YUANLIN, Taiwan—Located in the Changpin Industrial Park, the Brand’s Health Museum is a famous tourism factory in central Taiwan. Ms. Cai Jiaxian, curator of the museum, was deeply touched by the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company’s last show in Taiwan on March 25. She said that she started to have a liking for Chinese culture since she was a student, and that after seeing Shen Yun, she “found the bright side of life.”
As an artistic worker in the past, Ms. Cai said, “The program was so wonderful that I was deeply touched. With the two emcees’ introduction, I realized that most of these Chinese artists had grown up abroad. I was surprised to find that they interpreted Chinese culture so well. When I was a student, I became interested in Chinese culture. The strength and emotion presented by each dancer tonight was really very touching, as if they had brought me back to the scene familiar to me in the past.”
She continued, “Nowadays, with the cordial relationship between the two sides across the Taiwan Straits, we are able to visit mainland China freely, but we found that China has undergone tremendous changes. In fact, after the Great Cultural Revolution, Chinese culture has not been properly preserved. Beijing was one of the places I was longing to visit. However, when I stepped into the Forbidden City, I was kind of disappointed and sad, as the historic site was not well preserved. If the situation continues, the Forbidden City will eventually become an ordinary tourist attraction.”
As a graduate of a drama department at a university, and having worked in the related field for over 10 years, Ms. Cai said that Shen Yun had a very high artistic value featuring Chinese culture, and the show included the characteristics of various Chinese ethnic groups. The dancers’ body moments, the dramatic effects, costumes, lighting, backdrops, and the overall coordination were really remarkable. The show was a combination of culture, arts, and professional skills.
She added that the plot and the natural emotions revealed by the dancers in the program of Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution was something that impressed her the most. Traditional performing arts once featured the spirits of allegiance, filial piety, integrity, and justice. However, with the passage of time, modern performing arts have forsaken these values, and they were replaced by many modern elements. Artistic performance in fact is representative of social and cultural phenomena.
As to the legendary stories implied in the dances presented by Shen Yun, Ms. Cai commented, “For example, take the act Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride. The scene of falling rocks was overwhelming, which made the people in the story finally realized that Ji Gong was there to safeguard them. This is very educational. As the saying goes, ‘Life is like a drama, and drama reflects life.’ Through performances like this, our spiritual life can be enriched. As a result, we may find our true beliefs, and our minds may be more peaceful and harmonious. This show helped me find the bright side of life.”
Praising the superb performance of the vocalists, Ms. Cai said, “These vocalists’ voice quality is indeed exceptionally good. I really admire their resounding and beautiful voices. Their fundamental quality and professional skills are indeed very solid.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
