“On behalf of Mayor Rickenmann and the Columbia City Council, thank you all for what you have done tonight and what you continue to do. This performance was absolutely amazing. We are very supportive of you, and today we have presented a proclamation naming March 10, 2026, Shen Yun Day in Columbia, South Carolina,” Ms. Belton said.
Harry Cooper, a former law program director at Columbia College, said Shen Yun was “excitement” and “5,000 years of history laid out in a two hour presentation in a marvelous fashion.”
“The performers obviously love what they do, and it shows when they’re on the stage. You see the emotion in their presentations, you see the excitement in what they do, and they really tell a great story,” he said.
“The orchestra kept pace with the actors on the stage. They would speed up or slow down depending on what was going on on the stage. That was great to see. That was beautiful. I focused on the flute a lot, but just beautiful, beautiful.”
Ms. Belton said New York-based Shen Yun, which is touring the world to share the beauty of “China before communism” was “electric, beautiful, inspiring” and left her wanting more. “Just the excitement from beginning to end. It never changed,” she said. “It was just the highs and lows going with the performers. It was beautiful.”
Shen Yun is “about the history of China, covering a 5,000 year period of various events, through some fairy tales, but it’s tied very closely to the Buddhist[s]. And that was very interesting. I enjoyed that,” Mr. Cooper said.
Shen Yun currently cannot perform in China due to the regime’s brutal persecution of the Buddha-school faith Falun Gong, which is also the faith of Shen Yun’s artists. Falun Gong’s free public teachings promote living in accordance with the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
“I think it’s brave. I think it’s hard for people to do that sort of thing. And people don’t have the strength of character and courage to do that sort of thing anymore. Knowing what’s right and then being able to follow through in the face of adversity takes real strength and character. And we don’t see that character in many people anymore,” Mr. Cooper added.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Shen Yun has been touring the world since 2006, and has grown to eight different companies.
Mr. Cooper said, “That makes me proud, and that they have a place that they can come to like the United States, and they can express who they are and share their beliefs, where in their own home countries that may not be possible, and they’re persecuted for doing that. I think that’s the success of America.”
“Stay in worship, stay in prayer, and continue to do what you do because it’s important. The message is important,” Ms. Belton said.
“You guys are our future. Without you being strong and bold and being committed to what you believe, we have no hope,” Mr. Cooper said. “But with young people out there being unashamed of who they are and what they’re about, that’s encouraging. That’s refreshing.”
