HOUSTON—“I’m glad [Shen Yun] is here to spread the Chinese culture,” said financial adviser Antonio Chalita, speaking of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Dec. 26.

Mr. Chalita is from Mexico City. He often travels from Mexico to the United States for business and said he was glad to see the elegance and eloquence of the Chinese culture in the states.

Based in New York, Shen Yun was established in 2006 to revive a once almost-lost divine culture of 5,000 years.

He felt empathy for Chinese people. “I have all my consideration and all my heart with the Chinese people,” Mr. Chalita said.

Also in Houston to see the start of Shen Yun’s 2014 world tour was Mr. Normandia, a student who had travelled from Mexico City for the performance.

Last year, Shen Yun performed in Mexico for the first time, but Mr. Normandia had missed the performance.

Mr. Normandia had been captivated by the opening of the performance, which told a legend of divine beings coming down from heaven to create the first Chinese dynasty.

“That was wonderful,” Mr. Normandia said.

Mr. Normandia attended the performance with his aunt Ms. Mary Olivarri, and Ms. Rosemary Trejo. Ms. Olivarri, a chef, is also from Mexico City, but lives in Houston.

“It’s a show to make us think about the meaning of love, and the meaning to be honest with ourselves,” Ms. Olivarri said. “Also to think positive.”

“It’s so incredible,” Ms. Olivarri said.

Ms. Olivarri read about Shen Yun in a newspaper, and told her nephew and friend it was a must-see.

“This world is full of negative, and this show is incredibly positive,” Ms. Olivarri said.

Deeper Meaning

The positivity of Shen Yun’s performance was a treat for all ages. Having long been familiar with Chinese culture, John and Mary Gilbert brought their three children to Shen Yun as a Christmas gift.

“The beautiful stories, it transcends from there to here,” Mrs. Gilbert said.

Mrs. Gilbert found the stories to be moving and touching, so much so that it moved her 9-year-old daughter to tears. One dance in particular, The Steadfast Lotus, told of the persecution in China of a spiritual practice Falun Gong. It includes meditation, exercises, and following the principles of truth, compassion and forbearance.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, has been persecuted in China since 1999 by the Chinese regime. Mrs. Gilbert said Shen Yun was able to express what persecution was so that a young child could understand it, and to translate it into “an art form that can move somebody’s soul, somebody’s heart, to move her heartstrings.”

Mrs. Gilbert said she would be taking home a message of the human experience, deeper meaning of life, and said she hoped the traditional Chinese culture could inspire more people.

Reporting by NTD Television, Mei Zhong and Catherine Yang

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.

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.