(Clearwisdom.net) On April 14, 2009, Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company staged one show in Dresden, Germany. The splendid performance generated warm applause and acclamation from the audience. Chinese audience members were especially proud of Shen Yun's promotion of traditional Chinese culture. A father and his daughter from Shanxi, Chin, enjoyed the Shen Yun show so much that they went to see it several times in Berlin and made a special trip to Dresden to watch it again.
Chinese violinist: I am fortunate to be able to see the Shen Yun show
Chinese violinist Wang Yi-yao, a visiting professor at Dresden University of Technology
Wang Yi-yao, a violinist from Taiwan said, "I think the show is great. It is meaningful to promote traditional Chinese culture by combining Chinese and Western musical instruments. I am touched by the orchestra that presents Eastern music in such an accurate, delicate, and perfect manner. It is difficult to do that."
Mr. Wang was born in Taiwan and has studied violin since he was four-and-a-half years old. He went to the US to study music when he was ten. He obtained his Bachelor's, Master's, and and Doctorate degrees in the US. Currently he is a visiting professor at the Dresden University of Technology and teaches German music history and Chinese music. He has given violin concerts in Salzburg, Vienna, Romania, France, and Italy. He won the Fritz Thyssen Prize in 2008, the championship award in the Hollaender Calix Kunstleragentur Internationales Wettbewerb, a major contest in Vienna, and the Emilia Conde Career Development Fund and Emilia Conde Award for Outstanding Young Musicians in New York.
He said, "I like the erhu very much since I play violin. The erhu is an instrument that represents Chinese culture very well. Its sound is delicate. There are only two strings. It is hard to know which part to press. It is a musical instrument that require a high degree of skill to master. The erhu performer in the show played very well. The sound was accurate and delicate. Her playing coordinated with the piano in a delicate and perfect manner."
Mr. Wang added, "The show gives me a hint: it reminds me of the charm of Chinese culture and that it is important to have cultural exchange between countries. For example, the Chinese music was played accurately with Western musical instruments in the show. They [the two musical traditions] are so different. But they are consistent in expressing human beings' happiness, the value and meaning of life, and human emotions. Thus both are important means of expression."Chinese culture and history are well known all over the world. Chinese people are diligent and have made a big contribution to world culture. The show presents dances showing Buddhas, Daos, and deities, which is very good. Deities teach humans to be kind. People can learn a lot from the 5,000-year-old Chinese culture. As a Chinese, it makes me proud."
Mr. Wang concluded, "I would like to let the Shen Yun artists know they are admired. They are promoting Chinese culture all over the world. As a Chinese, I am fortunate and moved to see such a nice show. They have made a huge contribution to Chinese culture."
Chinese tourists appreciate Shen Yun
Mr. Teng and his wife, both retired, are from Shanghai. They came to Germany to visit their daughter and to tour Europe along the way. On April 14, their German son-in-law specially drove more than five hours to bring them to Dresden to see the Shen Yun show.
After the show, Mr. Teng commented, "The show is wonderful. It is very good to promote Chinese culture and have Westerners learn something about Chinese history, because non-Chinese do not know China well. They only know about Chinese martial arts. The Shen Yun show promotes Chinese culture with unique features. Through art and music, I feel it presents Chinese culture very well."
Mrs. Teng agreed that the show was great. She noticed the talent in the Shen Yun company. She said, "Nowadays many talented Chinese people are living overseas. The majority of them do not return to China. It indicates that something is wrong with the Chinese system of government. There are no human rights in China."
Concerning the dance about the persecution of Falun Gong, Mrs. Teng said emotionally, "Falun Gong has been persecuted in China for ten years. One dares not to mention it in China. Yet it is practiced so openly in foreign countries. I feel more comfortable overseas after comparing China with other countries. One person distributed Falun Gong flyers in my residential area in China and was arrested for it. Arresting practitioners is still rampant."
Mr. and Mrs. Teng ended the interview by expressing their appreciation to the Shen Yun artists for their hard work and splendid performance.
Shen Yun fans follow the show from Berlin to Dresden
Ms. Feng and her father are from Shanbei, China. They were touring Germany when Shen Yun performed in Berlin, and they saw several Shen Yun shows there. After hearing that Dresden was to be the last stop for the Shen Yun in Germany, they followed the company to Dresden and saw the show again.
Ms. Feng said, "There is no such show in China. The current shows in China are fake and fabricated, giving one a feeling of exaggeration. The Shen Yun show is very real. The lyrics can make one understand Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. We did not know about Shen Yun in China but heard of it after coming to Germany. There is no such dancing in China."
Her father Mr. Feng was dressed simply and spoke frankly. "This show presents Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. There are deities. In China, there is no such show since the Chinese Communist Party does not believe in God. I believe in God. One cannot always commit wrongdoings. [If wrongdoings are always committed] then a country or the whole human being has no hope. The Shen Yun performances educate people. Good people behave well and will not commit wrongdoing," he said.
Mentioning the persecution of Falun Gong in China, Mr. Feng said he knew the situation very well. "The persecution is wrong because it opposes worldwide values," he stated.