(Clearwisdom.net) The Divine Performing Arts held its first grand show of the 2008 Chinese New Year Splendor at Radio City Music Hall in New York. From "Descent of the Celestial Kings" at the beginning to "Drummers of the Tang Court" at the end, all the performances presented the grace and deep meaning of Chinese traditional culture.
Well-known democratic dissident, writer, poet, and reporter Sheng Xue praised the Chinese New Year Splendor
Shen Xue, who is from Canada, is a well-known democratic dissident, writer, poet, and reporter. She has seen the Chinese New Year Spectacular every year it has been presented. On January 20, she saw the Chinese New Year Spectacular show in Toronto. On January 30, she saw Chinese New Year Splendor in New York. She said emotionally, "The performance gets better every year. The meanings of the programs are deeper. The dancing, costumes, songs, and colors become more beautiful."
Asked whether she thought the program about the persecution of Falun Gong affected the joyous atmosphere, she said, "Humans' joy arises from the inner heart. Inner meaning brings people true joy. Funny talk makes people laugh. But they forget it after they get home. Facing the fact that Falun Gong has been persecuted for so many years, one cannot be truly happy if he turns a blind eye to it.
Ms. Sheng said, "I think that even at this time of family reunions and festivities, the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China should be presented to everyone with graceful art to inspire peoples' conscience. For instance, the dance 'The Power of Awareness' teaches us a principle that we should unite and stand up to object to the evil persecution when faced with it. From this effort we can obtain joy in our inner hearts and true peace in this world."
Ms. Sheng left China 18 years ago and is unable to return home to visit her family for insisting on following her conscience. Even when her father passed away, the Chinese Communist regime inhumanely denied her entry. She said she did not regret her choice. Her own experience made her agree with Falun Gong practitioners' persistence in objecting to the persecution.
She said, "Facing the sinister reality in China, one should spread the truth about the Chinese Communist Party and insist on following one's own conscience. Though sometimes one is forced to lose many things, I think everyone should shoulder a share of social responsibility. Such an effort is meaningful. Especially for the many years that Falun Gong practitioners have continued their efforts. They must bear fruit. Their efforts will keep any Chinese person from living in exile and allowing him or her to avoid that brutal regime's suppression, the polluted environment, and the deceitful and untrusting social relations between people. I believe their efforts will be appreciated and praised."
