COSTA MESA, Calif.—Company vice president Mindy Stokesberry called Shen Yun Performing Arts a visual feast after attending the company’s fourth performance at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on the evening of April 18.

“It was excellent,” she said. “It was colorful, it was a sight for the eyes, it was educational. We enjoyed it. We came with no expectations and we were pleasantly surprised.”

Ken Stokesberry, a retired high school principal, also enjoyed the evening. He especially appreciated Shen Yun’s educational value.

“I thought it was very educational,” he said, noting that it’s important to pay close attention throughout the performance to fully grasp everything the artists were trying to convey—which he made sure to do.

The performance is comprised of a series of short pieces that take its audience on a ride through the dynasties and across the vast regions of China. Using classical Chinese, folk, and ethnic dances, as well as solo musical performances, Shen Yun tells tales from ancient times to the modern day.

Ms. Stokesberry found Shen Yun’s dancing “awesome” and “very athletic.” She was especially impressed by how powerfully the artists expressed their thoughts and emotions without using words.

In the decades since the communist regime seized power, Chinese culture was forced to the brink of extinction. The New York-based artists are now seeking to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture and showcase to the world the beauty of China before communism.

Before the communist party’s spread of atheism, Chinese people were very spiritual and had a deep belief in the divine. For thousands of years, their values and day-to-day actions were strictly governed by the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

Shen Yun “opened many people’s eyes,” she said.

“It’s worth coming to. It’s a beautiful, visionary sight. It was enjoyable,” she said.