TAINAN, Taiwan—Tsai Bingru considered herself extremely fortunate when she beat all odds to see Shen Yun—arriving early despite heavy traffic and buying one of the last few tickets after arriving at the venue. When she finally saw the performance, an emotional Ms. Tsai said she started tearing up three seconds into the performance because she had found her home.
“I was stunned again. It was like two or three seconds after the curtain was raised, I began shedding tears because I had this very familiar, secure, and serene feeling,” said Ms. Tsai, at Tainan Municipal Cultural Center on April 1, adding that this was her second time seeing the performance.
Ms. Tsai said everything felt just so familiar when she heard the orchestra and then what was on stage the moment the curtain was raised. “Really, I don’t know how to describe it. I was just so touched and excited. I cannot find words to describe it. All I know is that I had this feeling of ‘I am finally home.’”
Feeling at home was not the only sensation Ms. Tsai was struck with. A spiritual person herself, Ms. Tsai said she could often sense a divine presence, though she couldn’t really put it into words. With Shen Yun, however, this kind of feeling transcended to another level.
“You feel it in your heart, tears well up; you feel so touched, tears stream down your face. You can have such a sensation only when you are at Shen Yun,” she said.
Colors That Speak
Working as an executive director at a design company, Ms Tsai was deeply impressed with both the costumes and their colors. “I saw many authentic traditional Chinese costumes, representative of the different dynasties … I remembered deeply how distinctively different the dresses are from Tang and Qing Dynasties.”
Shen Yun, with a mission to bring back ancient traditional culture, takes the audience on a journey of 5,000 years with stories and legends from the different dynasties, with hundreds of colorful, original handmade costumes.
“The costumes are visually very rich. The myriad colors, like the orange, blue and green, not only give people a sense of tranquility, but also convey a message of compassion and peace,” Ms. Tsai explained.
Stories That Inspire
“I immediately thought about the separation in life and death, which is the bitterest pain to suffer,” said a touched Ms. Tsai when seeing the vignette “The Lady of the Moon,” a Chinese classic legend of the moon goddess Chang'E. “You watch your loved one leave you forever.”
In a story of love, bravery, loss, and inspiration, Chang'E was once a mortal living happily with her husband, the legendary archer Hou Yi, at a village, before a mishap took place that separated the two forever.
Ms. Tsai said she heard about this legend when she was little. However, to see it played out on stage, it was very inspirational for her. “This dance reminds me of how many natural disasters strike at a split second without any sort of warning. So you have to live in the moment.”
“You have different inspirations, which may soften your heart, allowing you to appreciate and treasure things more,” she summarized after seeing the different vignettes.
A Shen Yun performance consists of many vignettes told through classical Chinese dance, which is accompanied by a digital interactive backdrop, a live orchestra, beautiful costumes and props.
“Everyone should come to see the show at least once in your life, since you will then know what real inner peace is. You will learn to appreciate an unknown force, and how it can help you to overcome challenges and difficulties [in life].”
Reporting by Long Fang and Frank Fang
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
