CHANGHUA, Taiwan—With the mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture through the arts in order to upgrade social morality and make society more peaceful, every year Shen Yun Performing Arts tours the world and performs its programs that connote loyalty, filial piety, moral integrity, and righteousness.
In view of the fact that Kiwanis International’s objectives are similar to Shen Yun’s mission, Kiwanis International co-sponsored Shen Yun’s 2013 tour in Taiwan. Kiwanis International Taiwan District Governor Chien Chu-Ching said, “Shen Yun inspires compassion, while Kiwanis International advocates the increase of righteousness, justice and goodwill. As both of them share the same type of philosophy, we thus decided to co-sponsor Shen Yun performances in Taiwan.”
Marveling at Shen Yun’s magnificent performances, Mr. Chien praised the company. “Frankly, I think every program was really wonderful, and it’s hard for me to say which one touched me most,” he said. “Every piece is very touching. There are very profound meanings in the programs. What I can enlighten to is that we feel a Shen Yun program is so delightful and enjoyable, not only because these artists are wonderful, but the contents of the performances are terrific—and the costumes are very brilliant and splendid. The dances performed by Shen Yun artists can really touch the bottom of its audiences’ hearts.”
“This is my first time seeing such a wonderful dance program with such terrific music,” he added. “In particular, the seamless blend of Eastern and Western musical instruments is amazing. Shen Yun performances really touch my heart deeply.”
Mr. Chien said that he was impressed most by the last piece, Divine Mercy. “The scenes where heaven rends asunder and earth cracks in the last piece signifies that human morality has fallen to the point that a curse of heaven is approaching, namely: Heaven is going to punish the evil ones. Therefore, we should conduct good deeds, as kind-hearted people can be blessed by gods and Buddha miraculously.
“There are many phenomena that cannot be explained, and we believe that they are the will of gods. I think this program was portraying the miracles taking place tens of thousands of years ago.”
Mr. Chien also really admired Shen Yun’s spirit of promoting the five thousand years of Chinese culture across the world, saying, “In terms of humanity, what is good should be promoted. I found that seeing these dances with profound meanings can enlighten us to uplift our morality and inspire compassion.”
And he stressed, “I think these programs can also really activate our hearts, while we often feel melancholy. Many may think that society is in chaos, so conducting ourselves well would suffice. But I think this is a wrong concept, as we should promote righteousness, and spread the seeds of kindness throughout society. So the compassion advocated by our organizations can spread to every corner of society.”
In addition to joy, audiences can also feel a special kind of energy in a Shen Yun performance. In this regard, Mr. Chien agreed. “I feel a kind of energy in the performance,” he said. “For instance, when seeing lengthy ordinary performances, we may feel kind of tired. But when seeing a Shen Yun performance, that’s not the case. The more we see it, the more we feel uplifted, as it can console our spiritual fatigue. It is the demonstration of a special kind of energy.”
He also stressed, “Good performances like Shen Yun show should not only be sponsored by Kiwanis International and Lions International, but they should also be promoted by other non-profit organizations, so that the programs with pure sincerity, abundant compassion, and sheer beauty can further inspire compassion in the society.
“When Shen Yun tours Taiwan again next year, not only will we co-sponsor it again, but I will invite those who haven’t seen the performances to attend the show.”
