BREAKING NEWS
Cloud Server Hosting For Online Businesses
Inexpensive SEO Services
Benefits of Wanting to play Free Online Slot machines
Think Think and Ah Tsai

Summary

Think Think (Chinese: 想想; pinyin: Xiǎngxiǎng) and Ah Tsai (阿才; Ācái) are two cats belonging to the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen. Think Think is a female gray tabby, while Ah Tsai is a male ginger tabby.[1][2]

Think Think and Ah Tsai
Think Think
Ah Tsai
Other name(s)Xiǎngxiǎng or 'Cookie'; and Ācái
SpeciesCat
SexFemale and Male
BornTaiwan
Nation fromTaiwanese
OccupationPresidential cats
Notable roleCompanionship, election support
OwnerTsai Ing-wen
ResidenceOfficial Residence of the President (Republic of China)

Origin of the cats edit

Think Think was adopted by Tsai in 2012,[2] after being brought to her as a homeless kitten by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Hsiao Bi-khim. Hsiao had found the kitten on a muddy road by a railway station near Hualien after Typhoon Saola.[citation needed] Ah Tsai (meaning 'talent') was a farm cat, and a gift from a friend during Tsai's presidential campaign.[1] The cat was found near a pineapple field in Taitung County in eastern Taiwan.[3]

Prior to her election as president, Tsai lived in a modest apartment with the two cats.[4] Think Think was originally skinny, covered in mud and suffering from skin diseases – but soon recovered under Tsai's care.[5] Tsai says that the cats generally get along well with each other, but do fight occasionally.[6]

Social media updates edit

 
Tsai visiting the Hsinchu Animal Protection Education Park in July 2020
 
Tsai being presented with a picture of herself and her two cats.

During her presidency, Tsai has regularly posted social media updates which include her cats, and these are popular.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of these posts discouraged Taiwanese citizens from performing April Fools' Day pranks which involved false rumours. Posting a picture of herself with one of the cats, she said: "...we can exercise our sense of humor...but we can’t make jokes about the pandemic, to avoid breaking the law", and: "I wish everybody not only a humorous, but also healthy and safe April Fools’ Day".[8]

When baseball games resumed after Taiwan's pandemic lockdown was partially lifted, with the Chinatrust Brothers taking on the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, Tsai posted a picture of herself watching the game at home, accompanied by one of the cats.[9] A new Twitter hashtag – #ThisAttackComeFromTaiwan – aims to welcome overseas visitors to Taiwan after the pandemic, and includes images of Taiwanese landscapes, bubble tea, and Tsai's cats.[10]

In 2019, Tsai posted pictures on social media of Ah Tsai attentively watching television, and enjoying the Animal Channel.[11] On Valentine's Day in 2019, Tsai's message to citizens featured the two cats.[3] In the lead up to the 2020 election, Tsai advised her supporters to ignore 'fake news' about the cats' health, and that they were in fine form.[12]

In July 2020, Tsai visited the Hsinchu Animal Protection Education Park, where she made a statement urging citizens who wanted pets to adopt stray animals, instead of purchasing them.[13]

Media coverage edit

Supporters and critics edit

Shortly after Tsai was elected as president in 2016, she was criticised for being a single woman – and therefore 'emotional' and 'erratic' – in a newspaper article published by China's state news agency Xinhua.[14] The article, written by Wang Weixing[15] a military officer in the PLA, provoked an outcry for its sexist views,[15] and was quickly withdrawn. On China's social media platform Sina Weibo, one commentator suggested that the Chinese leadership are "... probably threatened that a cat lady like Ms Tsai could beat any men she sets her mind to ...".[16]

Taiwanese activist magazine New Bloom describes her as 'an unorthodox politician ... a female academic who loves cats and supports gay rights'.[17] Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times observes that Tsai is one of two cat-lovers who have recently risen to power – the other being Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party.[18]

In June 2016, while in Miami, Tsai met Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher Wei-Yin Chen, whose gifts to her included feeding bowls for each of the two cats and three adopted dogs.[19]

Three dogs – Bella, Bunny and Maru edit

 
Tsai introducing the dogs to children at the Yongyou Residence Children's Club in 2017.

After first being sworn in as president, Tsai also announced plans to adopt three retired guide dogs once she moves into her official residence.[20] The media in Taiwan asked Tsai whether she anticipated any conflict with her cats, but she said that the dogs "are very well trained and they can definitely get along with the cats".[20]

Other observers attempted to draw parallels with Taiwan's political situation. Alex Lo, writing in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, has suggested that Tsai's adoption of the dogs is a good sign for relations between Taiwan and Mainland China.[21] He proposes that the Taiwanese are 'cat people', while the mainland Chinese are 'dog people' – citing a psychological study indicating cat lovers are 11 per cent more open to 'unusual ideas', while dog people are more 'conventional and traditional'.[21] In Singapore, The Straits Times dismissed as media speculation any suggestion of a 'civil war' between Tsai's cats and dogs.[22]

Tsai adopted the dogs in October 2016, and their names are Bella, Bunny and Maru. She signed their adoption papers at a ceremony organised by the Huikuang Guide Dog Foundation, where she vowed to improve the barrier-free environment for visually impaired people and their seeing-eye dogs.[23] Of the three dogs, Tsai has described Bella as her favourite; while Bunny is 'elegant' and Maru is 'timid'.[24]

Election campaigns edit

2015–2016 edit

Think Think and Ah Tsai featured as part of Tsai's presidential campaign in 2015 and 2016,[25] with the press sometimes referring to her as 'Cat Woman'.[26] During the campaign, Tsai's Facebook pages on cat-related topics received many more hits than pages discussing policy issues – with the rate of 'likes' being up to 50 percent higher.[25]

A page showing Ah Tsai receiving a vaccination on World Animal Day was especially popular, with nearly 30,000 'likes' (as of October 2015).[25] Her campaign team produced an animated film, Cat in a Paper Carton – Think Think; and the feline also appeared in Light up Taiwan, a book outlining Tsai's political views.[25]

Tsai's love of cats is well known among her supporters, and young people in particular are fans of the two cats.[27] Her Chinese New Year video message in 2015 included a grey tabby cat trying to break free from her arms.[26] As part of her campaign, Tsai and her cats were transformed into anime video characters.[28] The animated cartoon was not in Mandarin, the language promoted by the ROC government for decades, but Taiwanese, a language which was once scorned by Tsai's opponents, the previously dominant Kuomintang (KMT).[29]

Davina Tham of the Taipei Times said that Tsai personifies the nation's attitudes toward women in power.[30] Tham cites a comic strip created in 2016 by "Stupid Sheep" called Presidential Slave to Cats, portraying a cartoon likeness of Tsai juggling presidential duties with her devotion to Think Think and Ah Tsai.[30] Tham also cites another cartoonist, Wei Tsung-cheng, who created Conquerer of the Seas, which portrays a young girl named Ing who grows up on a patriarchal island-nation; and overthrows oppressive forces which terrorise her people.[30]

Celebrating Tsai's election victory, the national postal agency, Chunghua Post, created a special stamp issue. It featured people from all walks of life, along with a dog and a cat; and drew attention to issues of equality and cultural diversity in Taiwan.[31] The pixelated faces of the President and Vice President were intended to express the idea that these are individuals who embody the collective spirit and style of the nation.[31] Other icons represented various occupations, genders, social roles and ethnic groups.[31] It was the first ever Taiwanese stamp not to feature the national flag.[32]

2020 edit

Tsai's re-election campaign made use of both cat and dog imagery.[33] Also included were videos of her frolicking with the two cats and three dogs.[34] Taiwan News called one of her cats the "purrfect" running mate, and her supporters wore T-shirts calling the President a "slave to cats".[35][36] A campaign store was set up, where visitors could take selfies with Tsai's dogs.[37]

Tsai appeared wearing a pair of pink cat ears in a DPP campaign rally advertisement, which was posted on social media by Freddy Lim, frontman of death metal band Chthonic, and also himself a politician.[38] Although Lim is founder of the New Power Party (NPP), he ran as an independent after a dispute about the NPP's relationship with the ruling DPP.[39] Despite his role as an independent, Lim had been voicing his support for the DPP's Tsai Ing-wen.[39]

Other publicity material in the Tsai campaign included a pillow in the shape of Taiwan, and a hot sauce which was a pun on Tsai's "Hot Taiwanese Girl" nickname.[37][40]

Tsai was mocked by the Chinese Communist Party for posting a cosplay "magic girls" avatar on Facebook.[41] However, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's China correspondent Bill Birtles says that Tsai's "cute" campaign style belies a much harder edge.[41] The New Daily called her Taiwan's "Iron Cat Lady".[42]

During the 2020 election, several other politicians associated themselves with animals, pets or anime characters – such as Lii Wen [zh], who appeared in a video wearing a pair of wings in the shape of mussels.[37] Writing for New Bloom, Brian Hioe suggested at least one was following Tsai's lead; highlighting main presidential rival Han Kuo-yu, who appeared with imagery of his pet Shiba Inu.[37] Taiwan's Digital Minister, Audrey Tang, says that politicians using internet memes and cat pictures reflects a 'coming out' of digital subcultures.[43]

After Tsai was elected to her second term, she was congratulated by the Hong Kong Cat Society, a cat welfare organisation, which issued a statement describing her victory as 'a win for cats'.[44]

Feline culture in Taiwan edit

 
A street sculpture in Houtong Cat Village

Cats are generally popular as pets in Taiwan, with the cat population increasing rapidly in recent years.[45] The world's first cat café, named "Cat Flower Garden", opened in Taipei in 1998,[46] and by 2016 there was also a "Cathy Hotel" especially for cats.[45] The Taiwanese cat café concept spread to Japan, and later caught on in other countries around the world.[47]

The former mining town of Houtong is known as a "cat village", which attracts tourists with its large population of roaming cats.[48]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Taiwan's cat-loving president to adopt retired guide dogs". Bangkok Post. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as Taiwan's 1st female president". Nikkei Asian Review. 20 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b 姜庚宇 (2019-02-14). "【情人節】蔡英文「曬」愛貓照 與貓共度：只要有愛就是好日子". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  4. ^ Ryall, Julian; Spencer, Richard (1 January 2016). "China sends warning to Taiwan as it prepares to elect first woman president". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ^ 风采 (2020-03-17). "《平民女总统蔡英文》2：怀胎得女 她是蔡想想的妈". Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  6. ^ 中時電子報. "鄭宏輝搶攻寵物票 蔡英文力挺到底 - 政治". 中時電子報 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  7. ^ 《中國密報》編輯部 (2016-06-02). 《中國密報》第46期: 江澤民導演習李鬥？ (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中國密報雜誌社. ISBN 978-1-68182-163-4. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  8. ^ Submission, Internal (2020-04-01). "Pandemic pranks off the table on April Fools' Day". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  9. ^ hermes (2020-04-14). "Taiwan first up to the plate". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  10. ^ Aspinwall, Nick. "Tsai Rejects Accusations Taiwan Attacked WHO Chief, Invites Him to Visit". thediplomat.com. Archived from the original on 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  11. ^ 三立新聞網 (2019-02-07). "「蔡阿才」看電視遭蔡英文偷拍！不科學身材引網友熱議 | 政治 | 三立新聞網 SETN.COM". www.setn.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  12. ^ "蔡英文秀貓活蹦亂跳 稱不要在網路造謠". www.ctwant.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  13. ^ "參訪新竹市動保園區 總統呼籲國人「以認養代替購買」 讓無家可歸的毛小孩重新開始新的生活". www.president.gov.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  14. ^ Hernández, Javier C.; May, Vanessa Piao (25 May 2016). "Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's First Female Leader, Is Assailed in China for Being 'Emotional'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Sexist remarks on Tsai Ing-wen spark outrage in China, Taiwan". The Straits Times. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  16. ^ WITW Staff (20 May 2016). "Taiwan president accused of being "extremist" and "erratic" because she is single". Women in the World. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  17. ^ Hioe, Brian (18 January 2016). "Is the Narrative About Taiwan Changing After Tsai Ing-Wen's Presidential Victory?". New Bloom. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  18. ^ Rachman, Gideon (1 June 2016). "Rise of the cat leaders". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  19. ^ Liao, Tony; Yeh, Sophia; Hsu, Elizabeth (26 June 2016). "U.S. representative welcomes Tsai in Miami, voices support for Taiwan". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Taiwan's cat-loving President Tsai Ing-wen to adopt 3 retired guide dogs". The Straits Times. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  21. ^ a b Lo, Alex (27 May 2016). "A tale of cats, dogs and cross-strait relations". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  22. ^ "Taiwan's cat-loving President to adopt dogs too". The Straits Times. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  23. ^ "President Tsai adopts three retired guide dogs 蔡英文總統 收養三隻退役導盲犬". Taipei Times. 2017-01-14. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  24. ^ "獨／蔡英文形容3愛犬：Maru最膽小、Bella最愛吃、Bunny最優雅 | ETtoday新聞雲". www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-10-04. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  25. ^ a b c d Yeh, S.P.; Lin, Lillian (11 October 2015). "Campaign focuses on Tsai Ing-wen's pets". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  26. ^ a b Gan, Nectar (18 January 2016). "Cat Woman: Taiwan's first female president huge fan of felines". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  27. ^ Hui Min, Chew (20 May 2016). "Taiwan's first woman president: 10 things you should know about Tsai Ing-wen". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  28. ^ McGee, Oona (19 January 2016). "Taiwan's president-elect Tsai Ing-wen appears as cute moe anime girl in awesome campaign videos". RocketNews24. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  29. ^ "Hello Kitty, goodbye panda". The Economist. 16 July 2016. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  30. ^ a b c "Boom, zap, pow: Tsai Ing-wen saves the day - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 2019-02-14. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  31. ^ a b c 中華郵政 (2016-01-13). "中華郵政全球資訊網". 中華郵政. Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  32. ^ "New Stamps Celebrating Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen". Tricky Taipei. 2016-04-22. Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  33. ^ "Taiwan's president sweeps to reelection, setting the stage for chilly relations with China". Los Angeles Times. 2020-01-11. Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  34. ^ "Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen Seeks Re-Election in the Last Truly Free Place in the Chinese-Speaking World". Time. Archived from the original on 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  35. ^ "Photo of the Day: Taiwan president's purrfect running mate". Taiwan News. 18 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  36. ^ Anna Fifield (2020-01-08) [2020-01-07]. "As Taiwan goes to the polls, Tsai says the choice is democracy or dictatorship". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-07-08.[please check these dates]
  37. ^ a b c d Hioe, Brian (2020-01-08). "Aesthetics and Politics in 2020 Elections". New Bloom Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  38. ^ "Photo of the Day: Cat ears, cosplay, death metal featured in Taiwan campaign ad". Taiwan News. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  39. ^ a b "Freddy Lim triumphs in Taipei pan-blue bastion". Taiwan News. 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  40. ^ Staff, T. N. L. (2019-12-25). "Taiwan 2020: How These Politicians Got Their Funny Nicknames". The News Lens International Edition. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  41. ^ a b "Her cat shares her campaign poster but Taiwan's President is anything but soft". www.abc.net.au. 2020-01-10. Archived from the original on 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  42. ^ "Taiwan's Iron Cat Lady Tsai Ing-wen leads poll results for presidency". The New Daily. 2020-01-10. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
  43. ^ "The civic hacker that became Digital Minister of Taiwan: interview with Audrey Tang". Digital Future Society. 2020-04-13. Archived from the original on 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  44. ^ "【最強貓奴】貓界狂賀蔡英文成功連任 「請台灣第一貓繼續統治台灣」". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  45. ^ a b "Taiwan's love affair with cats purrs ahead". Taiwan Today. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  46. ^ Galloway, Lindsey (3 April 2012). "Travel: Feline fun in Japan's cat cafes". BBC Worldwide. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  47. ^ Lemmin-Woolfrey, Ulrike (16 June 2014). "Cat-ching! Cat cafes take over world". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  48. ^ "Taiwan's 'cat village' on CNN list of attractions". The China Post. 9 November 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2016.

By using this platform, you agree to the Terms of Use ©2020 Knowpia