Queen!

Queen! | Daily Tribune

In Taiwan, the performance art form of drag is not as prosperous as in the Philippines.

We don’t have reality-TV shows like Drag Race Philippines, and drag performance at bars and nightclubs is not as popular either.

While you can also enjoy Drag Brunch in certain restaurants in Taiwan, and Taiwan pride parade has been held since 2003 (which saw the largest turnout in East Asia in 2023 with over 176,000 in attendance), drag performance is still far from flourishing yet.

Nonetheless, the trendiness of Nymphia Wind, the stage name of Leo Tsao, 28-year-old Taiwanese-American drag performer and dressmaker who was crowned the “Next Drag Superstar” in the TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race in April, has changed the name of the game and made the performance art more well-known to the public in Taiwan.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on her Instagram on 19 April to congratulate Wind “for being so accomplished in the difficult art form of drag, and for being the first Taiwanese to take the stage and win on RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“Right after being crowned queen, you said ‘Taiwan, this is for you.’ Taiwan thanks you for living fearlessly,” wrote Tsai.

Before the competition result was announced, Wind said she felt a responsibility to do well in the competition series: “All I said to myself was, I am here to break the Asian curse. So I just wanted to show a rich, rich culture in my drag.”

In Wind’s performance, the audience can see plenty of Asian elements, such as the traditional Asian long sleeve dance, Japanese Butoh dance, cheongsam dress to celebrate Lunar New Year, and Taiwanese temple fair culture.

She even wore a gown inspired by Taiwanese bubble tea during RuPaul’s Drag Race, which was decorated by black balloons to imitate the boba pearls in milk tea drinks.

With her design talent and creativity, except for pursuing his design and performance career overseas, Wind also holds eye-catching drag shows in locations drag performers never thought of, such as temples in Taiwan, attracting hundreds of audiences to participate.

Wind told the media that she has always been imagining performing in a show, which is “as lively as a temple fair,” and she would like to participate in Taiwan pride parade by this form, so she held a drag show last year in a temple in northern Taiwan.

“I am still very touched now looking back at the performance. It was like everyone on stage and off stage were all participating in the show,” Wind recalled.

Wind said on the stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race that “to those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth.”

After winning the crown of the competition, Nymphia Wind is going to represent Taiwan to participate in the Olympiade Culturelle in the Parc de la Villette in Paris this coming July.

Taiwan hopes to show the world how gender equality is valued in the country and create a friendly environment to everyone, no matter what gender identity one has.