The Paper Windmill Theatre ended a five-year run of performances dedicated to children living in 319 remote townships throughout the country, with a performance in New Taipei City (新北市) on Saturday.
The troupe’s final outdoor performance, at Wanli Elementary School, drew an audience of about 6,000 people, some of whom came from as far afield as Penghu and Kinmen.
The play included a story about Don Quixote and had segments with music, dance and a multimedia show aimed at teaching young children to be courageous when pursuing their dreams and to cultivate their love of the arts.
Lee Yung-feng (李永豐), chief executive of the Paper Windmill Cultural Foundation, who initiated the tour five years ago, cried and hugged people when the last performance ended, saying that “it [the project] was simply too hard. I will [finally] be able to sleep soundly tonight.”
The tour, called “First Mile, Kid’s Smile: Arts for Children in 319 Townships,” was aimed at bridging the cultural gap between rural and urban areas, and ensuring that every child in the nation had the opportunity to enjoy a live theatrical performance.
The troupe staged performances in any township that could raise NT$350,000 (US$11,600) from individuals and corporations. It did not accept any funds from the government for the tour.
During the past five years, the troupe raised NT$200 million through donations from more than 26,000 people.
‘OBNOXIOUS MAN’: The KMT’s Chen Ching-hui moved into Chung Chia-pin’s path atop the podium and reached for him before he grabbed at her legs with both hands Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) yesterday said he slipped and lost his balance, and did not know who was around him, after jumping onto the speaker’s podium at the legislature in Taipei. He apologized after a collision with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽), who moved to intercept him as he mounted the podium. There was pushing and shoving when the session started in the morning as KMT lawmakers attempted to block access to the podium to shield Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) so he could preside over the session. Video footage showed Chung step on a chair and
Three passengers and the assailant were reportedly injured in a knife attack on the Taichung MRT on Tuesday. The Rapid Transit Brigade of the Taichung Police Department is still investigating the incident, with no motive immediately apparent. Taichung Police Commissioner Lee Wen-chang (李文章) said that at least four people were injured in the attack, and the suspect has been taken into custody. The incident occurred at about 11:15am on a train car near Taichung City Hall Station. Witnesses reported seeing a man attacking others with a knife, while other passengers tried to grab his hair or fend him off with umbrellas. Three people were reportedly
While it is common to see bumper stickers informing other drivers about important information, such as “baby on board” or “rookie driver,” some motorist in Taiwan are using creative statements to warn other drivers to keep a safe distance to avoid a collision. A photograph recently circulating on the Internet showed a van in Changhua City with a bumper sticker saying that the driver received their license after taking the test three times, so it is dangerous to drive close to the vehicle. The person who took the photograph said all vehicles behind the van appeared to “subconsciously” maintaining a safe distance. Some
Taipei police on Saturday arrested 24 female Thai tourists on suspicion of working as hostesses and engaging in illegal activities at an underground bar in Zhongshan District (中山), the distict’s police precinct said in a statement yesterday. The police also arrested five other people involved in the operation, including the 29-year-old bar owner surnamed Chiang (蔣), and 17 customers, the statement said. The 24 Thai women were fined an undisclosed amount in accordance with the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) by the police and transferred to a National Immigration Agency (NIA) special brigade in Taipei for repatriation to Thailand. The cases of