gave a speech on US-Taiwan cooperation for a secure and prosperous future. He talked extensively about Taiwan’s security.

What Taiwan’s service members need now are the tools to accomplish their mission. That is why President Lai Ching-te’s commitment to increasing Taiwan’s defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030, including through the 1.25 trillion NTD special budget, is so critical.What Taiwan’s service members need now are the tools to accomplish their mission. That is why President Lai Ching-te’s commitment to increasing Taiwan’s defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030, including through the 1.25 trillion NTD special budget, is so critical.What Taiwan’s service members need now are the tools to ccomplish their mission. That is why President Lai Ching-te’s commitment to increasing Taiwan’s defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030, including through the NT$1.25 trillion special budget, is so critical.

Greene stressed the importance of the NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget proposed by the Lai administration and promised that the US would deliver critical defense systems needed by Taiwan as soon as possible.

Raymond Greene
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The Lai administration’s focus on acquiring low-cost, asymmetric systems like drones and anti-ship missiles, resilient and distributed communications and battlefield awareness capabilities, and integrated air and missile defenses completely aligns with what Taiwan’s military needs most. The United States is fully committed to delivering critical systems as quickly as possible.

Greene also revealed that the US is already in cooperation with Taiwan on various projects, including drone supply chains, AI-powered autonomous systems and expanding defense armaments cooperation programs. Northrop Grumman has installed a medium caliber ammunition test range in Taiwan.

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The objective of all of these efforts is to establish conditions for dialogue free from coercion. The United States has always insisted on the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences.
Even though the US has signaled goodwill, the opposition remains unmoved.

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Even if we gave you NTS1.25 trillion or NT$950 billion, would you, Lai Ching-te, guarantee that the PRC’s military aircraft would never dare cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait again?

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They pretend to be blind and deaf, unwilling to listen or see. KMT and TPP lawmakers, I urge you to show some restraint. I can hardly imagine how much of Taiwan’s development will be obstructed over the next two years.

Strengthening Taiwan’s national defense faces challenges from opposition parties. The US is also stepping up its efforts to help Taiwan remain secure.

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