NANTES, France—When Daniel Defer experienced Shen Yun on Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Cité des Congrès, he thought he'd “come to an extraordinary and marvelous show,” but by the end the retired lawyer experienced a show that was “not only extraordinary and marvelous, but also touching, moving, and brought tears to our eyes.”

“You’re really touched. Very beautiful!” he said.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, and its mission is to bring 5,000 years of Chinese history and traditional culture back to life.

Mr. Defer, who has been deeply moved by Shen Yun’s mission, said: “It’s certainly going to be a long road, but Baron de Coubertin once said: ‘It’s not necessary to hope in order to undertake.’ So we must follow the path.”

“There are five millennia to defend and defend, and especially in these times, when we sense a general disintegration of values,“ he added. ”It’s good to see it depicted.”

“The essence of beauty, goodness, respect, the best of oneself and of others, respect for others, that’s beautiful!” he said.

Introducing the world to “China before communism,” Shen Yun celebrates on stage China’s ancestral traditions and rich spiritual heritage derived from the ancient teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Mr. Defer said he is not religious but Shen Yun and the spirituality displayed is “compelling all the same. Aspiring to something better and higher is a good aspiration.”

Bernard Louazon, former CFO of an American multinational in France, said he was “blown away” by the colors and dynamism of Shen Yun.

He said the special effects created by the animated digital backdrop are “absolutely fantastic, the way people disappear, come back, it just blew me away!”

Mr. Louazon said he was surprised by Shen Yun and its mission to bring “pre-Communist” China back to life. The China he knows under communist rule is one that is “terrifying” and that has “killed tens of millions” and continues to persecute its people, he added, and expressed support for Shen Yun’s mission.

Jean-Marc Pomarès, a former company director, appreciated the grace and elegance of the artists. He was also thrilled to discover the “special effects” of the animated digital backdrop.

“It’s quite extraordinary to see dancers going into this pit and then leaving and coming back with perfect synchronization. Quite extraordinary!” Mr. Pomarès said.

He praised the artistic level of the performers as well. “There’s a lot of grace, elegance, it’s superb!”

For Mr. Pomarès, “the transmission, passing on and sharing of such a distant, ancestral culture is extraordinary. We can’t afford to lose that.