PARIS, France—From May 1 to 10, the Palais des Congrès in Paris hosts the best of Chinese classical dance and music with the Shen Yun Performing Arts company.

When he experienced Shen Yun on May 7, Philippe Bocahut discovered a “performance that was beautiful in terms of its colors, its artistry, and the physical feats it entails.”

The former chief financial officer also said he was touched by “all the heartfelt messages conveyed through the various displays.”

As the performance unfolded, certain themes made a particular impression on him. “We felt that there was a strong emphasis on kindness and inner beauty,” he said, adding that he discovered “the meaning of Shen Yun,” which moved him deeply.

In fact, Shen Yun translates to “the beauty of divine beings dancing.” The company has made it its mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, which is deeply rooted in spirituality. In ancient times, China was known as the “Land of the Divine,” as the ancient Chinese believed their culture was a legacy from the gods.

The performance also gave him a sense of calm, as he felt “many positive things that are doing us good right now,” he said, referring to “kindness and compassion.” The former chief financial officer said, “There is something profound here, and an inner peace that people deeply seek.”

For Mr. Bocahut, Shen Yun is a true cultural eye-opener. “We discover a millennia-old Chinese culture that comes to life in the various scenes,” he said. It is an experience that, in his view, “makes you want to learn more about it.”

Impressed by Shen Yun’s mission, Mr. Fournier said, “There is a connection to this tradition that may have been lost due to a somewhat different regime. It may be a bit sensitive to talk about, but what is happening in China right now is not conducive to preserving the tradition.”

Mr. Fournier referred to Shen Yun’s depiction of the ongoing persecution in contemporary China. Since 1999, the Chinese Communist regime has been harassing, persecuting, imprisoning, and torturing to death practitioners of the Falun Dafa meditation practice. Since 2001, crimes involving forced organ harvesting have been committed against these practitioners. “I feel that very strongly, though,” says Mr. Fournier, “and I think it’s a shame.”

For the former architect, Shen Yun embodies “beauty in all its forms,” because the show “has it all. There’s music… Everything is wonderful. It’s very hard to comment on this show because all you want to say is: it’s beautiful, it’s magnificent, it’s superb, it’s sublime. And there are no words left to describe it. We don’t have enough words in French to express all of that.”