SEATTLE—Before Wednesday's Chinese Spectacular, John Gokcen, who is the consul general for Turkey and who had visited China before, said: "There are many groups that live in South Asia like Kazakhs and Kyrgyz people. Since the Turks moved away almost 2000 years ago, after so many years, Turkish culture now is almost a mix of Eastern culture and Western culture."
When Gokcen traveled to Asia, he came to discover the Asian roots in his culture and closeness of relationships—"they are not superficial and are very deep. Turkish people are very hospitable people and are very warm-blooded." So when he had traveled to China, even not speaking Chinese, he did not feel like a foreigner: "There was a warm outcome and I did not feel like a stranger. There, friendship is really important. You trust people and this is really important."
"When I was leaving China, my flight was around 6:30 in the morning and suddenly I'd heard: 'Hi John.' I thought that it was someone from the hotel. But it was the president of the Shandong Airlines and he came to just say goodbye." John said that they have the same kind of attitude in Turkish culture as well: "If you are close to someone, you will do anything for him."
He found that it was really touching and could not be easily found in Western culture. The same, he added, is about giving a gift "just for hospitality and not expecting something in return."
During the intermission, Gokcen exclaimed: "It was wonderful, especially the drum performances—they were excellent. All of the costumes were really colorful. It was great."
"One thing that I was surprised by, is that there were some modern sceneries that I wasn't expecting alongside the traditional [aspects.] That added flavor to it. Hopefully, we will be seeing some more shows like this in the future."
He said that next time he would definitely bring his family to the show. He regretted that his wife and their son had to go to Turkey before the shows in Seattle started.
"The traditional culture impresses me—its colorfulness that is important and goes back thousands of years. People who are ancestors of those old civilizations, they can appreciate those kinds of things. I enjoy ancient culture and that kind of thing," he said.
"Another thing that I noticed about ancient arts is that when each person moves, there is a meaning behind it and that is why I like it. If you can capture that meaning, then it will turn into a very special performance for you."
Gokcen said that modern dances do not have those special meanings that the ancient dances have, and that folk dances in Turkey have them as well. He continued that this kind of art brings respect toward nature and solidarity in the community—things that are very important.
At the end, Gokcen talked about food in China. "Whenever you go out to eat, you bring your friends as well because it is an important aspect of your life [in China]." He realized that culture in Turkey has many deep roots that go back to China.
"That is why I did not hesitate to come to this show and I would to come to watch it again," he concluded.
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit: http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
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