NEW YORK—With the elegance of a night at the opera and the rich flavor of an authentic Chinese meal, the Chinese New Year Spectacular is enchanting audiences in New York City night after night at Radio City Music Hall.
The Chinese culture show featuring live orchestra, singing, and dancing is being put on by the New York-based Chinese television network New Tang Dynasty (NTDTV) through Saturday, which will be Chinese New Year's Eve—a different day every year based on China's traditional lunar calendar.
"It was extremely powerful. I don't understand enough of it culturally, but enough of it symbolically came through. It was a feeling of goodness at the end of a lot of suffering, which was very moving," said Dean Beatrice Terrien-Somerville of Columbia University.
"Amazing, amazing… everything was so beautiful, the color, the scenery, the culture. Living in America, we don't have our own culture here and Chinese culture is so rich, it goes back thousands and thousands of years… we miss that in this country," said Florine Debbas of Long Island, who was born and raised in Lebanon.
"It was awesome! The music just moved me. It was something words can't describe," said Meme Lau, visiting from southern Australia.
The show's themes take us past the sensationalized kung fu moves and fortune cookies that have unfortunately come to symbolize Chinese culture, and put us directly in contact the 5,000-year-old nation's heart and soul. As the show convincingly argues, China is a spiritual nation, steeped in the traditions and values of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism that flourished dynasty after dynasty and are currently repressed under the Chinese Communist regime.
"The symbolism around the coming of the new year was very meaningful," said Chinese New Yorker Mimi Trih. "New Years is all about getting rid of bad spirits."
The rich performances are made richer knowing that NTDTV is the only independent media company in the world broadcasting uncensored Chinese-language information directly into Mainland China. It's as if Chinese culture and values are being both remembered and lived out. And, in awe and delight, the audience finds itself on history's vast stage.
"It's really great that [Chinese Americans] can express themselves in a way that they wouldn't be able to in Communist China," said John Carlson of Manhattan.
"I felt like there was this underlying message of goodness and hope conquering evil and darkness," said Erika Gaynor of Harlem.
The Epoch Times is proud to join with New Tang Dynasty TV and Sound of Hope Radio in co-sponsoring NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular ( http://shows.ntdtv.com. )
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