BUCHEREST, Romania—On the evening of April 8, 2008, Divine Performing Arts brought yet another impressing and educational show to Bucharest. Adrian Surugiu, a lawyer, and his wife, Mirela Sarbui, a teacher, shared their thoughts and feelings about the show with the Epoch Times.
Based upon China's less than perfect human rights policies, Surugiu, being a lawyer was initially concerned. "I was surprised at first, because I thought the artists had come from China, not from America, and so we were concerned about how they were going to deal with the repression once they went back to China. However, after looking at the flyer, we noticed that the company is based in the United States.
Several elements of the show illustrate the kind of repression that is happening in China right now. Surugiu commented, "I was not aware of the persecution of the Falun Gong discipline. I do know that they repress everything that is against their ideology ... So I can understand this. … They also should have freedom of conscience and opinion."
Surugiu expressed his indifference with Chinese politics. "We Romanians see this kind of show more as an artistic piece rather than in an ideological way. We are completely disconnected from what is happening in China. What's important is that it awakens our wish to see China, and this is a side of China which we want to see, in our efforts to discover China."
He seemed surprised to learn about the Chinese government's attempts to sabotage these kinds of shows outside China. He said, "I didn't know anything about the press release, in which they recommended that nobody view this show. We came to see the essence of the Chinese culture, not the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s ideology, which is currently in power, because even in Romania we see parties with one or another ideology. But the spirit of a nation has to last for centuries, and this is what we came for, the spirit of the Chinese people."
His wife said, "It shocked me a bit. I did not expect that it would emphasize any ideology, and it would depict the spiritual struggle against the Chinese government's ideology. In some ways it has a political influence. About the current Chinese government, I only know a little bit from a document I read in Discovery, which shocked me profoundly when I saw how manipulating they are. It's like there was a brainwashing center, but I didn't think about it too deeply, because I was thinking about how it was before 1989. Maybe this is why a show like this was necessary in Romania."
The couple related their experience of having lived under communist rule and similar repression. "We went through something like this. We also where like 14 years old when communism fell. Still, it's easier to get a more detailed story from those who are older, but even at our age freeing oneself is very hard."
Surugiu concluded by sharing his overall impression of the show. He said the impression he got was very pleasing. "It's original. I haven't seen things like this before. I'm pleased that I came. I will tell my friends that it is a pleasant way to spend the evening—the richness of colors creates a very good feeling, and I would recommend it."
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.BestChineseShows.com
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit: en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
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