INCHEON, Korea—With banners unfurled and women donning hanbok, a traditional Korean dress that is often reserved for special occasions, a group of fans warmly welcomed the arrival of Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company at the Incheon International Airport, at around 4:30 p.m. on March 29.
“Every year I look forward to the Shen Yun performance. And every time I come to see it, I am so touched and happy. I think waiting for a year is simply too long,” said Li Ji-eun, a local resident, who added that this was her first experience welcoming Shen Yun at the airport.
Ms. Li explained why she kept coming back to see the performance, saying “Shen Yun put on new programs every year, with new costumes and new music. And as a fan of Shen Yun, this makes it the more exciting.”
Before arriving at South Korea, Shen Yun has just completed its tour of Taiwan, with stops at 7 cities for a total of 34 performances in a little over a month. And for many Taiwanese who saw the performance in the island country—a place that retains strong traditions of the ancient Chinese culture—they found a strong resonance with the culture presented on the stage.
“Our tour of Taiwan was a huge success and the audience members have reacted to our performance passionately. Maybe it has to do with that Taiwanese are also Chinese and they have a very good understanding of this culture,” said Ben Freed, an emcee for Shen Yun.
Shen Yun’s success is not limited to Taiwan—it has grown over the years from one company to five companies touring the world simultaneously. And in many U.S. cities, many who saw the performance this year have voiced that tickets were hard to get because of the performance’s popularity.
Mr. Freed gave his take on Shen Yun’s global success. He said, “Shen Yun is welcomed by many places around the world because the values it presents resonate with people … and these values can truly touch people.”
“And there are more than 50 different ethnic groups in China,” added Ms. Lou.
Shen Yun’s popularity has also reached a place that it currently cannot travel to—China. But many mainland Chinese have decided to travel overseas, to Taiwan, Japan as well as South Korea, according to Ms. Lou, to see Shen Yun.
“Ancient Chinese culture has been lost in [modern-day] China,” said Ms. Lou, adding, “And our mission is to revive this culture, also known as a divinely inspired culture. And mainland Chinese do not quite know this ancient culture anymore, so performances like Shen Yun cannot be seen in China.”