Minister Yiong stated that Rain Horse was born out of the hope to stick with Taiwan as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The play is a prayer that after the challenging pandemic, all children in the world can grow up with peace, health, and happiness. Li Yuan (better known by his pen name Hsiao Yeh), chairperson of The Paper Windmill Arts and Educational Foundation, shared that in Minister Yiong’s words, Rain Horse represents “good wishes from Taiwan to people around the globe”. It also stayed by the side of children throughout the pandemic, and its goal is to bring joy and happiness to everyone.
The Rain Horse show blends song, dance, acrobatics, and LED special effects to deliver a spectacular visual experience, earning great acclaim among children. HAC constantly seeks diverse forms to enable more people to meet the “rain horse”. For instance, during the pandemic, performances were organized for the National Day on October 10 and the 2023 Hakka Expo, showcasing the marvels of Hakka and Taiwanese art. The show has toured many cities and counties across Taiwan, including Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung.
HAC selected special acts with children in mind for this New Year’s Eve. The vibrant and eye-catching visual show Rain Horse brought awe and excitement to families at the New Year’s event, staging the most splendid numbers back to back in 30 minutes. This is better suited to children’s concentration span. Moreover, Paper Windmill Theatre licensed the theme song for free. It is now available publicly at the Hakka Cloud website (https://pse.is/5hak4c) for children to listen, sing, and learn the Hakka language.
