ESCONDIDO, Calif.—School principal Shane Wickwire and his daughter Madison enjoyed Shen Yun’s evening performance at the California Center for the Arts on Jan. 17.

Mr. Wickwire thought Shen Yun’s portrayal of traditional Chinese culture was “enlightening.”

“It was a beautiful depiction of Chinese culture and dance. Seeing some of the stories and folklore was impressive,” he said.

“[Shen Yun] shows the pride of Chinese culture that a lot of people still have, but also the sadness of Chinese communism—how it has taken away that heritage and culture.”

For 5,000 years, China’s civilization flourished under the shared belief that the divine will bless those who uphold traditional moral values. Tragically, within just a few decades of the communist party’s violent takeover, these beliefs were erased and replaced with atheism.

This mission resonated deeply with Ms. Wickwire.

“It’s incredible. I didn’t know much about it before I came to the show. Learning about how [Shen Yun] is not allowed in China, but [the artists] are still pursuing and pushing to spread that message and that voice of Chinese culture—it’s more than moving. It really can’t be expressed in words,” she said.

Despite receiving global praise and acclaim since its establishment, Shen Yun is currently banned from performing in China by the ruling communist regime. This is due to the artists’ focus on raising awareness about human rights violations in present-day China.

“The choreography and the costumes all together just flowed beautifully. The backdrop—that was cool. Everything is good,” she stated.

A religious man himself, Mr. Wickwire, added that the spirituality presented in the show was very powerful.

“The divine and nature—that was a beautiful depiction. As Christians, it aligns very closely with our own beliefs,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful representation of where we came from, what we’ve lost, and what we need to gain [back.] I loved that there are young people who really believe in resurrecting this culture and keeping it alive. They’re doing it so beautifully and so passionately.”

Moreover, Mr. Wickwire thought it would be a wonderful idea to introduce Shen Yun to his students.

“It would be great to bring a group of kiddos here to watch this—to see their eyes light up. They’ll say, ‘Oh, I want to learn how to do that. Where can I learn?’”