Chinese influencer builds mini underground station for his cats, internet is impressed

The DIY creator, Xing Zhilei, from China’s Henan province, spent four months meticulously constructing the tiny station, which features remarkable attention to detail. The project was unveiled on August 16 and quickly went viral, amassing millions of views across mainland social media platforms. Xing, who has over 1.2 million followers, is known for his elaborate handmade creations.

The miniature station looks strikingly realistic, complete with scaled-down platforms, safety doors, advertising boards, and even working escalators. A small train pulls into the station with precision as the cats hop on and off, while the train carriages are equipped with seats and handrails, just like a real subway, the South China Morning Post reported.

The video has racked up over 100 million views in just a few days, leaving many viewers stunned. Some initially speculated that the footage might have been digitally generated due to its lifelike appearance.

To clear any doubts, Xing shared behind-the-scenes clips, showcasing the painstaking process of building each element by hand — from crafting the miniature train tracks to installing the tiny escalators.

In the video, Xing explained, “Whenever a problem came up, we just fixed it. My resolve never wavered, and after many failures, the station finally came together.”

That’s not all, Xing also named the stations. The line includes stops such as Cat Town, Catnip Hill and Moonwatcher Terrace.

Creative hurdles

The intricate project was built inside a large, empty factory space, where Xing and his team encountered numerous challenges. Synchronising the train doors with the platform doors required painstaking precision, while ensuring the escalators ran smoothly took weeks of trial and error.

Even after the station was completed, maintenance proved difficult. The team frequently bumped their heads on the low structures while cleaning, so Xing introduced robotic vacuum cleaners and a mini helper bot to keep the space tidy without damage.

Xing lives with his wife, their young son, a Shiba Inu dog, and two cats — Not Bad and Pretty Good — who, he says, quickly adapted to their underground playground.

From a cat flat to Cat Town

This isn’t Xing’s first viral project. According to the South China Morning Post, he first gained widespread attention in 2023, when he built a luxury miniature flat for his cats inside his wife’s pet shop. The detailed setup included bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen with a working stove, and even a small elevator.

Encouraged by the response, Xing expanded his creations into a sprawling Cat Town, complete with a cinema, supermarket, billiards hall, and foot spa — all built as fully functional, scaled-down replicas.

Xing revealed that he taught himself 3D modelling, carpentry, and welding to bring his ideas to life. “I have loved making things since childhood,” he said, “and this work still gives me both a sense of achievement and a spark of childhood joy.”

The project has since earned widespread praise online, with viewers applauding his creativity, craftsmanship, and dedication. Many also commented on how comfortably the cats seemed to navigate their very own underground railway, calling it the “cutest subway in the world.”

A user commented, “That would be so fun to have something like that, maybe someday we could build something like that together.”