Shen Yun ‘Should be Broadcast Everywhere’: Business Owner
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Clayton English (C) with his family at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, Mass., on Dec. 27, 2022. Yawen Hung/The Epoch Times
BOSTON—In contrast to modern media, Shen Yun Performing Arts is a breath of fresh air. Clayton English, a businessman, shared his belief that New York-based Shen Yun should be shown to everyone.
“I believe that this should be broadcast everywhere,” said Mr. English.
“I think that it’s really showing a side of a culture that is thousands of years old,” he said. “We are only familiar with a blink of an eye—the last couple of decades—which appear not to be the best part of the culture.”
Shen Yun is committed to sharing and reviving 5,000 years of Chinese culture. A culture that has been suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since it took power in China in 1949.
“This performance is wonderful. It’s thought-provoking. It’s great to see another side of the Chinese culture, one that we’re not bombarded with on the media and the news and such,” said Mr. English.
Shen Yun uses classical Chinese dance as a means to tell stories that have thousands of years of history. Each dance aims to exhibit the beauty of China’s ancient civilization.
“Some of them [show the] beautiful artistry of dance. Other ones are very emotional from a human standpoint—the hope of life and the ever after. All the performances are touching in one way or another,” he said.
To the artists, Mr. English wanted to say: “Keep it up. Keep going: dancers, musicians. God bless you all. You’re wonderful, and keep up the mission. You do it. We love it.”
Moved by Portrayal of Persecution
Larry Leherty at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at the Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, Mass., on Dec. 27, 2022. Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times
“The most moving piece that almost brought me to tears was the persecution of the people in China today for their beliefs,” said Larry Leherty, a business owner.
Mr. Leherty was referring to the dance that portrays Falun Gong practitioners in China who have been persecuted by the communist regime since 1999.
“I’m of the mind you live and let live. And no government should enforce what people believe,” said Mr. Leherty.
“And if people want to believe in a particular system, then they should do so. As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. It just enlightens themselves and others, then let them be it should not be persecuted.”
Falun Gong is an ancient practice that began to be taught publicly in China in 1992. The practice quickly rose in popularity due to its health benefits, and in 1999 the number of people following the practice had reportedly grown to 100 million. Feeling uneasy about the steady rise in people practicing Falun Gong, the then-head of CCP, Jiang Zemin, launched a crackdown on the practice. The persecution is still ongoing.
Reporting by Yawen Hung, Weiyong Zhu, 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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