More than 40 years ago, an up-and-coming writer from Taiwan loved to walk around the University of Iowa campus in the snow. This winter, he returns as an internationally renowned choreographer.

The turning point that took Lin Hwai-min from writer to founder of one of the most acclaimed contemporary dance companies in the world largely occurred during his time in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in the early 1970s.

While Lin periodically took dance classes growing up in Taiwan, he first made his name as a writer. His first story was printed in a newspaper when he was 14. By 22, he had published two books. One, a collection of short stories, was a best-seller and still is sold in bookstores.

“I still receive royalties for Cicada. I should have kept writing. Writers receive royalties; company directors must go out and raise funds,” Lin says with a laugh.

Lin left Taiwan in 1969 to study journalism at the University of Missouri. While there, the UI’s International Writing Program director Paul Engle invited him to Iowa City for his first Thanksgiving.

“Before I left, he asked if I liked the city. I said I did, and he asked if I would like to come here to study,” Lin says. “So, I became a member of the International Writing Program.”

After his participation in the IWP, Lin began working toward his MFA through the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

“Of course, I knew about the Writers’ Workshop because great and famous writers went there,” Lin says. “Even today, people know about Iowa because of the Workshop and the International Writing Program.”

Participants in the Writers’ Workshop at the time were required to take a course in another field of the arts. Lin chose a modern dance class with Marcia Thayer, who was head of the Dance Program in the Department of Physical Education for Women at the UI.

“I was 23 and it was the first time I took a regular dance class,” Lin says.

Lin says Thayer and her fellow faculty members encouraged students to choreograph. Several months into the class, Lin showed Thayer what he had been working on. She loved it.

“She told me, ‘I don’t know what kind of stuff you are writing, but if I was you, I’d quit school and go to New York. I’ll try to find a scholarship and help you,’” Lin says. “I didn’t quit. I was quite old and already established as a writer. And my parents wanted me to get this degree.”

Lin received his MFA from the UI in 1972 and went back to Taiwan, where he taught creative writing and journalism. A university dance department invited him to teach, and despite his trepidation at only being a layman in the field, he gave it a try. Soon, his students wanted to perform.

“I said, ‘I will start a company. You are the dancers, and I am a writer,’” Lin remembers. “I thought they would take it over in a couple years. Here I am 45 years later.”

When Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan was born in 1973, it was the country’s first professional dance company and the first contemporary dance company in any Chinese-speaking community.

“I think I was heavily influenced by what was going on the ’60s and ’70s and that young people could and should make a difference in society,” Lin says.

 “Formosa” performed by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. Photo by Liu Chen-hsiang.

Lin says it’s amazing to think that the company, which got its start touring in local communities and campuses, this year will be on the road about 150 days and perform in 10 countries. However, Cloud Gate—which shares its name with the oldest known dance in China—remains deeply connected to its community by performing throughout Taiwan in large theaters and high school auditoriums, and by offering free outdoor performances that draw up to 60,000 people.

“And it all started in Iowa City,” Lin says.

Lin says looking back at his time in Iowa City, he lived a bit like a hermit.

“I don’t drive, so I would just walk around. I would go to the English department for classes, then go to the gym for dance class,” Lin says. “By then it was dark, so I would go back to my attic apartment on Burlington Street to cook and read and write. Pretty soon, two years were gone.”

Those two years in Iowa City yielded a few lessons that served Lin well in the future. Through watching Engle, Lin says he was exposed to fundraising, which would become an important skill as head of Cloud Gate. And he got his first experience touring thanks to Thayer, who organized weekend trips during which they would go somewhere and perform.

Lin says he doesn’t write anymore: “I can’t sit still.” However, words still inspire him. For his latest work, Formosa, Chinese characters form the backdrop, and poems about Taiwan are recited as part of the soundscape along with the score.

It’s said that when Portuguese sailors approached the coast of Taiwan in the 16th century, they exclaimed, “Formosa,” or “beautiful.” While Formosa is inspired by the landscape and history of Taiwan, it also reflects on universal human experiences.

“It makes people from the U.K. think of Brexit. People in the U.S. see the country after Trump moved into the White House,” Lin says. “The materials are drawn from the island, but in the end, it’s about the world.”

The U.S. premiere of Formosa will be Feb. 25 at Hancher Auditorium. Hancher opened shortly after Lin left Iowa City, but Cloud Gate performed several times in the original building. Lin says he looks forward to seeing the new building.

“We have many reasons to celebrate the return of Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan to the University of Iowa,” Hancher Executive Director Chuck Swanson says. “This will be the fourth time Hancher has presented them, but of course their first time on our new stage. And bringing Lin Hwai-min back to the university for a visit adds to the specialness of this event.”

Taiwan’s founding father of modern dance says Formosa is likely to be his last full-length work before he retires as the company’s artistic director at the end of 2019.

“Going back to Iowa City to present Formosa in its U.S. debut, it comes full circle,” Lin says. “It will be wonderful to go back and visit with old friends and see Iowa City white with snow.”