SAN DIEGO - The Year of the Dog is underway in grand fashion in San Diego. The City Council unanimously issued on Monday a resolution honoring New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) and its festive Chinese New Year Global Gala production, coming to San Diego County on Feb. 9.
Similar proclamations have been issued by several cities in San Diego County, including Del Mar, Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Escondido, Vista, Oceanside and Chula Vista.
"The Chinese New Year is considered to be the most important holiday of the year for many people of East Asian heritage," read Councilmember Donna Frye from the resolution. "The NTDTV Chinese New Year Global Gala provides these families with an opportunity to gather and celebrate their heritage, and share their traditions with others in the community at a time of year when all cultures, nations and religions are celebrating their holidays."
The global gala, now midway through its international tour of 17 cities, promotes traditional Chinese culture in the form of performing arts, and fosters understanding between Eastern and Western cultures.
"In addition to the entertainment, our Gala aims at bringing to our audience the essence and true spirit of the Chinese culture expressed in the forms of performing arts," said Rutang Chen, world-class musician and Chief Artistic Director of the 2006 Chinese New Year Global Gala, in an interview with The Epoch Times. "I hope that after the show our audience will go home with a deeper understanding and connection to the Chinese culture."
The Chinese civilization, considered by many to be a unique and profound culture, has developed continuously for thousands of years. Despite being influenced by the rise and fall of different dynasties, it has never disappeared. Today, the Chinese culture is considered to be among the oldest cultures of the world, dating back 5000 or more years.
Much of China's ancient culture was destroyed by the communist party during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Traditional Chinese beliefs such as the importance of man harmonizing with nature as reflected in the concepts of yin and yang of Taoism, and the Golden Mean (avoiding the extreme of excess and the extreme of deficiency) of Confucianism, were displaced by atheism, absolute belief in Chairman Mao Zedong, and spiritual allegiance to the communist party.
Integrating regal music, vibrant costumes, and innovative choreography, NTDTV has recaptured the glory days of China's ancient past. Performances depicting myths and legends from China's dynasties at the 2006 Chinese New Year Global Gala have moved the Chinese people.
"I understand the meaning of the sword dance 'Nine Swords' and it was very good," remarked Chen Yuemei after this year's gala in Boston. Ms. Chen expressed her appreciation for how the choreographer integrated many meaningful concepts into the dance performances.
Madame Zhang Tiejun leads the Lotus Flower Art Troupe in their performance of "Plum Blossom" and several other dances they perform at the gala.
"Ancient women were gentle, soft and elegant," explained Madame Zhang in an interview with The Epoch Times. "They had high aspirations and cherished their reputations. They had charming manners and humble dispositions. Traditional Chinese dances emphasize the inner meaning, or the spirit, of the dances."
In addition to reviving traditional Chinese culture, NTDTV has undertaken a formidable challenge: It has insisted on media independence and strived to bring the free flow of information to China.
It is no secret that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fears the free flow of information. Since NTDTV's inception in 2001, and particularly since it began broadcasting 24/7 to Asia in 2003, NTDTV has encountered interference from the CCP.
In the Spring of 2005, the communist regime pressured the French satellite company Eutelsat into not renewing NTDTV's contract. It took the collective efforts of concerned citizens, businesses, international media watchdog organizations, and the U.S. Senate to convince Eutelsat to renew NTDTV's contract, and preserve the free flow of information to China.
At present, NTDTV is the only Chinese-language television alternative to the state-controlled China Central Television (CCTV).
As such, NTDTV is the only television station that provides the people of China with information on topics that the communist-controlled state media routinely censors, such as human rights abuses, environmental concerns, health alerts, citizens' protests, government suppression and violence, defections from government and police agencies, and the recent movement among Chinese citizens to renounce their membership in the communist party.
According to the Association for Asian Studies, the CCP has spent at least $800 million and employs approximately 50,000 cyber police to monitor and control the Internet traffic of the Chinese people.
American companies such as Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Cisco have assisted the communist party in its efforts to prevent certain information from reaching the Chinese people. For example, entering "sensitive" items in Google's search engine adapted for use in China, google.cn, re-routes Internet users to sites that contain only CCP propaganda. Breaking through the CCP's firewalls, NTDTV has been forging a window of hope.
As the Feb. 9 performance at the California Center for the Arts draws near, time is running out to get your tickets. The 2006 Chinese New Year Global Gala, co-sponsored by The Epoch Times international newspaper, is a wonderful chance to experience firsthand one of the world's oldest and richest cultures, and at the same time support the free flow of information and human rights in China.
See you at the gala.
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