Academic Vice-Principal and Dean of the University of Toronto Congratulates NTDTV on the 2008 Chinese New Year Spectacular

The 2008 Chinese New Year Spectacular performed by the Divine Performing Arts company will be presented at Sony Center in Toronto on January 18, 19 and 20, 2008. Gage Averill, Academic Vice-Principal and Dean of the University of Toronto, a renowned music scholar, congratulated NTDTV on its efforts to combine the deeply historical Chinese culture with the contemporary expressions to promote the exchange of the international cultures.

Mr. Averill pointed out that the phenomenon that has defined this new millennium is the rise of the power of Chinese culture and industry, not just on the mainland but Chinese people around the globe. "And it is critical that the audiences in North America, which are the primary audiences of the show, have a better sense of China than what they get just from new stories. They need to understand something of the five thousand years of Chinese thought and philosophy, artistic expression. We need this kind of understanding globally. We need not just new stories, and business transactions, but a better way to look across cultures and understand the humanity that has underlined it.

"This looks to me to be an extraordinary Spectacular show, and a show that ranges widely through deeply historical expressions to very contemporary expressions. And it also shows that it doesn't try to put traditional Chinese culture in a box, but really allows it to breathe and interact with cultures around the world, to find contemporary expression within a Chinese dialogue, but also to interact with other cultures." "That is the enormous achievement of the show, and I think it is these types of efforts that will bear fruit in the great cultural understanding."

"I congratulate New Tang Dynasty Television for the Chinese New Year Spectacular, and wish all of their audience members, and the audience members at the show a Happy and Prosperous New Year."