SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

UK Sisters Said Seeing Shen Yun Made Them ‘Proud of Their Heritage’

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UK Sisters Said Seeing Shen Yun Made Them ‘Proud of Their Heritage’
Sisters Deborah Chant Ling and Sally Hills at the Wycombe Swan Theatre on Feb. 21, 2026. Mary Man/The Epoch Times
Epoch Newsroom
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WYCOMBE, UK—Sally Hills, a manager for a motor company, and her sister Deborah Chant Ling were uplifted by Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Wycombe Swan Theatre on Feb. 21, 2026.

“The show was absolutely phenomenal … everything about it is fantastic,” said Mrs. Hills, “it’s emotional, it’s inspiring, and it’s humbling as well.”

The sisters said seeing Shen Yun made them proud of their heritage. “Our ancestors were Chinese … our name is Ling,” Mrs. Hills said.
Based in New York, Shen Yun is the world’s leading classical Chinese dance production. Featuring a live orchestra that blends Eastern and Western instrumentation, the performance presents story-based dances that span 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.

Besides talented dancers, Shen Yun features a patented animated backdrop technology that allows for seamless interaction between the dancers on stage and the background scenery, and colorful handmade costumes.

According to the company’s website, Shen Yun presents “China before communism.”

The sisters said the messages of “love and goodwill and peace and compassion … makes you feel uplifted.”

“My face hurts from smiling,” said Mrs. Hill, “I want to book it for London, for my husband’s birthday.”

“I recommend it to everybody,” she added.

Ms. Ling, who is retired from the entertainment industry, said, “I gave up my powered wheelchair to get here because I couldn’t park nearby. … So, I’m really struggling, but it was worth every ounce.”

“I would watch it over and over again, it is brilliant,” she added.

‘A Message That Should be Told’

Flavio Meira, resource manager, and his wife, Christiana Meira, pharmacist, were impressed with the positive messages of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Wycombe Swan Theatre on Feb. 21, 2026.
“It’s great. I think it’s interesting to get to know about Chinese culture, the dance, and also the history, because [there] seems to be a lot of connection with the Divine,” Mr. Meira said.

“There is a bit of a mixture of beauty and strength within the Chinese culture … which is a nice balance to have,” he added.

China was once known as “The Land of the Divine” and Shen Yun presents this culture by drawing upon the Middle Kingdom’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. China’s authentic culture is inseparable from its spiritual heritage—where a pantheon of divine beings, spiritual cultivators, and mythology has shaped the culture for 5,000 years.

In the past, artists looked to the divine for inspiration and cultivated virtue in order to create uplifting art. Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow in this noble tradition, which is why audiences feel there is something different about Shen Yun, says the company’s website.

“Being good and to do right … [to] be the vessel on earth, until God calls us to heaven … it should be a message that every one of us as humans [relate] to,” Mr. Meira said.

Since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006, the company has grown from 1 to 8 equally large companies that tour the world simultaneously. Despite all the countries and cities Shen Yun has performed in, they are still not allowed in China. It is only outside of China that Shen Yun has sparked a cultural renaissance.

“This is a message that should be told throughout the world,” Mrs. Meira said.

Reporting by Mary Man and Jennifer Schneider. 
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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