(Minghui.org) China, also known as Shen Zhou (Land of the Divine), has a long and glorious history. From the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Han and Tang dynasties, there was a tradition of kindness, loyalty, dignity, and courage.
The harmony of heaven, earth, and mankind was a constant theme in ancient Chinese culture. People cherished balance and virtue in their literature, music, medicine, calligraphy, clothing, architecture, and so on. The balance of yin and yang was also reflected between men and women and in all aspects of society.
China’s long history and rich culture resonated with people from other countries. For example, Christianity was welcomed by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Will Durant, historian, and philosopher as well as the author of the 11-volume The Story of Civilization, praised Chinese poetry for its elegance and sense of calm and simplicity. He said the Chinese people were immersed in an unprecedented life of beauty and love for art.
In Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters), the oldest Chinese character dictionary, "beauty" and "kindness" can be traced back to the same word origins. Beautiful and elegant art comes from respecting the divine.
The French philosopher Voltaire admired Chinese culture and praised the Confucian principles of universal morality and civility. German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was so impressed by Chinese culture and aesthetics that he made a study of them.
Communist ideology, on the other hand, opposes traditional values. From the Soviet Union to communist China, it instills people with hatred, brutality, and lies. Besides suppressing and killing innocent people, communism also systematically destroys traditional values.
Shen Yun was established in New York in 2006 with a mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture. To date, it presented over 10,000 shows in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Australia. Wanting to see “China before communism,” people are once again embracing traditional values and the harmony bestowed by the divine through Shen Yun’s performances.
After U.S. Air Force manager Ron Barmes saw Shen Yun in April 2024, he said seeing Shen Yun brought him a special feeling and that, compared to China right now, China in the past was peaceful and pleasant.
Kobori Osamu, chairman of a non-profit organization, was amazed after seeing a Shen Yun performance in January 2024. “Culture that has been accumulated for thousands of years has blossomed and borne fruit on Shen Yun’s stage,” he said. “It’s very exciting! Each dancer has extremely high artistic attainments. They must have put in rigorous training.
“Both the choreography and the costume design show a very high artistic level. I am curious about whose skillful design it is,” he continued. “The ingenious clothing designs are great! I think this is a new design in the 21st century.”
“The music and dance are excellent! I really enjoyed the uniform beauty of the dance, and the combination with the image background showed a very high-performance effect. I was very moved by the performance,” said Warabi Kazuo, former mayor of Sakura City in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, after watching a Shen Yun performance in January 2025. “The Tang Dynasty is my favorite period because it was the heyday of Chinese culture. I was very excited to see the content of the program about this era.
“I am very touched by the content of faith. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China, spiritual faith played a role in stabilizing social morality,” he added. “With the rapid development of AI and IT, it is becoming more and more difficult for people to understand each other. It is very important to reawaken spiritual values, such as morality.”
Commercial pilot Lawrence Golomb noted the scenes where divine beings come to earth to save people, as described in Chinese legends. “I’ve been noticing a lot of parallels between Christianity and some of the beliefs that are presented here as well, so I found that very interesting,” he said.
He cherished the long history and culture of China despite suppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “I applaud that. I don’t think anyone should be oppressed, in the sense that they can’t actually express who they are,” he said. “I’m afraid that there’s an aspect of that in our country, where there is a fear to speak up as to who you really are because you know you’re going to offend someone.”
Joseph Petty, Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts, watched a Shen Yun performance in January 2024 and presented a proclamation. “I was very impressed with the art. It was moving … the performers were wonderful,” he said. He commended Shen Yun’s mission to, “preserve the essence of China’s 5,000-year history and share it with the modern world in its purest and most beautiful form.
“I support the art and culture, and they [Shen Yun] show some good history of China and what’s going on today, and show some of the challenges that arose when it was suppressed,” he explained. “I think it’s important that every culture should remember where they come from, remember their roots. Remember your tradition, and the Creator will always be with you.”
Writers Laura Ainsworth and Pat Reeder watched a Shen Yun performance in Dallas, Texas, in January 2025. “We love everything about it, the music, the dancing, the costumes, the colors, the screens, the special effects, it’s amazing! It all just comes together,” said Reeder.
“The fact that this is a tradition that has been preserved through the centuries and that without [Shen Yun], it might just die away. And yet here it is for us to see. I’m very grateful for that,” Ainsworth added.
Retired Air Force Brigadier General Robert Spalding is an expert in US-China relations. After watching a Shen Yun performance in February 2024, he said, “I just kind of imagined in my mind what China would be without the Chinese Communist Party. And this show kind of reveals a lot of the culture that’s been lost because the Chinese Communist Party has destroyed the culture.”
“Being able to sit down and really witness the Chinese culture that hasn’t been corrupted by the Chinese Communist Party, I think it’s the most important to me. I kind of imagine, like, if I could go to China without the Chinese Communist Party, this might be what it would be like,” he added.
William Shakespeare once wrote something along the lines that truth brings fulfillment to human life, but lies only bring instability. When more people cherish what we have, the situation will change.