IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY AND BEYOND, THE LIFE OF CATS

It was a cat named Snow White that got Wu Hongli started. It was a cold night in Shanghai in 2012 and Wu, who began taking photos when he was 19, came across the cat at the backdoor of his workplace.

She was trusting enough to allow him to pick her up, and soon she was enjoying his loving attention, lapping up food and water within the warm confines of a handmade shelter. But Snow White, as Wu named her, would have a surprise for her new guardian. Over the next several days she was joined by one kitten and then another and then another, until Wu finally realized the full extent of his new family responsibilities: Just before they met, Snow White had become the proud mother of five.

"She obviously felt safe with me and my workmates, and that prompted her to bring all of her kittens together," says Wu, who, naturally, like any proud new parent, was soon snapping photos of Snow White and her offspring.

Both smitten and inspired, Wu was soon prowling the streets, alleys, parks and nooks and crannies of Shanghai in search of cats－not necessarily looking for more mouths to feed, but at least to capture the cats on film.

With that passion, Wu would eventually turn tail on one profession, visual designer, and take up another, cat photographer, one who now has more than 3 million followers on the social media platform Sina Weibo. Over the past six years he has taken more than 70,000 photos of cats on the streets of more than 20 cities across China.

On New Year's Day he published a collection of photos that captures cats jumping high from high roofs. The photographer named the series as "jumping from 2019 to 2020", marking the change of year, and soon Wu had been flooded by messages of good will from his admirers.

This month he published a book, Cats of the Four Seasons, in which he gives full play to 39 cat photos he has taken over the years. Of course anyone who owns or loves cats has their own stories to tell, and Wu's book leaves enough space between the photos that allows them to do exactly that.

The book itself is the offspring of an earlier Wu product, a 2020 calendar containing 400 of his photos he published late last year. It was obviously a very productive year for Wu, for earlier he published a book titled Cats in Beijing, with about 100 photos he has taken in the capital over the years, including at well known sites such as the Forbidden City and in the hutong (narrow alleys) areas of the capital.

One of Wu's admirers, under the name Coco on his Sina Weibo account, said: "I'm fascinated with his photos, which capture the 'personalities' of cats. There are many photos of cute animals on the internet, but the cats he picture are better because they look different and real."

Many of those commenting on Wu's photos go so far as to say the pictures have "cured' them and helped them fight loneliness and ward off the stresses of life.

One thing that sets Wu's photos apart from many of the feline genre is that while the center of attention is as obvious as a fashion model strutting down a catwalk, just as much attention is given to the surroundings, such as local architecture, food, people or lifestyle.

One of Wu's most celebrated photos was taken in November 2017 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. One thing that all of his cat-hunting expeditions have in common is that they involve a lot of walking and scouting, as Wu searches out photo subjects, be they willing or unwilling.

That November he spent a considerable time accompanied by friendly daytime light walking on and along one of the city's most popular tourist sites, Nanjing City Wall, built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). However, it was not until about sunset that Wu finally got his break. Not far away he glimpsed the heads of three little white cats and an orange tabby cat protruding from a recess in the wall. Wu squatted, steadied himself and managed to picture the cats, just above eye level, as they basked in the glow of the setting sun.

After he published the photo online he received dozens of messages and soon built up a fan base, giving him the confidence to become a full-time cat photographer, in October 2017.

"Usually I walk the streets for hours looking for these cats, and trying to get close to them. I take cat food, catnip and small toys that can make sounds to attract their attention. Every one of these cats has their distinct manner and set of characteristics. You'll get some that are totally indifferent to you and others that act like pampered little kids. I'm eager to portray their characteristics from various points of views."

Wu likes to shoot cats in well-known locations of cities. For example, in January 2018 he photographed cats at the Forbidden City in Beijing for the first time and came across five cats. He named them "royal" cats, and when he returned to the place in March 2018 he came across them again. To him it seemed they had remembered him, "because they didn't run away from me".

"Cats are like human beings living in the cities. They've got their particular characteristics, just like the cities. I like taking their pictures against the backgrounds of different architecture, food and local people.".

His itinerary this year will include Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, southwestern China, where he wants to take pictures for cats near the Potala Palace.

"My goal is to take photos of cats of all the cities in China. I want to show their cuteness, rarely seen facial expressions, moods and moves with my photos."

Wu, born and bred in Anji, a small county in Zhejiang province known for its bamboo forest, and which featured in Ang Lee's martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University after studying environmental engineering.

His family had dozens of dogs over the years, which enabled him to be close to animals. In 2012 he took a stray cat to his home in Anji and named it Bomb, and five years later took another stray cat back home and named it Witch. Both cats are now living with his mother in Anji because the itinerant Wu cannot take care of them.

One of Wu's online followers has become his business partner, helping to promote his photos.

In October Wu held an art exhibition in conjunction with Beijing Adoption Day, a charity dedicated to promoting animal rights in China, raising money for stray cats, and several Chinese charity organizations have commissioned him to take photos of stray animals, hoping to raise awareness of animal protection.

One of Wu's favorite cat photographers is the American Walter Chandoha, who died on Jan 11 last year aged 98. From his childhood Chandoha took photos and had eventually taken more than 225,000 of them, about 90,000 being of cats.

He was once quoted as saying: "Cats are my favorite animal subject because of their unlimited range of attitude, posture, expression, and coloration."

Before Chandoha died he was able to work on one final book, Cats. Photographs 1942-2018, a career retrospective featuring about 300 of his greatest cat photos.

In the book, he wrote: "I relished the challenge of making photographs of cats and quickly saw the potential of attempting to capture their naturally expressive personalities. The photographic possibilities and challenges seemed endless."

He once saw a photo in which a cat was yawning and stretching on a balcony. Behind the cat was a rainbow, making it look like the cat, in a very artistic way, was passing wind. "Cats cannot and will not be rushed." Wu says. "They have their own schedules. When the moment comes you find the right angle and press the shutter."