A cat on the campus of Peking University.[Photo provided to China Daily]
At 14 years old, Wang Tianjun began accompanying his father on long truck journeys, eventually becoming a truck driver himself. For over 40 years, he traveled the roads, but when his wife and children returned to their hometown, he was left to drive alone — until he met a stray kitten wandering along the highway.
Five years ago, Wang adopted his first kitten, naming her Fubao. Over time, as his cat group grew, they became inseparable. The cats shared his truck, eating and living together like a family. Wang began documenting their lives on social media, amassing over 800,000 followers, with his videos garnering more than 26 million "likes" on video platforms Douyin and bilibili.
His daughter noted that the once-stubborn Wang became much gentler after adopting the cats. Wang treats them as his children, feeding them premium cat food while he eats inexpensive water-fried buns. His truck, cramped with cat supplies, left little space for his possessions.
A cat rescuer with a kitten he saved.[Photo provided to China Daily]
In January, 58-year-old Wang announced that due to high blood pressure, he would no longer be able to drive trucks. After Spring Festival, he decided to sell his truck and purchase a secondhand van to travel the country with his elderly father and the cats.
Wang's unique life with his cats on the road was recently featured in the documentary Life with Cats, which exclusively aired on bilibili last month. The series garnered over 58 million views with a viewer rating of 9.8 out of 10.
During filming, Wang's first cat, Fubao, fell ill and passed away, a moment captured in the film. At the screening, Wang watched the painful scene, which he was initially reluctant to be filmed. However, he later expressed gratitude to director Liu Qianyu for preserving Fubao's final moments.
The crew films "Living with Cats" members rescuing stray cats.[Photo provided to China Daily]
Presented by bilibili and Furrytail and produced by Director Lu Qingyi Studio, the six-episode documentary explores the deep connection between people and their cats, featuring stories across China, including Wang's, and showcasing the human-animal bond in all its forms.
Producer Xie Lei, 31, revealed that the documentary was conceived in the winter of 2022 with fellow producer Zhu Mi.
"With the growing number of cat owners in modern society, pets have become key members of many households. Data shows that the number of pets in the country has increased hugely in recent years. Cats have become some of our most important family members, friends and roommates," Xie explains.
"This documentary is not just about pets. We wanted to tell people's stories," she emphasizes. "We used cats as a lens to explore the broader themes of human connection and society in modern life."
Truck driver Wang Tianjun takes his cat for a walk.[Photo provided to China Daily]
Xie notes that the team aimed to highlight the diversity of people and experiences in the documentary, including variations in occupation, age, and social and natural environments.
The Cat Man episode follows a group of cat rescuers known as "Living with Cats" who specialize in helping trapped cats out. The episode highlights young entrepreneurs who have turned cat rescue into a career.
Project Little Train focuses on two cat behaviorists who, by training a feral cat named Little Train, demonstrate the rationale behind cats' behaviors and make people examine their values and psychology.
In the episode Sia and Tyrion, the story of single mother Sia and her son Tyrion — a boy with Asperger's syndrome who struggles to connect with others — discovers his unique bond with cats can be used as a means of communication.
Truck driver Wang with his cat.[Photo provided to China Daily]
When holding a kitten, he is seen talking to himself and becoming more expressive. In this story, cats play a crucial role in helping mother and son reconnect and rediscover lost forms of communication.
Xie, who also co-directed this episode, explains that each member of the production team is a cat owner. Throughout the filming process, they found themselves reflecting on their relationships with their own cats, inspired by the interactions they observed between the subjects and their pets.
As the director of the series, Lu Qingyi, 52, who has owned many cats, says that the filming process and the shared love for cats helped the team evolve from strangers into a close-knit group.
A couple of cat behaviorists interacting with their pets.[Photo provided to China Daily]
"Filming people with cats allowed the animals to soften everyone's hearts. While direct human interactions can be guarded, cats provide common ground, slowly dissolving boundaries," Lu says.
While short videos have showcased various aspects of cats, Lu emphasizes that the documentary aims to offer a more holistic view of the relationship between humans and cats.
Lu believes that capturing human emotions comes from observing daily habits. "How a person eats, sleeps, or walks, these routines reveal their true character. This is something I focus on," he says.
"We all have habits we overlook but when documented, they reveal deeper emotions and aspects of your inner self," Lu adds.
As a result, many of the documentary's interviewees were moved to tears when they saw the footage, recognizing details they had previously missed.
Sia with her son Tyrion. Cats help the son connect with his mother and the world.[Photo provided to China Daily]
"This project serves as a reminder to savor the layers of our everyday lives. If it raises awareness, it will add even more meaning," Lu says.
Lu says that the film intentionally focuses on the relationship between humans and cats, with particular attention to the physical and emotional distance between them. "We often use the cat as the foreground to observe the human subject. This perspective mimics how cats see the world and perceive people," Lu says.
Each director infused their own sensitivity and sense of romance into the narrative storytelling of their respective episodes.
The production team films Sia, the protagonist of one of Life with Cats documentary episodes.[Photo provided to China Daily]
Without narration, Lu and his team opted for an observational, poetic storytelling style, departing from the expository approach typically associated with traditional documentaries.
"In traditional documentaries, the goal is often to investigate a topic, ask questions, and seek answers. But with a cinematic approach, we wait patiently, allowing the characters and the environment to reveal themselves. Over time, as interactions deepen, emotions emerge naturally, becoming evident through the lens," Lu says.
Single mother Sia with her cat.[Photo provided to China Daily]
Lu says that the directors for each episode are empathetic and gentle, and their deepening connection with the subjects fosters mutual trust.
"The director of the final episode broke down after filming the last scene. It's hard to imagine how much emotional investment is possible without such deep, continuous interaction," Lu says. "This emotional depth and the way it's presented set our approach apart from traditional documentaries."
During filming with Sia and her son Tyrion, Xie was initially captivated by Sia's multifaceted life as a singer, artist, English teacher, and single mother.
"She's a mother who changes her hair color every time we meet and loves wearing colorful clothes and mismatched socks," Xie says. But behind all these, over time, Xie discovered and was moved by Sia's sensitivity and unique role as a mother.
A student feeds a stray cat at Peking University.[Photo provided to China Daily]
"Sia is deeply sensitive, with artistic talent and keen intuition. She even conducts MBTI analyses for her four cats, observing each one in great detail," Xie says. "She also paints — she created the animated cover art for this episode."
Xie recalled that the first time she saw Sia and Tyrion in September 2023 left a profound impact. "Surrounded by towering buildings, they held hands and seemed small, but ready to face any challenge together," Xie says.
That evening in Kunming, Yunnan province, Sia and Tyrion, wearing colorful masks Sia painted, performed a song she had written:
"Sometimes I wonder what could become of us,
If we'd never crushed our worlds.
Now when they see us,
They see disasters.
But in my eyes, we looked like
Fireworks."
