MESA, Ariz.—Attorney David Barton attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Feb. 7, at Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center.
“I loved it. It’s very nice. I appreciated the portions where they talked about faith and the religious components of what used to be China. That was nice to see. This made me want to learn more, particularly about [China’s] pre-communist past,” he said.
“I want to learn more about the Buddhist faith and some of the concepts that would have motivated them in the past because I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to bridge our cultures. I thought it was great.”
“Our faith traditions are a little bit similar. We all kind of share a common basis,” he elaborated.
Mr. Barton agrees with Shen Yun’s mission because “there’s an unfortunate divide right now between China and the United States,” and it’s “definitely because of communism.”
“I hope [the artists] keep doing this. More people need to understand what China is all about—It’s not about what we currently see and the conflict that we currently have,” he expressed.
“I would love to see more understanding between our two cultures so that people can get along. I think there’s more that unites us than divides us. It’s unfortunate that right now, we’re in a situation where, at least from my perspective, on the American side there is a sense or perception that China is our enemy. That’s really sad.”
Mr. Barton further added that people should be coming together, trying to resolve problems, and uniting as a world rather than trying to blame each other for what’s going on.
“So, this to me, was very nice to see that at least this organization is trying to help Americans understand better the Chinese culture.”
Mr. Barton thought this situation is very unfortunate.
“Americans value free speech and value the opportunity to express your beliefs and your views. It was nice to see that there’s a group of Chinese people who are willing to bravely stand up and say, this is what China could be like and what it was like. It was nice to see.”
