Longjiaosun
| Other name | 龍蕉Sun |
|---|---|
| Species | Felis catus |
| Born | Probably Mingjian |
| Occupation | Station master |
| Employer | Jiji Township Office |
| Years active | 2022–2023 |
| Residence | Jiji railway station |
| Appearance | Orange fur |
| Named after | Dragon fruits, bananas, and the sun |
Longjiaosun (龍蕉Sun) is the former cat station master of Jiji railway station in Nantou County, Taiwan. Longjiaosun was adopted from a local animal shelter in November 2021, in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the railway station the following year. That year would also be the year of the Tiger, and Jiji authorities were promoting leopard cat conservation. The cat was named after dragon fruits and bananas, both produced near Jiji, combined with the warmth of the sun. Longjiaosun worked at the station five days a week. On 11 June 2023, Longjiaosun was laid off due to upcoming renovations at the station, and retired to his caretaker's house.
Installation
Jiji railway station in Nantou County, Taiwan, on the Jiji branch line, was built in 1922 to transport construction materials to Sun Moon Lake. After reconstruction in 2001, it began to be used primarily for tourism.[1] In the lead up to its 100th anniversary, the railway station began to search for a cat to adopt as a station master. At the time the town was raising awareness of leopard cat conservation, as well as preparing for the upcoming year of the Tiger. It was felt that a station cat could both promote the care of strays and contribute to the awareness of leopard cats, which are often confused with domestic cats. A reportedly very friendly orange cat was selected from the Nantou Animal Shelter on 19 November 2021. This cat had been caught in Mingjian that October, and turned over to the shelter, which neutered it. The cat was formally adopted by the Jiji Township Office and the owner of a local banana-related tourist site. Public input was requested to find a name. The time between the adoption and the station's centennial would be used to acclimatize the cat to its new surroundings.[2]
On 14 January 2022 the railway station commemorated its centennial, and Longjiaosun was introduced as the new station master. The name Longjiaosun (龍蕉Sun) was created by a five-year-old girl from Shuili, and selected via online voting.[1] It combines parts of the words for dragon fruit (火龍果, huǒlóngguǒ) and banana (香蕉, xiāngjiāo), both grown in the local area, with the warmth of the sun.[3][4] The event was attended by the Mayor of Jiji, as well as Mikan, the cat station master of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery metro station who travelled north from Kaohsiung for the event. 1,000 commemorative tickets were created for the event, selling out within an hour.[5] Cross-promotion was continued with Mikan over Instagram.[6]
Following the opening, Longjiaosun began working from Thursday to Monday, with two days off each week reportedly to comply with Taiwanese labor laws.[1] Longjiaosun lived in a house nearby, and was picked up and dropped off by a station worker.[7] Reportedly Longjiaosun noticeably gained weight during his first year at the railway station.[8]
Retirement
On 26 May 2023, it was announced via social media that due to upcoming renovations, Longjiaosun would be laid off after 11 June.[3] The renovations would change the purpose of some of the station's spaces, and it was thought it would no longer be suitable for a cat.[7] The township office stated Longjiaosun would temporarily move to the banana tourist site.[9] It also confirmed that the adoptive mother who cared for Longjiaosun during non-work hours would continue this role, and would still update the cat's social media profiles.[10]
References
- ^ a b c Wu Jianhui (14 January 2022). "南投集集車站歡慶百歲生日 「龍蕉Sun」貓站長正式就任". China Times. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Liu Binquan (劉濱銓) (19 November 2021). "集集明年也有貓站長囉 火車站建站百年選定喵星人開始培訓". The Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b Lü Xinlu (呂欣潞) (29 May 2023). "集集貓站長遭資遣「粉絲氣炸急連署」 灌爆鎮公所信箱：別遺棄牠". ETtoday.net (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Xiao Yulin (蕭郁霖) (29 May 2023). "集集貓站長被資遣「兩週後失業」 民眾不捨灌爆公所信箱求情". mnews. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ Liu Binquan (劉濱銓) (15 January 2022). "《南投》集集站慶百年 萌貓龍蕉Sun、蜜柑相見歡". The Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Hei Zhongliang (黑中亮) (21 January 2022). "集集貓站長龍蕉Sun狀況良好 南投家畜所突擊稽查過關". United Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b Lü Xinlu (呂欣潞) (29 May 2023). "集集貓站長周休2日「心情不好免上班」 突遭資遣...飼主媽回應了". ETtoday.net (in Chinese). Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Jin Yungeng (金芸亘) (25 November 2025). "【台語新聞】集集貓站長"龍蕉sun"超萌 就職滿1周年". Chinese Television System. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Wu Shuping (吳淑萍); Chen Jiagui (陳嘉貴) (29 May 2023). "貓站長「龍蕉SUN」將卸任 粉絲把握機會「撸貓」". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ "集集車站萌貓站長「龍蕉SUN」將卸任 粉絲不捨：連署留貓". The Liberty Times (in Chinese). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
