(Clearwisdom.net)

Former County Magistrate: A Show with Rich Cultural Content

TAIPEI, Taiwan--On the evening of March 21, 2010, former Yilan County Magistrate Lu Kuo-hua and his wife attended the Shen Yun performance in Taipei. They said, "Shen Yun is a show with rich cultural content. Each program is very excellent."

In an interview during intermission, Mr. Lu Kuo-hua repeated his comment about the cultural content, "Each program is very excellent. It is a show with rich cultural content. Whether it is Tibetan dance, Miao dance, or Mongolian dance, all the programs are well-organized and move on at a brisk pace. Impressive sights are presented in the blink of an eye. It's very amazing."

The programs, "Nothing Can Block the Divine Path" and "Astounding Conviction," present the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong through the artistic form of dance. Regarding these pieces, Lu Kuo-hua expressed his opinion about the freedom of belief and respect for human rights. He said, "Now it's an age of democracy and freedom. I think those in power should show respect and support for their people's belief and identification with religion."

Hearing that the Shen Yun shows had been canceled in Hong Kong due to the CCP's interference, he said, "I think it is everyone's responsibility to pass down the cultural heritage. A show of cultural heritage should get support and be promoted by the government. It should be respected rather than be suppressed. All citizens should be encouraged to attend, appreciate, sense and embrace it, and further, to blend it with our lives."

Former Yilan County Magistrate Lu Kuo-hua and his wife

Litterateur: Shen Yun Restores the Truth of Chinese Culture

Mr. Li Chiao, former national policy adviser to the president, came from Miaoli to see the show. A famous litterateur in Taiwan who won the National Award for Arts in 2006, Li's literary work "Cold Night Trilogy" enjoys great popularity in Taiwan. This novel was revised to produce a Hakka TV series in 2002 by the Taiwan Public Television Service.

Being extraordinarily familiar with the presentation of cultural subjects, Li said, "A cultural presentation includes two parts. The first part is the norms that need to be followed. The second part is the manifestation--how to exhibit the styles and features differently in forms such as literature, music, and dances." In Li's observation, Shen Yun performance did an excellent job in balancing the norms and the manifestation.

Li did not disguise his criticism of the CCP. He explained, "The ongoing destruction of Chinese culture by the Chinese Communist regime during the recent fifty years has deprived the Chinese people of their authenticity, an essential element for cultural presentations. Put in a simple way, the China governed by the Chinese Communist Party makes the people in Taiwan feel uneasy."

For a long time, Li held specific thoughts about "how to remedy Chinese culture." What pleasantly surprised him today was that the Shen Yun performance achieved what he had been looking for. "Shen Yun has sufficiently and perfectly displayed the quintessence and the wonderfulness of Chinese culture." Li added that the Shen Yun performance "...rehabilitates the truth about Chinese Culture."

Li continued, "In addition to artist presentation, the show also contains ingredients of enlightenment. Enlightening human hearts and educating human society are very good." He gave high praise to Shen Yun's objectives to retrieve and revive orthodox culture for human beings.

Mr. Li said he admired Falun Gong practitioners' steadfast perseverance in their beliefs even though they are persecuted in China. He told the interviewer that he came across several peaceful appeals hosted by Falun Gong groups in some cities when he lived in Canada. As he understood and supported Falun Gong's appeal of "stopping illegal persecution," he would join the practitioners to sit on the floor for peaceful appeals even though these activities were frequently harassed by the Chinese Communist regime.

Mr. Li Chiao, former national policy adviser to the president, came from Miaoli to see the show

Chairperson: "5,000 Years of Chinese Culture"

Dr. Hwei-Chih Cheng, chairperson of the board of directors of Lih Jen International Private Elementary and Middle School, saw the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts two years ago. This year when she watched it again, she was again deeply touched by the performance.

She gently wiped away tears after the show and said, "Shen Yun demonstrates the literal meaning of 'Shen Yun' [or celestial charm] extremely well. They not only dance well, even more so are the excellent manifestations of their demeanor and style. It should be highly promoted. I've been to many places around the world and Shen Yun is definitely the best. I would like all my teachers at the school to come and see it."

"Chinese folk dances inherited 5,000 years of Chinese culture. I felt they [Shen Yun] have strong intention to preserve traditional culture. Every movement has indeed demonstrated this divine essence," she happily pointed out.

Dr. Hwei-Chih Cheng, chairperson of the board of directors of Lih Jen International Private Elementary and Middle School

Sources:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31836/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31834/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31837/

Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts