PORTLAND, Oregon—Shen Yun Performing Arts’ was a “return to the spiritual roots” for Chinese history and culture author Shelly Wu at the Keller Auditorium in Portland Tuesday night.

As someone who lives by the sayings of Lao Tzu, Ms. Wu was familiar with traditional Chinese culture.

Traditional Chinese culture is said to be divinely inspired, and Ms. Wu, who has had articles featured in publications like LIFE magazine and bestselling books on Chinese astrology, said she saw “the Taoism, Buddhism, and going back to the roots” in New York-based Shen Yun’s performance.

“It was ’hen hao‘ [very good]. It was awesome. It was impressive, very well done,” Ms. Wu said.

Ms. Wu said she first learned about Shen Yun at a tradeshow, and when she saw the promotion for it, “I just swooned.” Mr. Jay Van Dyke, a contractor, saw how much Ms. Wu loved it then, and bought tickets she said.

“I thought it was really awesome,” Mr. Van Dyke said. “Very talented, colorful, and I enjoyed it.”

Many of Shen Yun’s dances tells a story, and as a practitioner of martial arts himself, Mr. Van Dyke said he could relate to When Shaolin Monks Protected the Emperor.

In a comedic but historic piece, the dance tells of the legend of the Tang Emperor lifting the ban on eating meat at the Shaolin monastery, after the monks save his life.

The stories throughout the performance range from ancient legends to present-day tales.

Ms. Wu said she follows what is going on in mainland China very closely, so when she saw the persecution of spiritual beliefs such as Falun Gong in China addressed in the performance, she was “glad to see it.”

“This is amazing,” Ms. Wu said. “This is a bold statement.”

Reporting by Echo Liu and Catherine Yang

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

 The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.