(Clearwisdom.net) As one of the World Finance centers, the banking area in Frankfurt has many skyscrapers and is often referred to as "the European Manhattan." The area's multicultural nature is also visible in the fact that one third of Frankfurt's citizens do not have German passports, but come from many different cultural backgrounds. Regardless--natives or immigrants--they have expressed interest in learning about the Divine Performing Arts' show.
Starting in December 2007, the first booth introducing the Divine Performing Arts was set up in Neu-Isenburg Shopping Center in Frankfurt. It is in a very crowded shopping mall, and it normally costs several thousand Euro to rent the booth for one day. The manager is a lady from the former East Germany. When she learned about the Divine Performing Arts' renaissance of traditional Chinese Culture and its effort to present five thousand years of ancient civilization that was free of Communist Party culture to the Western World, she immediately expressed her desire to provide a free booth, including equipment such as a large projector and screen.
On the first day the booth at the Neu-Isenburg Shopping Center opened, a young couple with a baby stroller walked by. A volunteer offered them a newspaper and spoke with the father, who was dark-skinned and obviously from elsewhere. She told this young father how the show used incomparable costumes and scenery, that the performers were all accomplished and carried a positive energy, that what they presented were traditional values, etc. The young man listened quietly, pointed at his wife, who was talking on her cell phone, and said, "See, we are looking for a babysitter now." They found a babysitter and immediately bought two tickets.
Ms. Brabdes is from Indonesia. She saw the news about the Divine Performing Arts on the evening of February 11, 2008. On February 12, she came to the ticket booth with her husband and daughter and bought the three best tickets available. Ms. Brabdes said, "My ancestors are Chinese, and I am also a Chinese, 100 percent Chinese as a matter of fact. I love Chinese traditional singing and dancing so much!" She asked to leave her phone number with the volunteer and said to please notify her about any similar events in the future.
It is probably due to Frankfurt's background that it is still a focal point of different cultures. Twelve hundred years ago, the Frankish Empire expanded to include the current France, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Austria, and most of Germany and Italy. King Charlemagne divided the Empire into three parts among his sons, which helped form today's Germany and France, and their language divided rapidly into German, French, and other Western European languages. Perhaps the reason Western Europeans learn each other's languages so easily is because of this historical connection.
Nevertheless, some people would rather learn Chinese despite the fact it is harder than Romance languages.
Ms. Engel is in her 40s. She has been learning Chinese for almost three years now. She came to the booth early on the morning of February 12 and said in Chinese, "Fantastic! I am teaching my two children Chinese. Seeing this traditional cultural show will be great for our Chinese study. I will bring my kids. I will also call my friends today and tell them the good news."
From mouth to mouth, heart to heart, people with different ethnic backgrounds are waiting to experience the grace of the Divine Performing Arts.
February 13, 2008
