Galloping Spirits: Horse Dancers Grace Taiwan’s National Day Celebration in Taipei
Under the soft morning light of October 10, 2008, the plaza before the Presidential Office in Taipei transformed into a vibrant canvas of tradition, color, and rhythmic energy. Dancers, adorned in brilliant costumes, swayed gracefully through the crowd, each one holding a sculpted figure of a horse—“Ma” in Mandarin—an age-old symbol of strength, endurance, and spirited vitality in Chinese culture. As they moved in unison, the horse figures shimmered and danced with them, honoring Taiwan's National Day with a graceful nod to both heritage and hope. The horse, long revered in Chinese folklore and the zodiac, represented not only power and progress, but also the idea of forging forward despite challenges. The celebration became more than a display of national pride—it was a living story of cultural continuity, a reminder of how ancestral symbols still gallop through modern life, carrying dreams across generations.
