PRAGUE, Czech Republic—After a successful run in Bratislava, the Shen Yun Chinese Spectacular premiered at the Prague Congress Center on Monday, captivating the audience with its unique portrayal of Chinese traditional culture.
Member of Parliament Marek Benda was highly impressed with the show, as were his two young children.
"I find it fascinating. I have a feeling it is partly made for western culture, so that we can understand it. I have two children here, six and eight years old, and both of them are having a wonderful time.
"It is a beautiful picture about the greatness of China, a picture about how old and how deep the culture is. I think that we can appreciate it here."
Igor Vejsada, artistic director of the Moravian Slezian National Theatre, the largest theater in the Moravian region, praised the professionalism of the dancers.
"I have very good feelings from the performance," he said. "The dance was at a high professional level. In my opinion, the dance is the most spiritual art. The audience could experience throughout the show the great Chinese history and the spiritual heritage."
Since the Chinese Spectacular came into being in 2004, there have been numerous attempts by the Chinese communist regime, through its embassies and consulates, to interfere with the production in various ways.
Letters have been received by a number of politicians, performers, and venues, urging them not to take part in the Spectacular or express support.
This occurred again during the show's current run in Prague when Czech TV, the country's biggest TV station, received a letter from the Chinese Embassy asking them not to attend the Spectacular.
Czech TV had invited two Shen Yun artists to do an in-depth segment on the Spectacular and its artistic portrayal of Chinese culture. While interviewing the artists on the Dobré Ráno morning show, the host showed them the letter from the embassy.
"We are not Chinese television, we're not even state television, so our advantage is that we can invite really whoever we want. In China it may be a bit different," said the host.
The Beijing regime dislikes the Spectacular because it includes two acts depicting the illegal persecution of the meditation practice Falun Gong, which the Chinese Communist Party has outlawed and sought to vilify since 1999 for no just cause.
Falun Gong is part of Chinese history along with Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism, and the values of these practices are embodied in the show. Other ethnicities portrayed in the Spectacular are Tibetans, Mongolians and Koreans.
The Chinese Embassy also published an announcement on the front page of Jie Hua Tong Xun, the Czech Chinese Newsletter, warning the local Chinese community not to attend the performance due to the Falun Gong content.
Since the persecution began in 1999, Chinese Embassies and consulates have executed the policies of the central government to slander and malign Falun Gong, threatening any event, organization or government body that promotes a positive image of the peaceful meditation practice.
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit: http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
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