NEW YORK CITY—Seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts gave Tony Lyons, founder and president of Skyhorse Publishing, hope that culture could be preserved, and, indeed, revived.
“They should be proud of the preservation of a culture,” Mr. Lyons said.
While traditional culture is and has undergone destruction all around the world, he added, there is also a “growing desire in millions and millions of people to bring back culture, to bring back something real, something that people can believe in, something that they can look at and they can say, ‘I think that’s true, that there’s something authentic in it,” he said. “And this was really authentic.”
Born in America
Mr. Lyons said he learned during the performance that Shen Yun is an American company, founded by Falun Gong practitioners, including those who experienced religious persecution in China.“I would never have thought that,” he said. “I just learned today that all of these incredible dancers and these singers and these musicians, all of them are trained in New York, in upstate New York. How could that be? You know, these people seem more authentic, and probably are than anybody in China now, because in China, you know, the love and the honor of their history is just kept down. It’s forced down.”
When the Chinese Communist Party took power in 1949, it began violent campaigns to destroy Chinese culture and divorce the people from their past. During the Cultural Revolution, which spanned a decade, 1966-1976, books were burned, artworks smashed, and temples razed.
Mr. Lyons referenced the destruction, noting that one must travel to Japan today to see some of the architectural styles destroyed in China.
“I think it’s beautiful that the United States and so many other countries are giving Chinese people the opportunity to preserve their culture,” he said.
“Because that’s how you build a strong, powerful, interesting future for the people in your country, not by destroying everything just because you want to redo it,” he said.
Through the performance, Mr. Lyons also learned about Falun Gong, a spiritual practice centered around the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance. Also known as Falun Dafa, the practice gained widespread popularity upon its introduction to the public in China in the early 1990s, but by 1999, the Chinese communist regime launched a violent persecution aimed at ending the practice.
Mr. Lyons said he believes the persecution is the regime’s “fear of things that are authentic.”
Shen Yun Performers Show Young People Hope
Mr. Lyons thought the performers of Shen Yun showed hope and a model for enriching the lives of young people who are so hopeless today.“The level of skill, of just natural skill and talent and training and the beauty of it, and the preservation of culture—those young people, just the grace of their performance and the sincerity in it, and the seriousness of the way that they approached, it was just a unique experience that you just don’t get in any other way, in any other venue. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
“I think that every school in America would be better if they integrated some of the principles and some of the dedication and some of the skill that these kids are developing,” he said. “You should be in competition with yourself to do the very best you can do. And that’s what’s going to give you hope, and that’s what’s going to give you joy, and that’s what’s going to make it possible for you to connect with other people in this world. And that, I think, leads to a life that is worth living and that is enjoyable, and that is meaningful. This, I think, was an incredible experience, and people all around the world ought to come here and see what’s possible.”
“There’s a lot that you can control. There’s a lot that you can have an impact on, and you can improve your life. And that’s the message that I think Shen Yun shows people and will show people all around the world. That with effort, there’s so much more that you can do than you can possibly imagine,” he said.
