WASHINGTON, D.C.—Like many, Jeffrey Clark had long seen advertisements for Shen Yun Performing Arts, but wasn’t sure what to expect when he attended the performance for the first time at The Kennedy Center Opera House.
After all, the New York-based company promises to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization—a China before communism, which is unknown to many—through art forms that were nearly lost.
“I think the show is remarkable. The dancing is amazing,“ said Mr. Clark, a former Department of Justice official, after seeing a performance on Jan. 26. ”I think that the show is an embodiment of eternal human values, truth and beauty.”
Mr. Clark added that he loved the erhu performance—along with about a dozen dance vignettes, Shen Yun features musical soloists like bel canto singers and an erhu virtuoso. The ancient Chinese instrument has only two strings but is famously expressive. In the hands of an expert, the erhu can convey any mood or feeling.
Mr. Clark pointed out that the traditional Chinese culture Shen Yun presents is anathema to the Chinese Communist Party, which has sought to uproot traditional culture during its decades-long control of the country.
“Because [Chinese Communist Party’s] values are perishable values—modern, made-up thinking that doesn’t accord with human nature—and when you talk about truth, and you talked about beauty, you talked about the eternal things,“ he said. ”They don’t like that because they want to elevate man over the eternal.”
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The ancient Chinese considered their culture divinely inspired, a gift from the heavens. For thousands of years, it was based on principles like loyalty, integrity, and benevolence—values Mr. Clark said were eternal.
“There’s a lot of universality in that,” he said. “And I think that the show, in particular, is very strong in opposing atheism and opposing the theory of evolution.”
Reporting by Jenny Jing.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
