MEXICO CITY—Shen Yun Performing Arts left CNN host Mario González feeling “very positive.”
Mr. González saw the New York-based company perform at Auditorio Nacional on May 8.
Mr. González has interviewed a whose who of Mexican elected officials, including current president Enrique Peña Nieto and former presidents Felipe Calderón and Vicente Fox. His journalism prior to CNN included six years as a correspondent for the Inter Press Service in Ecuador.
Shen Yun tours the world reviving the 5,000 years of Chinese culture after that rich culture was nearly decimated by the ruling communist regime.
Mr. González said the myths and legends presented by Shen Yun “translate all of what Chinese culture is,” and the combination of classical Chinese dance and an accompanying orchestra was “something great.”
“I loved it,” he said.
The combination of all the elements—including the digital backdrops that complement the music and dance—“fills your spirit,” said Mr. González. Also, the classical Chinese dance in particular caught his eye. “Those are very sophisticated movements that require a very considerable training,” he said.
Chinese culture, the oldest culture in the world, developed over different eras and dynasties. China invented innovations hundreds of years before the West began using them, such as paper, printing, and the compass.
Moreover, the culture was replete with virtues and principles that stemmed from the three main faiths of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Cultivators guided by these faiths included Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, who sat facing a wall for nine years until he reached enlightenment, according to Shen Yun’s website.
“Similarly, throughout Chinese history, the fields of medicine, astronomy, dance, music, painting, military tactics, literature, poetry, the culinary arts, construction, and other cultural displays have been guided at their highest levels by Buddhist or Taoist cultivation or by Confucian philosophy,” explains the website. “They are not limited to tangible objects or visible skill.” The artists of Shen Yun have made meditation a daily part of their schedule because of great benefits, and practice truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
As Mr. González sees it, Chinese culture is part of Mexico’s culture, and Chinese culture has also “spread all over the world.”
“All the other countries have a part of that culture—they live it, they have embraced it somehow,” he said. “I think it is worth seeing it.”
Several dance pieces in Shen Yun portray the modern environment in China, which is almost the complete opposite of that of ancient times. Mr. González said that those scenes, showing the Chinese people living abroad what is happening in their country, touched him.
What Shen Yun is doing, reviving the ancient culture, “it’s very important, and enormous work,” said Mr. González.
Reporting by Mei Jiang and Zachary Stieber
Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
