Canada: Chinese Divinely-Imparted Culture Touches Toronto Audience

The New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) Chinese New Year Spectacular shows completed on January 20th, 2007 in Toronto, Canada. The four shows presented in Toronto Center for the Arts attracted more than 6,800 audience members. Traditional Chinese divinely-imparted culture touched both the Western and Chinese audience.

Divinely-Imparted Culture Touches the Audience

President of Canadian NTDTV, Wang Shaojiu, told the reporter that the first show, especially for students and presented on the afternoon of January 19th in Toronto, achieved great results. The students gave positive feedback. They very much agreed with the principles in traditional Chinese culture, such as respect for heaven and gods, good and evil receiving due retributions, loyalty and filial piety and so on.

Eight-year-old Bradley said that his favorite part of the programme was the story of Yue Fei, and the one depicting a person (Falun Gong practitioner) who was beaten to death for her faith. She ultimately ascends to the heaven, and the bad people go to hell.

Sherry from the Claude Watson Council School in Toronto said that she liked stories in the programme with philosophic principles, such as "The Loyalty of Yue Fei." Yue Fei was a great hero, and he was remarkable. He wanted very much to be with his mother, but the country needed him. He chose to help the country. He was a selfless person.

A teacher named Sophia Warszawski brought with her 112 students to watch the performance. She said emotionally after watching the performance, "Wonderful, very special, the artistic standard is so high. For the song titled, ‘Falun Dafa is Good,’ she felt from the bottom of her heart its wonderfulness, and felt it was really a graceful and elegant performance.

Commentator on current affairs Shi Tao told the reporter that he felt the variety show displayed the relationship between human beings and gods in traditional Chinese culture. People all believe in gods, and that good and evil will receive due retributions. Otherwise, they would not go to the temples to burn incense. Everything in the human world is arranged by the gods. Human beings should behave according to the gods’ guidance and attain good fortune. Shi Tao said that the gods told men to treat others kindly, and repay others’ kindness received in times of difficulty.

Audience member Ms. Xie recognised that traditional Chinese culture is divine-imparted culture, which manifests in the theories of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, and a variety of legends. She continued that she liked the dance "Snowy Mountain and White Lotus," as it was so pure and immaculate.

Audience member Mr. Zhang said that the dances "The Loyalty of Yue Fei" and "Hua Mulan" left deep impression on him. Hua Mulan went out for a battle instead of her senior father. When she returned after triumph, she resumed being her father’s filial daughter. Mr. Zhang said that it unfolded a harmonious, pure and happy scene for him.

The Orchestra Performs Live Accompaniment, with Combination of Western and Chinese Style

Many audience members were amazed at the live accompaniment performed by the orchestra.

Cindy, an eleventh-grade student from a high school in Toronto who majored in music said to the reporter that the orchestra’s accompaniment was spectacular and wonderful!

Orchestra conductor Chen Rutang said that live accompaniment can express rich emotional meaning, which electronic musical instruments fail to match. This orchestra was composed of fifty members, and is based on a complete Western orchestra. It expresses the spectacular and the subtle, along with the traditional Chinese musical instruments, such as Erhu (two-string Chinese violin), zither and flute, as leads in the performance. He said that many Westerners, many Americans and Canadians, felt the live accompaniment was pleasant to hear.

Congratulations from VIPs

The Deputy Premier of Ontario, George Smitherman, said to the reporter at the show that Canada is very lucky to have people coming from the greatest civilised countries around the world. He thanked NTDTV for organising such a performance, and providing an opportunity for Canadian people to experience wonderful Chinese culture.

He said the performance was great, and that the singing, dancing, costumes and themes were all extraordinary. He understood why the show would tour thirty cities around the world, and said that the singers were gifted. Former veteran Canadian MP David Kilgour said that he had never seen such beautiful costumes anywhere else or in other performances. The show deepened his understanding of Chinese culture. The show told stories from Buddhism, stories that took place in the eleventh century and a story of mother and son who safeguarded the country. Chinese culture is one of the most ancient cultures in the world. He was lucky to learn about it this way.

Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto, Mr. Kelly Wu-Chiao Hsieh, expressed his appreciation to NTDTV for holding Chinese New Year galas in four consecutive years, and his admiration for NTDTV’s independence and courage to speak up.