SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

It’s Like Taking a Time Machine, Director General of Sydney’s Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Says of Shen Yun

Mar 14, 2024
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It’s Like Taking a Time Machine, Director General of Sydney’s Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Says of Shen Yun
David Wu, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, and his wife Vicki Wu attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 14, 2024. (NTD)

SYDNEY, Australia—David Wu, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, commended Shen Yun Performing Arts as the disseminator and promoter of the treasure that is Chinese culture after seeing the world’s premier Classical Chinese dance company perform to a full house at the Capitol Theatre on Thursday evening.

“Tonight’s performance left me feeling very touched,” Mr. Wu said. “Whether it is the arrangement of this program or the content, it seems like all of us have taken a time machine and travelled through the past and present of Chinese history.”

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is touring the world with an all-new 2024 production, bringing to audiences around the world “China before communism.”
The company is on a mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture that was almost lost in China due to the cultural revolution under the Chinese Communist Party and its censorship of Chinese history and culture that is still happening in the mainland today.
Mr. Wu said that for Chinese people, Shen Yun presents a lot of familiar history on the stage, noting that this simple act is very rare and also “very precious” given the state of affairs in China and the rewriting of history.

Shen Yun is “a good opportunity for all to open their eyes and learn a lot in a short amount of time about China,” he said. “I think it is very rare to be able to come into contact with the very essence of Chinese culture in two or three hours. I highly recommend it.”

The performance also had a message that resonated with Mr. Wu on a personal level: “We must still embrace hope and move towards a brighter future.”

“I think this whole performance touched many people’s hearts and gave us a lot of encouragement,” he said.

“This whole program is to let everyone know that no matter what the external environment is like, we should work hard to move forward … we must not lose faith,” he added, repeating a commonly shared wish for a cycle of goodness and kindness in the world.

“I think this Shen Yun performance mainly conveys this idea,” he said.

‘Come and See It’

Also in the audience on Thursday evening was Leanne McCusker, assistant commissioner of the New South Wales Police.

She left Shen Yun feeling hopeful that people were being empowered into “really unlocking your own unconscious bias, looking at history, and having that true understanding yourself—as an individual—to see exactly what has taken place in China.”

Assistant NSW Police Commissioner Leanne McCusker, recipient of the Australian Police Medal, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 14, 2024. (NTD)
Assistant NSW Police Commissioner Leanne McCusker, recipient of the Australian Police Medal, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 14, 2024. (NTD)

“I think there were some powerful messages came through as to what is the history and the culture from China are.

That’s just a beautiful history and a beautiful culture. Shen Yun really embraced that,” she commended. “Fantastic … really inspirational.”
She encouraged everybody to “really take the time and to come and see it.”

A Great Testimonial to Traditional Chinese Culture

Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 14, 2024. (NTD)
Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on March 14, 2024. (NTD)

Zac Miles, the mayor of Hunters Hill, also found delight in the tradition that was presented by Shen Yun.

“It was a great testimonial to the culture that we celebrate and love here in Australia,” he said of traditional Chinese culture. “It was wonderful.”

Mr. Miles remarked on the incredible form of Shen Yun’s dancers. “The talent of those people and their athleticism … their capacity to do that, I can’t imagine.”
Mr. Miles ended by saying it was great to celebrate traditional Chinese culture in Australia.

“It’s a huge crowd here tonight … It’s great to see, and it’s part of the fabric of this city, but also our country.”

Reporting by NTD and Melanie Sun.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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