(Minghui.org) The Shen Yun World Company presented fourteen performances in three cities in Taiwan from February 28 through March 19, 2023: Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Changhua.
Tickets for all fourteen performances were sold out in advance. For some evening performances, seats with an obstructed view were released to meet the demand. Due to the show’s popularity, several hundred theatergoers from Southeast Asia flew to Tainan and Changhua to enjoy the performances.
Shen Yun World Company’s curtain call at the Chih-The Hall of the Kaohsiung Cultural Center in Kaohsiung on the afternoon of February 28, 2023 (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun World Company at the Tainan Cultural Center Performing Hall in Tainan on March 10. The performers took three bows during the curtain call. (The Epoch Times)
Shen Yun World Company at the Yuanlin Performing Arts Hall in Changhua on March 15 (The Epoch Times)
Lai Ching-te, Vice President of Taiwan, sent a floral basket during Shen Yun’s performances in Tainan, wishing the company’s 2023 tour a success. (The Epoch Times)
Floral basket from Huang Wei-cher, Mayor of Tainan, and Chen Hsiu-cheng, Acting Director of the Tainan Cultural Affairs Bureau, wishing the company’s Taiwan tour a success (The Epoch Times)
Floral baskets from Wang Huei-mei, Magistrate of Changhua County; You Jhen-syong, Mayor of Yuanlin City; and Ho Ping-hua, Mayor of Sihu Township (The Epoch Times)
Hung-chang Chu, CEO of Kaohsiung Philharmonic Cultural and Arts Foundation,at the Shen Yun performance in Kaohsiung on March 1 (The Epoch Times)
Hung-chang Chu, the CEO of Kaohsiung Philharmonic Cultural and Arts Foundation, saw Shen Yun in Kaohsiung on March 1.
“I knew I made the right decision to come!” Mr. Chu exclaimed.
“The dancers and the musicians cooperated seamlessly with each other even when the tempo was very fast—they must be very skilled to achieve this level of precision. The performance is of a very high caliber,” he said.
The last time he attended Shen Yun was a decade ago. He was happy to discover that “Shen Yun has since perfected their artistry. It’s so obvious to see their growth.”
Mr. Chu also thoroughly enjoyed the spiritual aspect of the performance and thought Shen Yun achieved the perfect balance.
“It wasn’t just about the arts, they also talked about faith... We got just a taste—they don’t overwhelm you with information but the audiences can pick up, at a glance, what the artists were trying to tell them,” he said.
Su-chin Wu, CEO of Taiwan’s International Cultural and Arts Foundation, at the Shen Yun performance in Kaohsiung on February 28. (The Epoch Times)
Su-chin Wu, the CEO of Taiwan’s International Cultural and Arts Foundation, saw Shen Yun in Kaohsiung on February 28.
“Shen Yun reminded me of the beautiful values that we once possessed... The performance did not use complicated words to lecture us on the do’s and don’ts, but rather, you just know that there is something profound that’s worth learning,” Ms. Wu said.
“The dancers’ body language and their movements are all taken from ancient times. That’s wonderful.
“Shen Yun’s color schemes were very pure and harmonious. They used a lot of primary colors. From what I know in fine arts, these colors are very bright and present a strong energy... When people see these colors, their emotions are immediately lifted up,” she said.
Ms. Wu also felt inspired by the spiritual aspects of Shen Yun and deeply agreed with the traditional belief that “we are all from the heavens.”
“We are here to offer our service to humanity. Each of us has a hidden mission that we must discover. To see this idea presented—it gave me a lot of strength and support,” she said.
Referring to Shen Yun’s storyline dances depicting the ancient wisdom of “good begets good and evil begets evil,” Ms. Wu said that’s what she has always believed.
“This is the divine truth—no matter which God you believe in. The righteous energy and optimism of the performance opened my heart. Shen Yun’s story-based dances are truly great,” she said.
“[The performance] really allows you to calm down—that’s the value Shen Yun brings. It purifies the negativity in our mind and body and allows our spirits to lift up and be happy.
“I would like to tell the performers ‘good luck’ and to ‘keep up the good work.’ They’re doing a wonderful job and I thank them for that,” Ms. Wu said.
Ho Huo-fa, Chair of the Taitung County Medical Association, at the Shen Yun performance in Kaohsiung on February 28 (The Epoch Times)
Ho Huo-fa, Chair of the Taitung County Medical Association, saw Shen Yun in Kaohsiung on February 28.
“I was shocked by Shen Yun. The excellent costumes match very well the talented dancers and their extraordinary skills. The scenes on the stage are astounding... The outstanding point is that Shen Yun is full of positive energy and spreads this energy to our audiences,” said Mr. Ho.
He said Shen Yun can “stabilize a society, and encourage people to be good.”
“Shen Yun told us three words: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance... These words have very profound meanings. If we people can follow these words, the world will be more peaceful and our society will be more harmonious.
“All dancers have superb techniques, and they are on the same level... The male dancers are very classical and masculine and the female dancers are very beautiful. Their dancing skills are the best in the world.
“The dynamic backdrop is high-tech. It coordinates with the stage perfectly and makes the whole performance stunningly good. The coordination is fabulous... I was shocked. The show is super perfect,” Mr. Ho said.
Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh at the Shen Yun performance in Kaohsiung on March 2 (The Epoch Times)
Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh saw Shen Yun in Kaohsiung on March 2.
“The performance was a perfect blend of music and drama! The whole show was so unified that it felt like all these artists had merged into one. They demonstrated the true spirit of teamwork,” Mr. Hsu said.
He added that “there was a lot of optimism presented in the show,” and found it inspiring.
“We will all face hardships in life. So, we must learn to not just enjoy the good times but also happily accept the bad,” he said.
Mr. Hsu was touched by the artists’ commitment, “The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are wonderful!”
“We should actively promote traditional values in our society and allow compassion to spread... Only by doing so will our society change for the better,” he said.
Referring to Shen Yun’s portrayal of China’s organ harvesting crimes, Mr. Hsu said he was shocked.
“The organs were taken from a perfectly healthy person. That made me very angry—how can a country hurt its own citizens like that!... The fact that we currently have no way of stopping them breaks my heart,” he said.
Mr. Hsu hoped that, through legislative amendments, people in Taiwan could help to expose and end these crimes. He said though there isn’t much Taiwan can do across the border, “we should try our best.”
“Societies nowadays don’t really talk about moral values and traditional culture anymore. I feel like we really need to improve in this aspect. We are too focused on our own profits and gains now—this is not a good sign,” Mr. Hsu said.
“We need to strengthen our spirit of generosity and help each other—just like how it’s portrayed in the performance. After we have strengthened ourselves, we need to pay it forward and help those in need,” he said.
Yeh Tsai-yi, former mayor of Chunan Township, at the Shen Yun performance in Miaoli on February 26 (The Epoch Times)
Yeh Tsai-yi, former mayor of Chunan Township, saw Shen Yun in Miaoli on February 26.
“This is Shen Yun’s second time performing at our Miaoli County’s Miaobei Art Center. This can be said to be our area’s blessing and also the compassion of the divine,” Mr. Yeh said. This was his second time seeing Shen Yun.
“The performance was truly impressive. Those artists were extremely outstanding in all aspects... [Shen Yun] not only brought to everyone a kind of enjoyment, but also ‘resonance.’”
“I was also brought to tears. Especially the first scene, that mighty power of divine beings – it was like spreading sweet due to the human world,” he said.
Mr. Yeh also said that Shen Yun’s Artistic Director is definitely not an ordinary person. “In another world, he has his position. He the director has a different origin. He’s in the heavenly realm and is also a Buddha or Bodhisattva. According to Buddhist law, he is from the origin of a great Buddha or Bodhisattva. And his power will be used to educate the world,” he said.
Lin Yu-sheng, chairman of the Grand Hotel, at the Shen Yun performance in Tainan on March 10 (The Epoch Times)
Lin Yu-sheng, chairman of the Grand Hotel, saw Shen Yun in Tainan on March 10. This was his third time seeing Shen Yun.
“Behind the performance, we see a positive force. This positive force is not simply a performance. It represents our longing for humankind’s beautiful things,” Mr. Lin said.
“Shen Yun’s biggest significance for our society is that it made more people start reflecting. Besides being busy working every day, what are they doing with their passion? Us seeing these people’s passion is actually bringing energy to ourselves,” he said.
Mr. Lin also thought the traditional values and meaning presented in Shen Yun are the Chinese community’s most precious cultural element. “This unified strength will defeat all evilness and make this world more beautiful,” he said.
Lee Tzu-yu, executive director of a performing arts company, and her students at the Shen Yun performance in Tainan on March 10 (The Epoch Times)
Lee Tzu-yu, executive director of a performing arts company, took her dance students as well as their families to the Shen Yun performance in Tainan on March 10. She had seen Shen Yun years ago.
“What I felt and saw today was not only body language. From my heart I felt their purity, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance, and their compassion. It made me very moved and teary,” Ms. Lee said.
“The first scene began in the heavens. Both the first and second half began with heavenly scenes. This made me feel that maybe we were once children of the divine... So as long we do our part of being compassionate in the human world, we will eventually return to the side of our god,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Ms. Lee also said she felt different levels of love in the stories. “I could feel it. The kids could also feel it. I saw them there wiping tears with their hands,” she said.
Chen Yi-fan, chief executive of Smile Association in Taichung, at the Shen Yun performance in Changhua on March 17 (The Epoch Times)
Chen Yi-fan, chief executive of Smile Association in Taichung, saw Shen Yun in Changhua on March 17.
“Shen Yun uses optimal arts to return beings from various universes to the fundamental compassion... [Shen Yun]’s founder is so great!” Ms. Chen said.
“Actually, when the first scene opened and that Creator brought divine beings to earth, and when he called divine beings to earth, my body felt shocked by an electrical stream... He declared to us that everyone is from the heavens!
“You can see tradition in every detail, every one of them. You can see the outstanding design of a visual feast. [Shen Yun] brings you into the scenes and lets you walk into history,” she said.
Chen Tung-liang, former president of a Kiwanis club in the Taiwan District, at the Shen Yun performance in Changhua on March 16 (The Epoch Times)
Chen Tung-liang, former president of a Kiwanis club in the Taiwan District, saw Shen Yun in Changhua on March 16.
“[Shen Yun performers] are like manifestations of the divine. It was like a kind of energy that the heavens bestowed upon them. This kind of energy allowed them to very naturally show it in their bodies, hearts, and body language,” Mr. Chen said.
Shen Yun continues its 2023 tour with upcoming performances in Taipei, Taiwan, March 22–26; Northridge, California, March 22; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, March 22–23; Basel, Switzerland, March 24–26; São Paulo, Brazil, March 22; Curitiba, Brazil, March 24-25; Hamilton, Canada, March 22; and Vancouver, Canada, March 22–26.