FUKUOKA, Japan---New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company wrapped up the last leg of its 2019 Japan tour by presenting two full house performances at Fukuoka Sun Palace Hall in Fukuoka City on Feb. 4 and 5.
Osamu Shinohara, chairperson of the board of directors of Daichi Institution Industry Co. Ltd., saw Shen Yun’s 2019 premiere in Fukuoka on the evening of Feb. 4.
“I found another completely different façade of China. It turned out that China has such a remarkable culture,” Shinohara said.
“I didn’t have an in-depth understanding of traditional Chinese culture until I saw this wonderful performance today. My heart was deeply touched,” he continued.
China has been known as the “Celestial Empire.” Chinese culture is thus known as “divinely inspired,” and is the only culture in the world to have a continuous recorded history of 5,000 years. It has left behind countless literary classics, historical documents, cultural relics, and national records reflecting its immense scope, according to Shen Yun’s official website. Traditional Chinese culture is replete with virtues and values, and contains concepts like “respect the heavens to know one’s destiny” and “man and nature must be in balance.”
Much of traditional Chinese culture has been lost in China since the Chinese Communist Party seized power 70 years ago. With various political campaigns, including the Cultural Revolution from 1966 until 1976, the communist regime decimated traditional beliefs and thinking to ensure its people’s absolute loyalty to the party.
Shinohara was delighted to be enlightened by Shen Yun’s performance.
He said, “It turns out that China has such remarkable culture and history. [Shen Yun] helped me gain an insight into them, and I truly learned something from it. The performance tonight is really beneficial to me.”
Shinohara expressed that China has left behind a lot of negative impressions on people in modern times, and he is pleased to find that Shen Yun performs genuine traditional Chinese culture and history.
“I discovered another totally different façade of China. My view on Chinese history has been changed. The traditional China and modern China are so different,” he explained.
Deeply touched by Shen Yun’s performance, Shinohara said that he would like to share this superb show with others. He said, “It is worth recommending Shen Yun to friends and telling them that watching Shen Yun performances, one can learn a lot of traditional Chinese culture.”
According to its website, the heart of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, which was passed down continuously within the imperial palace and ancient Chinese theater. The live orchestra performs original pieces to go along with the 20 vignettes of classical Chinese dance, folk dance, story-based dances the artists perform on stage. This company was formed in 2006 in New York, by artists who wanted to revive the authentic traditional Chinese culture.
“Every piece of the program is very impressive,” he said. “The erhu solo is marvelous! The sound is very beautiful. The music is a good medicine, and I feel my body full of energy now.”
“The performance is too good to be true, and it helped me have a wonderful night,” he added.
