SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Decorated Veteran Sees ‘Message of Hope’ in Shen Yun

Mar 13, 2025

SAVANNAH, Ga.—Although Beth Zimmerman knew little about the spirituality of traditional Chinese culture, sitting in the audience of Shen Yun Performing Arts, she felt many of her own beliefs brought to life on stage during those two hours.

“I want to see it again next year,” said Ms. Zimmerman, one of the first women to start working on U.S. Air Force flight lines in the 1970s, who retired as a senior master sergeant and was awarded a Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal.

Ms. Zimmerman attended Shen Yun with Elizabeth Perrone, a retired Navy lieutenant, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre at Savannah Civic Center on March 12.

Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, founded in New York in 2006.

Like many new to Shen Yun, Ms. Zimmerman said she hadn’t realized Shen Yun was an American company at first glance.

“I was very surprised. I didn’t know that it was started in New York. I knew it was Chinese, but I thought it was started in China. And then I thought, wait a minute, that’s not right,” Ms. Zimmerman said.

That’s because Shen Yun’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, sharing with audiences the beauty of China before communism.

Traditional Chinese culture is divinely inspired culture, and Ms. Zimmerman said the spirituality of the art and culture went straight to her heart.

“Just, the similarity between Christianity and some of the beliefs, and I was telling [Ms. Perrone]. About halfway through it, I said, ‘Are you sure these guys aren’t Catholic?’ And so, yes, that is what spoke to me,” Ms. Zimmerman said.

“Not only the level of the emotions that come through on the dance but the spirituality as well. It hits on various levels. So you come expecting one thing and you get more than you bargained for,” Ms. Zimmerman said.

The ancient Chinese believed their culture a gift from the heavens, and for millennia Chinese civilization was a spiritual one. The concept of harmony between heaven, earth, and humankind was a cornerstone of this civilization, and morals and virtues from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are deeply integrated into the culture.

Watching the ancient legends, historical stories, and musical vignettes, Ms. Zimmerman felt Shen Yun delivered “a message of hope.”

“That as long as we as a people keep respecting each other’s culture, then I think we’re going to be okay, that we may make it through what our leaders are doing,” she said.

Ms. Perrone agreed, saying she also found “a message of hope” watching Shen Yun.

It delivered “hope, absolute beauty, you can’t miss the beauty,” she said.

“I was happy,” Ms. Perrone said.

Reporting by Sherry Dong and Catherine Yang.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.