WASHINGTON—Among the matinee audience at the Trump Kennedy Opera House was James Patterson, who was there to enjoy Shen Yun Performing Arts on Jan. 11.

Mr. Patterson, a former diplomat who retired from the State Department, said, “I enjoyed the show very much.”

Mr. Patterson said he had “a very positive experience and am very connected with the performance.” He liked “the idea of internal integrity.”

“So I feel that Americans and Chinese have a connection that way; that was one thing that came across to me. You have a plan, you know what you are going to do, you know how you are going to succeed, and you go about and do it.”

This is similar to America, Mr. Patterson said. “The spiritual aspects of the show, the thing that I see the most is that America is a very strong religious country, and we have great admiration for people of faith.

“It does not matter if it is the Christian faith, or the Jewish faith, or the Falun Gong faith, or whatever faith. We believe in faith that is important to people regardless of where they are in the world. We support faith, and we support people of faith,” he said.

The Chinese stories presented provide a positive message, according to Mr. Patterson. “That life is work,” he said. “It doesn’t stop, and you must work every day, practice your faith every day, be true to yourself every day, and be strong every day. I think that’s a good message from the program.”

Speaking directly to Shen Yun’s artists, Mr. Patterson gave words of encouragement. “I would say that America loves you. America loves your discipline, America loves your dance, your music, and your enthusiasm for your art and for your faith.”

In his former career, he worked on issues with China. “I was in the foreign service,” he said.