GOLD COAST, Australia—Director of the Queensland Taiwan Centre Hsu Chun-Yung attended Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Feb. 25 at the Home of the Arts (HOTA), saying, “It truly lives up to its reputation.”
“It’s absolutely brilliant,” he said.
Mr. Hsu said he deeply resonated with Shen Yun’s presentation of “China before communism.”
Shen Yun’s program also “reveals some current realities in Chinese society,” the cultural director said. He was referring to the dance piece, “An Unchangeable Heart,” which tells of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of faith in China, in particular the persecution of Falun Gong.
Mr. Hsu said the piece told the story of a Falun Gong practitioner who embodies perseverance and resilience amid an unprecedented persecution. He invoked Mencius’s classic Confucian idiom: “Wealth and honour cannot corrupt him, poverty and lowliness cannot sway him, might and force cannot bend him—this defines a true gentleman of moral stature.”
Shen Yun Is ‘Sensational’
Solicitor Scarlett David and her mother, Marlene David, were also in the audience on Wednesday.
“I can’t explain, it’s just so beautiful,” she said. “They’re very soft and gentle, and they’re lovely people. … I think on the inside, they’re those kind of people … because if it’s not there, it can’t come out, right?”
Ms. Scarlett David said she thinks “it’s outstanding and lovely that they still want to hold on to their traditions. ... It just gives people grounding and something to believe in and hope for the future.”
Leaving the theatre, Ms. Scarlett David said she felt “a new lease on life” after watching the performance. “The whole production just gave you a feeling—that feeling of just [being] energised.”
‘Technology and Culture’
Mr. Hsu said he was also very impressed by Shen Yun’s seamless integration of technology into its stagecraft, noting how the dancers on stage were able to interact with the dynamic backdrop.“The combination of technology and culture is exceptionally well done,” Mr. Hsu said. “I’ve always been extremely interested in the magical steps at the back of the stage. The stage design is truly breathtaking.”
Every Shen Yun performance also features the Shen Yun Orchestra, which Mr. Hsu said he enjoyed.
“We can see that the musical arrangement, along with the sound and light effects, is a wonderful fusion of East and West,” he said.
“I hope that through the promotion of this cultural performance, more people can understand the current state of society,” Mr. Hsu said. “I think, perhaps one day, a peaceful and harmonious society will soon be realised [in China].”
