SEOUL—Audiences in South Korea were finally able to see the Divine Performing Arts show this week after its organizer, NTDTV Korea, won a lawsuit against the contract cancellation of Seoul's Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX).
Last Friday morning, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that COEX had violated the law in canceling its venue contract with NTDTV Korea.
COEX signed a contract with NTDTV Korea on Feb. 7 to lease its theater for the Divine Performing Arts show this month but unilaterally revoked it on March 14 on the grounds that the theater's facility was not suitable for the show.
This was the third similar incident in fourteen months encountered by NTDTV Korea. In February 2006 and January 2007, the TV station's contracts with the KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) theater and the Korean National Theater (KNT), respectively, to present the Chinese New Year Spectacular were both canceled. KNT's cancellation made it necessary for the TV station to reschedule the show for a later date at another theater.
Upon KNT's cancellation, NTDTV was initially told that the Chinese Embassy had protested to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which then asked the theater to retract the contract.
Although KNT later denied any intervention from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, major media in Korea strongly criticized their government for bending before the Chinese regime's will.
Its debut in Taipei saw a packed Taipei Cultural Center with Taiwanese Vice-President Lu Hsiu-lien as one of its audience giving a three-minute opening speech.
The number of people attending the shows, according to the estimation of the organizer, NTDTV Taiwan, totaled around 350,000.
The shows received rave reviews. Internationally-renowned ink and watercolor painter Li Chi-mao said the show was the best he had seen in 60 years. The president of Chaiyi's Nanhua University was so inspired by the show that he wanted his university to have a dance department.
The group's last performance in Chaiyi was honored by bouquets from Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Premier Su Tseng-chang.
Noted Chinese tenor Guan Guimin, a member and a representative of Divine Performing Arts, said at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday that COEX personnel told them the day before that the Chinese Embassy had called again asking the theater to stop the group's performance.
"The atheist Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not want to see our group promoting the divine origins of traditional Chinese culture … Our performance has nothing to do with the CCP. But no matter where we perform, the CCP interferes with us. It uses e-mail, fax, and various means to ask VIPs not to come to our show," he said.
At last Friday's ruling, the judge, concluding that the contents of the Divine Performing Arts show does not violate any Korean laws, poses no threat to Korea's social order, and does not jeopardize the Korea-China trade relationship, ordered COEX not to hinder the scheduled performances on April 24 and 25 and pay all lawsuit expenses of the plaintiff.
Divine Performing Arts is a New-York-based professional performing arts troupe committed to promoting traditional Chinese arts and culture. Since the beginning of this year, it has given nearly 80 shows (previously called Chinese New Year Spectacular) in 30 major cities around the world, including Berlin, New York, Osaka, Ottawa, Paris, Sydney, Taipei, and Toronto. It is scheduled to perform in Calgary and Edmonton in Canada next month.
Many audience members have said that they shed tears during the performance of the Divine Performing Arts.
Commenting on the phenomenon, Ms. Liu Ying-chuan, representative of NTDTV Taiwan, said the show communicates with the deepest yearnings of the audiences.
"I think the contents of the performance have touched upon the most compassionate and most beautiful part of people's hearts, which has been buried by many things but is what many people have been looking for; the realization of this truth moves people to tears."
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