Chiayi: Paper Windmill Theatre’s Hakka children’s play, Rain Horse, is scheduled to be performed six times at the 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi County. The event will feature a 10-meter-tall horse-shaped installation of the same name, as stated by the festival’s organizers.

According to Focus Taiwan, the festival will run from March 3 to March 15, situated outside the Chiayi County Government building. The impressive Rain Horse installation, standing 13 meters in length, will also take part in the TEAM TAIWAN parade on March 7, as confirmed by the county’s Culture and Tourism Bureau.

At a news conference held at the festival venue, Chang Min-yi, CEO of the Paper Windmill Arts and Educational Foundation, announced that the play will be presented in six shortened performances and will feature in 34 light shows during the festival. She highlighted that the show aims to gently yet powerfully convey to children that they are never alone, even in challenging times.

The production Rain Horse is a joint effort between the Hakka Affairs Council-a government agency dedicated to preserving and promoting Hakka language and culture-and Paper Windmill Theatre. Adapted from a picture book by Taiwanese writer Hsiao Yeh, the play was first introduced in 2021, as noted by Chiayi County’s Culture and Tourism Bureau. Hsiao Yeh is the pen name of Culture Minister Li Yuan.

Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, when children were confined indoors and missed out on daily joys, the play emphasizes themes of comfort, companionship, and growing up during tough times, the bureau mentioned.

Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang, also present at the news conference, remarked on the excitement among children for the giant Rain Horse installation and the Paper Windmill Theatre’s performance. He expressed optimism that the event will offer visitors a joyful and memorable experience. Demonstrating his enthusiasm, he climbed the installation while wearing safety gear and invited the public to attend the lantern festival.

Liao Mei-ling, an official from the Hakka Affairs Council, pointed out that Rain Horse will be making its inaugural joint appearance nationwide with The Lantern Monster, another Hakka children’s play launched the previous year.