“It [Shen Yun] creates an awareness of the current situation in China, of the bureaucracy over there, and what changes have been happening since 1949 from the communist takeover. ... there’s certainly a dictatorship ... they’ve been very heavy-handed over the years on controlling the people’s thoughts.”
 

“I think that it is very important to have background and culture and heritage of Chinese people to make them have a feeling of self-worth and an inheritance to be proud, of the evolution of whichever way the politics do go they should be their own people as the ancestors and the history should be recognised.”
 

“[Shen Yun is] highlighting awareness of the beauty of China and the history and the culture, and people are the same everywhere in the world, I think that’s highlighting what China is all about in the history and the culture. … I think it’s highlighting the beauty of China and appreciation of the beauty of the land, the flowers, the rivers, the mountains and appreciating the history that goes along with the geographical features of China.”
 

“The athletic performance and the dancing was magnificent.”
 

“The backdrops are magnificent. It’s certainly complemented the dancing and that’s a great spectacular and very uplifting.”
 

“It’s great music. I like the orchestra, they did a great job with the mixture of Chinese musicians and Western European musicians down there, the oboes and violins and the harp, a mixture of good music.
 

“The lady [Lu Sun, erhu soloist] did a magnificent job with just two strings.”