TAOYUAN, Taiwan—Deeply touched by the magnificent performance, Mr. Zhong Chenghan was in tears. Shen Yun “has brought the long forgotten Chinese culture back to life,” he said.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is touring Taiwan for the tenth year to present an artistic feast as it revives the 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. Mr. Zhong, president of FIT Taiwan Education Co. Ltd., appreciated the unique show with his friends at Taoyuan Arts Center on April 15, 2016.
In the dance piece “Poets of the Orchid Pavilion,” through classical Chinese dance, the dancers depict a group of ancient scholars playing a drinking game and composing poetry, their fans creating calligraphy-like strokes. The calligraphy of the “Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion” written by famed calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303–361) appears in the digitally animated backdrop.
Mr. Zhong said the piece that moved him to tears was “Poets of Orchid Pavilion.” “I‘d studied ’Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' when I was in elementary school. While appreciating the strength and gracefulness displayed by those dancers, I was touched unwittingly,” he explained.
“In addition to ”Poets of Orchid Pavilion,“ other dance pieces such as ”Fairies of the Sea,“ ”Handkerchiefs,“ ”Monks and the Red Guards,” etc. were very memorable to me. There were many elements that I’ve never seen in other performances,” Mr. Zhong added.
Despite being influenced by Western thought due to living overseas for a long period of time, Mr. Zhong is still interested in traditional Chinese culture. “Upon my return to Taiwan after living abroad for 18 years, I found that there is a huge gap between the situation of Taiwanese society today and what is in my memory. The concern among people for one another is not what it used to be,” he said.
“It was very touching to see the Chinese culture carried forward. I was totally carried away by the entire performance and felt like seeing more,” he said.
Mr. Zhong marveled at the color coordination of Shen Yun’s costumes. “I was especially amazed by the vibrant color of the handmade costumes for Tibetans [the dance “Celebrating the Divine”].”
He believed, “The Shen Yun Company must have made a lot of effort to study traditional Chinese culture.”
“The music is also a major breakthrough,” said Mr. Zhong. He was fascinated by the music played by Shen Yun’s live Orchestra: “It’s very unique that the classical Chinese and Western music instruments are seamlessly synchronized.”
“‘One minute on the stage needs ten years of practice off the stage,’ so goes an old saying. Seeing Shen Yun performers’ movements and expressions fully display strength and beauty, [I think] they must have undergone rigorous training,” he continued.
“Shen Yun has preserved the essence of Chinese culture,” he said. “It brings new hope for promoting Chinese culture.”
“I really appreciate Shen Yun’s artistic director for his contribution to the preservation of culture and for giving the audience an all new experience of profound Chinese culture,” Mr. Zhong concluded.
Reporting by Dai Deman and Billy Shyu
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.
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.
