Audience in Finland Embraces Eastern Culture

By He Ping and Wang Qinghan, Finland

(Clearwisdom.net) The Divine Performing Arts company arrived in Finland on March 30, 2008, to hold two shows of the Chinese Spectacular in Tampere, the third largest city in the country. This northern European country, which is known as "the land of a thousand lakes," warmly welcomed this blessing from the far east.

Tampere has old theater traditions. Each year there are film and music festivals in the city that attract many tourists. Tampere Hall, over 100 years old, is the largest music and conference hall in the Scandinavian Peninsula. This is where Divine Performing Arts staged the Chinese Spectacular.

After the performance, a number of people had high praise for the show and shared their impressions of the Spectacular.

Finnish MP Pertti Virtanen

Finnish MP Pertti Virtanen is an artist himself. He told reporters, "Many people, including many politicians, felt calm after the show, and resonated with the ancient truth revealed through the performances.

Mr. Shen Peihuang, a Taiwanese representative to Finland, said that Divine Performing Arts presented the beauty and multi-faceted aspect of Chinese culture. He felt that the show was a great success. "Finland is a country that respects democracy and has a well developed educational system. The Finnish people enjoy the arts. I believe this show, which introduces the rich and colorful Chinese culture, will be very well-received in this country."

When he spoke about the dance, "Chang-E Going to the Moon," Mr. Shen's eyes brightened and he said excitedly, "The dances such as 'Chang-E Going to the Moon' and the drum performances exhibit Chinese culture so well! China is a multi-cultural country but the Divine Performing Arts showed the special characteristics of each of them. This is really commendable."

Mr. Shen said he and his colleagues came from Helsinki to see the show. He thought that the costumes, stage sets, and the dances all show traditional Chinese culture. He said, "The spirit is ancient but the technique is modern. I believe western audiences will enjoy it. Today's show was almost a full-house - this is uncommon in Finland."

Mr. Shen said that as Finland is a country that pays attention to democracy and human rights, "People here must be deeply touched by the deep meaning of the Spectacular in light of China's persecution of freedom of belief."

Mr. Wang Kuangshi, director of the Economics Department of Taiwan in Finland said of the Spectacular, "I was deeply moved. I never thought Chinese culture could be presented in this form, which is easily appreciated by westerners. It contains some very traditional Chinese culture. Besides the arts, it introduced the meaning behind the culture. It is really good."

Mr. Wang Kuangshi, Director of the Economics Department of Taiwan in Finland

Mr. Wang liked the fan dance and the Mongolian bowl dance the most. "They were really beautiful," he said, "The show also combined modern techniques in addition to traditional arts. The backdrops fit so perfectly with the dances."

Mr. Wang touched upon the issue of the Chinese Embassy trying to stop Divine Performing Arts from performing in Finland and other countries, and said that he believes that the Chinese Communist Party won't succeed. "The Divine Performing Arts is mild and elegant. People in Finland feel there is no reason not to let the show be performed here. Obviously, the arts have no geographical boundaries."

Ms. Sirkka Heinonen, a Theater professor at the University of Tampere, said that she enjoyed the Spectacular very much. Her favorite numbers included "Herding on the Mongolian Plains," the "Mongolian Bowl Dance," "Nymphs of the Sea" and the fan dance, "Lightness and Grace." She said that the dance movements were wonderful and the dancers were so unified that they looked like one body.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/3/31/175571.html

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