(Clearwisdom.net) OTTAWA--Shen Yun Performing Arts offered two former diplomats a night of cultural exchange at the National Arts Centre on Monday night.

Mr. Wilson, a former diplomat to China who lived there for over a decade, during which he mostly worked for the Foreign Service, shared his thoughts in Chinese.

"The show is very good and also very useful," he said, adding that it portrays a very good balance of traditional Chinese history.

Mr. Wilson, a former diplomat to China who lived there for over a decade.

Mr. Wilson, who worked in south western China, said he particularly enjoyed the ethnic dances and those that portrayed legends from China's rich history.

Among the performances that he enjoyed were dances about the Miao ethnicity and the Dai ethnicity, and another that portrayed an incident in the life of legendary Chinese general Han Xin.

Another dance in this year's world tour portrays a scene from Journey to the West, one of China's most beloved classic novels which tells the tale of the supernatural Monkey King who helped a monk go to India so he could bring the Buddhist scriptures back to China.

Mr. Wilson said he used to read that tale to his daughter.

He was also enthusiastic about soprano Haolan Geng, one of the show's three vocal soloists.

"The soprano was quite impressive, she was extraordinary. I would like to hear her do some Western singing--I think she could make a contribution there."

"The entire show was good, the combination of all the parts together was good. I especially liked that soprano."

With Mr. Wilson was friend and fellow diplomat Mr. Jacobi, who worked in the Foreign Service for 36 years, often in Latin America.

"I enjoyed it very much. The singing, dancing, and classical traditions and backdrops--they are wonderful," Mr. Jacobi said.

He also enjoyed the latest technology used in Shen Yun's innovative animated backdrops. "On the whole, I enjoyed it very much," he said.

"The choreography, and color, and the artistry of the dancers, and the costumes impressed me most. That's the most impressive. The orchestra is pretty impressive too. Western and Chinese instruments are combined to produce the traditional music."

Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/27862/