SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Bakersfield Audience Appreciates Shen Yun’s Revival of Chinese Culture

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Bakersfield Audience Appreciates Shen Yun’s Revival of Chinese Culture
John Lake at Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Mechanics Bank Theater, in Bakersfield, on March 8, 2023. NTD

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—China’s history includes one of the biggest empires in history as well as some of the greatest inventions that are still benefitting the world. John Lake, the retired president of Rain for Rent, has been around the world and he shared his thoughts after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“I enjoyed the show very much. I’ve been to China. I’ve seen a lot of the things in the background. I understand there’s many different cultures in China,” said Mr. Lake.

Although Shen Yun is presenting a genuine Chinese culture, the company is based in New York. Shen Yun is reviving China’s 5,000 years of culture.

“I think the revival of cultures ... culture, language, borders, freedom, faith. Really important. Without that, you have no nation. So bringing that culture back is critically important in the world,” said Mr. Lake.

China spans a vast area and there are many different ethnic minorities such as the Yi and the Tibetans within the country. Shen Yun is putting their ethnic dance styles on stages around the world.

“I especially like the Mongolian piece because I’ve been to Mongolia, and of course the great Khan has a great history in China,” said Mr. Lake.

Before the Chinese communist party took over, China had a culture deeply intertwined with a belief in the divine.

“And I like the spiritual aspect of the show. I think that’s important to show and also it was important to show how the CCP represses the people and their religious beliefs,” said Mr. Lake.

One of the stories was about a group of Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted for their faith. Falun Gong teaches people to live by the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance.

“Well I think Falun Gong is very similar to Christianity, believing in a deity and believing with good faithfulness, spirituality, love, and perseverance. I think those are important characteristics in the world. Along with faith, family, and freedom. So if I was going to add anything, I would add the faith family and freedom piece. Freedom of choice, freedom of religion, and freedom of personal opportunity, entrepreneurialism. It was a really great show,” said Mr. Lake.
Reporting by NTD and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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