NANTES, France—History lecturer Alain Collas witnessed his knowledge of the great civilization that was China come to life on stage at Shen Yun Performing Arts, which was showing at the Cité des Congrès in Nantes on Feb. 22.

“There are some beautiful scenes, and the dancers are very, very good. And then, the story and the meaning of the story are quite interesting too,” he said.

As someone who teaches Chinese history, the performance touched him in a unique way.

“It complements what I teach and what I think about China’s evolution and the great civilization that it was,” he said.

The university professor experienced a range of emotions during the performance, “especially from the moment the show began.”

“The first [piece] brought tears to my eyes,” he said. “It’s hard to explain but it’s a powerful emotion.”

Mr. Collas expressed his appreciation for Shen Yun’s mission to showcase “China before communism.” Shen Yun shows “the survival of China’s true values,” he said. Among these values, he identified faith, humility, selflessness, and love.

For him, Shen Yun can enable people to learn about Chinese history and tradition. “And then, also make people think about the ideas they may have or the help they can give to the Chinese who continue to defend these values over others,” he said.

Mr. Collas concludes by advising everyone: “You absolutely must come and see it. I highly recommend it.”

The performance on Feb. 22, like all 11 Shen Yun shows scheduled in Nantes this February, was sold out.

Another audience member, Alexandre Baron, an optician in Niort, shared his impressions of Shen Yun with NTD TV.

“This is my first time seeing Shen Yun. I think it’s really, really good, very colorful,” he said. “The scenes are beautiful, you really feel immersed in Chinese art and tradition.”

As someone who regularly attends ballet and opera performances, he found Shen Yun’s dancers to be performing at a very high artistic level. “Honestly, it’s extraordinary. All of the artists are truly extraordinary.”

“It’s truly dreamlike. It feels like you’re traveling and finding yourself in Asia,” Mr. Baron said. “You can also see the dedication of all the artists, and that really allows you to be carried away by everything you see and all the scenes you encounter.”

Each Shen Yun performance consists of 15 to 20 dance pieces, each telling a different story—from legends and scenes inspired by Chinese mythology, to stories from various dynasties and episodes from China’s more recent history.

According to Alexandre Baron, what stands out about the show is “a real sense of serenity.”

“I saw political commitment because there is awareness of what can happen in China, and that’s really, really good,” he said of Shen Yun telling the story of persecution of people of faith in modern China by the communist regime in power.

“There is a lot of kindness and goodwill in this,” the optician said. “It actually allows you to feel really good and calm when watching this show.”

For Alexandre Baron, one thing is very important: “This show will help preserve the values and traditions that exist in China.

“It really needs to continue for a very long time,” he said.