(Clearwisdom.net) The Divine Performing Arts New York Company ran five shows of the Chinese Spectacular in Tokyo and Nagoya and then staged its premiere show at the renowned NHK Osaka Hall in Osaka on February 19, 2008. When the curtain rose for the first act, "Descent of the Celestial Kings," the audience burst into enthusiastic applause three times. Divine Performing Arts, displaying China's divinely-inspired culture, struck a resounding chord with the audience in the hometown of Japanese envoys to Tang-period China.

Osaka was originally called Namba. In ancient times, Namba's port was a gateway for foreign envoys and also a hub to enter inland cities, such as Kyoto and Nara. Over 1,300 years ago, Monk Jianzhen traveled to Japan, bringing the great Tang Dynasty culture to this area. He entered at Namba. As of today, both Kyoto and Nara are places in Japan where the great Tang Dynasty culture is best preserved.

On February 19, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular charmed the audience in Osaka

The Osaka audience took in the Spectacular intently

Member of the Nara Prefectural Assembly, Tatamitu Tanaka

Many local dignitaries from political, business and cultural circles attended the show, including member of the Nara Prefectural Assembly, Tatamitu Tanaka, Yao City Council Member Hiroshi Miyake and several other council members and local government officials.

Mr. Tanaka said after seeing the first half of the show, "All the performances were wonderful. Everybody put in much effort to cooperate with each other."

Mr. Tanaka also sent congratulations to Divine Performing Arts prior to the show. He stated, "There are Chinese elements in the roots of Japanese culture, which makes the Divine Performing Arts endearing to me. I warmly welcome the arrival of the Chinese Spectacular."

Mr. Gao came to Japan from Shandong Province and now is doing research at Kobe University. He said, "I'm an overseas Chinese student. The moment when the curtain rose, I burst into tears. I could not hold back my tears during the entire first half of the show. Why couldn't I stop tears running down my face? Because such a scene suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. I was moved by the mighty power, and naturally my tears ran down my face. I've been in Japan for seven years, but my nationality is still Chinese."

Mr. Gao continued, "Sometimes, I thought that nothing could make me feel proud of being Chinese. But, after seeing today's performance, I once again rediscovered my pride as a Chinese. I'm also very pleased that authentic traditional Chinese culture is being recognized by more people. I also hope that I can do my part to work together with everybody to help people understand the authentic Chinese culture." Mr. Gao said he had booked tickets for the February 20 show, and he would come with his classmates.

Yao City Council Member Hiroshi Miyake brought his wife to see the show. After the performance, he had high praise for the Spectacular and commented, "The scenes depicting Chinese culture on the digital backdrops looked very natural, and displayed high technical skills." He said he liked the story "Lady of the Moon" the best.

Yao City Council member Hiroshi Miyake (left) attended the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular

Mr. Hiroshi Miyake shard his impressions of the dance drama, "The Risen Lotus Flower." "It fully displayed the unfair political system [in China today], and reflected the nature of the Chinese Communist Party."

He criticized the Chinese Communist regime and said he hoped that China's current situation would be changed and that China might become a free country. He said, "Such a peaceful qigong practice like Falun Gong in China is subjected to the Chinese Communist Party regime's unreasonable persecution. It is not right. I hope China can change its current situation and become a country where everybody enjoys a free life. I'll try my best to assist."

Yasuhide Nakayama, Chief Minister for Foreign Affairs and Member of the House of Representatives, sent a letter of congratulations. In the letter Mr. Nakayama stated,

"After having learned that the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular will grace the stage of NHK Osaka Hall, I express the sincerest congratulations on this event."

Mr. Beichuan, Chief Minister of Environment and Member of the House of Representatives, also sent congratulations, stating, "The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular is now touring the world, and it will be staged in Osaka. I feel very honored and I hope that such an elegant show will strengthen the cultural ties between Japan and China. I also wish all friends who watch the show a healthy and smooth New Year."

Ms. Hong, originally from Shanghai, has been living in Japan for eleven years. She saw the Divine Performing Arts Spectacular last year and had a wonderful time. She said that she had a strong affinity for the show and that it gave her have a feeling of returning home. She said that she had seen the performance last year and wanted to see it again this year to experience that very special feeling once more. Ms. Hong said she most enjoyed Qi Xiaochun's Erhu performance, "Redemptive Suffering," and the dance, "The Loyalty of Yue Fei." She plans to tell her friends about the Spectacular and hopes that they come see the show.

Ms. Pan, who came to Japan two years ago, saw the Divine Performing Arts performance last year, and she liked it so much that she came again this year. After the show concluded on February 19, Ms. Pan said that she liked the dance, "Drummers of the Tang Court," because it displayed the men's masculinity. She also enjoyed the songs and thought that the translation of lyrics on the back screen was very well done.

Jinxingtang Business Group Director attended the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular at the NHK Osaka Hall on February 19, 2008. It was his first time to see classical Chinese dance, and he was moved.

He said that everything was great. The dances and the last performance, "Victory Drums" were his favorite numbers. His friend who came with him is a Japanese dancer. It was also her first time to see Chinese dances, and she was deeply impressed.

A Japanese teacher said, "I liked the first performance, 'Descent of the Celestial Kings' and 'Nymphs of the Sea.' The colors were beautiful, and they created outstanding effects. The background scenes were beautiful and dynamic. It's hard for me to tell why I liked the first performance; I just had a special feeling about it. Each movement was perfect and flawless."