Shanghai's "Cat Island", a unique charity sanctuary for stray cats, has expanded significantly with the opening of its second phase.
Launched in 2022, the "Cat Island" is a one-of-a-kind sanctuary for urban stray cats which is situated in Shanghai's suburban Baoshan district. It operates under the TNR (trap, neuter, return) method, an internationally recognized humane approach to managing and reducing stray cat populations.
The second phase covers two hectares and is designed as an isolated island surrounded by water, creating a peaceful urban sanctuary for stray cats.
It currently houses nearly 80 stray cats and a dozen pet rabbits.
"Stray cats in residential communities usually prefer living in grassy areas and bushes. That's why the 'Cat Island's second phase is entirely designed to simulate a real community environment, making it more suitable and comfortable for them to live here," said Zhou Min, vice chair of Shanghai Yicai Flying Foundations, one of the operators of the project.
The cats at the "Cat Island" are available for adoption, and a rigorous adoption process will be followed to ensure the welfare of these former straying furry things is safeguarded.
Apart from providing shelter and facilitating adoptions, the "Cat Island" also works with residential communities across Shanghai to offer training on proper TNR practices.
The second phase of the "Cat Island" is open to the public on weekends, with advance appointments required for the safety and well-being of the animals.
Data shows that by the beginning of this year, the "Cat Island" project has taken in 735 stray cats, with 363 successfully adopted. In addition, the project has neutered 28,512 stray cats and released them back into their original communities.
Shanghai's 'Cat Island' expands to shelter more stray cats
China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.
Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.
This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.
The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.
In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.
Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"
China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.
China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers
