MILWAUKEE—Pastor Philip Ramsey and his wife Irma attended the first of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ four consecutive shows in Wisconsin at the Miller High Life Theatre, on Feb. 17.

“That’s an excellent word. I wouldn’t change it,” Mr. Ramsey agreed adamantly. “It opened up new doors, new ways of thinking. It was a kind of revelation of commonality between us and people of other cultures. If I could go up and meet the cast [of Shen Yun] I think we’d get along just fine.”

“I wrote home to my children and told them the history and traditions that were shown here tonight. It was wonderful,” he added.

For five millenniums, China filled its history with breathtaking legends and rich traditions rooted in spirituality. However, following the 1949 communist takeover, traditional Chinese culture went through a period of mass destruction.

Mr. Ramsey hoped that the performance could bring peace to the world.

“The good of humanity and the truth were shown [here.] I know that there are a lot of Christians being persecuted in China,” he said. “I learned a lot about China’s history before communism while I was watching the show tonight. Shen Yun is trying to help people that are under persecution. It’s a good thing!”

As a pastor, Mr. Ramsey was happy to discover that there are many shared beliefs across the East and the West.

“The Divine Creator, the value and decency of each individual, their capacity to love one another without interference—it’s just good that I came here. It was so positive, and I was lifted up,” he said.

But perhaps what touched him most was the strength and determination shown by Shen Yun performers in their effort to uphold the truth.

“Shen Yun has shown here the rise of young people standing up for their beliefs and their faith. They’re willing to sacrifice for what they believe in. That’s what we believe in, too,” he said.