During the Chinese New Year holiday season, I watched three New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) Spectaculars on TV, and I still wished I could watch more. The special moments in the show have been locked in the depths of my memory forever.
Whenever I think back, I feel as though my thoughts are hovering around a heavenly palace in a sea of clouds. Occasionally I would take a peek at the golden roof of the temples, but I could not see it in its entirety. As I recall these experiences, I have realized that the 2-hour show had taken me back through a few thousand years of time in China.
Since I was a child, I could memorize the Poem of Mulan, and received a lot of praise from family and teachers for it. I didn't really understand the words, although subconsciously I had picked up some of the meanings. However, Mulan's emotions such as when she left for the army on behalf of her father, and when she declined a government post to return home, were beyond my childlike comprehension.
Decades later, I can no longer recall the entire Poem of Mulan. The initial feeling of familiarity with the 5,000-year culture had become as far away as a dream, replaced by the communist slogans of "Stability Takes Precedence over Everything," and "Keeping up the Four Fundamental Principles." What I didn't know was that dreams could still turn into reality one day.
When the dance of Mulan started, I felt the urge to cry. The stage set was simple, a small mountain village with green willow trees and pink peach blossoms. The father and daughter were the only people there. Yet the peacefulness and tranquility in the simple scene shocked me. I felt as though it was a strong wind, gushing at me, pushing me. Having gotten used to the Chinese communist-style propaganda for the Party's leadership, and the noise of modern music and dances, I was startled by this peacefulness and rationality, which came from deep in one's heart.
In the dance, with the backdrop of layers upon layers of mountains, Mulan rode her horse alone to the border. As the scene progressed, the words of the Poem of Mulan flowed in my mind. "At dawn she leaves her parents by the city wall; At dusk she reaches Yellow River shore. All night she listens for old folks' familiar call, But hears only the Yellow River's roar. At dawn she leaves the Yellow River shore; To Mountains Black she goes her way. At night she hears old folks' familiar voice no more, but only on north mountains Tatar horses neigh." I felt as if I could understand Mulan at this moment. She joined the army for her father, yet she did not want to leave her parents. Her heart hurt, but she persisted. I know that the Poem of Mulan is no longer just characters to me; it has become a life with flesh and blood. It is telling me the story of a heroine from thousands of years ago, who was sad, anxious, yet who was able to take responsibilities and sacrifice personal emotions. Of course it was not just limited to the Poem of Mulan. The entire 5,000-year Chinese history came alive during the Spectacular. I could feel it, because the true spirit of Chinese culture has returned in the show.
Without spirit, traditional Chinese culture can only be antiques on display in museums, and very few can understand it. What can today's Chinese people understand when they see the Buddhist murals in the caves of Dunhuang? Will they see the faith that ancient people had? Will they be moved by the sincerity in the details of the paintings and sculptures? Will they believe in the old legends? It seems that it has been increasingly difficult for them to do so. The atheist theories of the Chinese Communist Party stripped the 5,000-year culture of its spirit, and left only the skin, which it wears on itself for disguise. The ancient culture has been destroyed. How can people in the future understand gods? How can they understand the faithfulness people should have towards gods?
But all of this was changed by the NTDTV Spectacular. The dance A Dunhuang Dream showed the spirit of Dunhuang. It is a rebirth of the culture after a life-and-death devastation; it has now become more mature and complete. I was stunned by the beautiful scene when the stage suddenly lit up and the sculpted Buddha's all came alive, and heavenly beauties danced to glorious music. All I could do was put my hands together in front of my chest to show respect. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I felt as if I was returning to a long-lost home. This was the true essence of Dunhuang. I knew that this was more than an inheritance and rebirth of the culture. It was also seeking the roots of a 5,000-year divinely-imparted culture, seeking the eternal God who once graced that land and taught the people there. I believe that now the God has returned.
Then where is the God? It is in everyone's heart. As we struggle with the temptations in everyday life, our once-brilliant God nature gradually faded and hid. In the name of survival in this world we hurt and lie to each other. This Spectacular, on the contrary, was like a pure spring that washed away all of our filth and awoke our long-dormant God nature again.
The first program of the evening was " Creation. " The curtain opened, revealing the gates of heaven, and I was brought to a heavenly palace in the midst of brilliant wonderful colors. No words could describe how I felt. The sight of all gods bowing before the Lord of the lords, and how the gods followed the Lord down into the human world, touched my heart the most. Human language can describe the rise and fall of a culture, changes in society, and the greatness of humanity; yet the quake that gods bring to humankind, the awakening of a being's god-nature and the understanding it brings to life and history, are indescribable.
It is not that we cannot return to our homes; most of us just forgot where our homes are. To our delight, the NTDTV Spectacular has rekindled the spirit of the Chinese culture. Similarly, the search for our original, true selves has been rekindled. We have wandered lost in this human realm for too long. It is time for us to return home.
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. This article is one of a series meant to introduce this unique and important event.
The Epoch Times wishes its readers a Happy New Year in the Year of the Boar!
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