SYDNEY, Australia—David Wu, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, commended Shen Yun Performing Arts as the disseminator and promoter of the treasure that is Chinese culture after seeing the world’s premier Classical Chinese dance company perform to a full house at the Capitol Theatre on Thursday evening.

“Tonight’s performance left me feeling very touched,” Mr. Wu said. “Whether it is the arrangement of this program or the content, it seems like all of us have taken a time machine and travelled through the past and present of Chinese history.”

Shen Yun is “a good opportunity for all to open their eyes and learn a lot in a short amount of time about China,” he said. “I think it is very rare to be able to come into contact with the very essence of Chinese culture in two or three hours. I highly recommend it.”

The performance also had a message that resonated with Mr. Wu on a personal level: “We must still embrace hope and move towards a brighter future.”

“I think this whole performance touched many people’s hearts and gave us a lot of encouragement,” he said.

“This whole program is to let everyone know that no matter what the external environment is like, we should work hard to move forward … we must not lose faith,” he added, repeating a commonly shared wish for a cycle of goodness and kindness in the world.

She left Shen Yun feeling hopeful that people were being empowered into “really unlocking your own unconscious bias, looking at history, and having that true understanding yourself—as an individual—to see exactly what has taken place in China.”

“I think there were some powerful messages came through as to what is the history and the culture from China are.

Zac Miles, the mayor of Hunters Hill, also found delight in the tradition that was presented by Shen Yun.

“It was a great testimonial to the culture that we celebrate and love here in Australia,” he said of traditional Chinese culture. “It was wonderful.”

“It’s a huge crowd here tonight … It’s great to see, and it’s part of the fabric of this city, but also our country.”