INCHEON, South Korea—The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company’s second artistic feast at the Incheon Culture and Arts Center on the afternoon of April 14 deeply amazed audience members who gave the performers a big round of applause throughout the performance, and some of them were even touched to tears.
After seeing the show, Ms. Yu, an audience member from China, exclaimed, “I feel proud and honored to have this opportunity to see the performance of authentic Chinese art and culture in a foreign country. I really have a kind of very special feeling at the bottom of my heart.”
With a mission of reviving the 5,000 years of the divinely inspired Chinese culture, Shen Yun demonstrated the brilliant Chinese culture in the form of classical Chinese and ethnic and folk dance, which enabled the audience to appreciate the magnificence of the long history of the Chinese culture in artistic form.
“Seeing Shen Yun promoting the Chinese culture to the entire world, as a Chinese, I am really exhilarated and excited. In fact, I am very grateful to Shen Yun for its performances in other countries, so that people in foreign countries are able to gain more insight into Chinese culture. Shen Yun is really great,” added Ms. Yu.
“This is my first time watching Shen Yun, and I feel so comfortable after seeing the show. Its performance was indeed fantastic. I was especially moved by the program An Unexpected Encounter. In particular, the scene of gods coming to the rescue of Falun Gong practitioners was indeed remarkable. I believe Falun Gong is of benefit to humans. My grandfather used to be a Falun Gong practitioner, and many of the people around me practiced the cultivation practice as well. I’ve heard a lot about it. After seeing the program, I like Falun Gong even more.”
“Though the performance has come to an end, my mind is still active. If you ask me which program I like most, I would say that I like every piece. Shen Yun really opened my eyes wide, and I was so excited, as the program is really outstanding and touching. I love the animated backdrops as well. They are amazingly vivid and lifelike. I love the Chinese dance. It is so colorful and beautiful,” she said.
“I’ve seen some performing arts in China, but there were not so many dancing programs in a show. The shows in China are usually not well-organized, and often lacking in artistic value. I am so delighted to see Shen Yun in Incheon today, and feel very proud of it.”
She concluded by saying, “I hope that Shen Yun can perform in China as early as possible, and I think that is a common wish for everyone.”
Shen Yun Presents a Precious Heritage
At the end of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ first performance in Incheon on April 13, Mr. Li from China said emotionally, “I am thrilled.” When he saw the last program showing that Tiananmen Square in Beijing was destroyed by an earthquake, he said he believed that it was symbolic that the Chinese Communist regime will “quickly come to an end.”
Shen Yun is not able to tour to China because its stories contain traditional Chinese culture and a censored topic in China—the illegal persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. Li traveled from Heilongjiang Province in China to South Korea last month. He read reports on the New York-based Shen Yun in a newspaper and decided to purchase a ticket to see the performance. He said he felt very suppressed in China because he does not agree with the unlawful conduct of the Chinese Communist Party officials. After he watched Shen Yun, he said he felt very relaxed, comfortable, and that his life had a brighter outlook.
“China has 5,000 years of splendid culture and history, and Shen Yun keeps all the unique features of the traditional culture. Our ancestors left us this precious heritage and we need to cherish and promote it,” Mr. Li said.
“The Chinese culture does not belong to the Chinese Communist regime, it belongs to the people of China.”
Mr. Li was most impressed with the first and the last programs of the performance. He was thrilled at the very beginning to see gods and goddesses descending from heaven. The program Descending to the World is a story about Lord Buddha calling upon gods to descend with him to Earth to make a magnificent history for humankind.
When the gods come to rescue mankind during a catastrophe in the last program Divine Mercy, Tiananmen Square in Beijing is destroyed by an earthquake. Mr. Li believes that it signifies the end of the Chinese Communist regime. “People in China must stay away from evil, and only then will gods come to offer salvation to mankind,” he said.
Read the original Chinese articles. [1] [2]
Reporting by Dai Deman and Bill Xu, Li Zhen and Hsin-Yi Lin
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
