Belgium: Enthusiastic Reception for the Chinese Spectacular

Performer from the Gala Spectacular is interviewed by Belgian ATV

Located in the capital of Antwerp province, ATV is a local television station that covers the entire province. As Belgium’s most important commercial centre Antwerp is a port city and the capital of Flanders area, with a population of 1.25 million, the population of Belgium is about 10 million.

Through ATV’s interview, many Belgians learned that the Divine Performing Arts would perform three shows in two days in Belgium, which is a programme presenting people with the essence of traditional Chinese culture of 5000 year history, without any Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture.

The TV programme introduced that the Chinese Gala Spectacular is the best show to introduce the orthodox traditional Chinese culture to the world, as it presented people with the essence of the 5000-year-old traditional Chinese culture without the CCP connotations.

When interviewed, a female dancer of the Divine Performing Arts said, “Not only does it present fabulous colours and magnificent movements, it also has profound spiritual connotations. As we all know, Chinese culture has a lot to do with religion, since we always believe in heaven and gods. We also believe that people should behave themselves with compassion according to high moral standards. All of these qualities will be presented in our dances and songs.”

In an interview, a couple said, “What was presented in the show seemed to be something of another world. Oh, they are really much more beautiful than our (Western) cultures. The dancers are really great.”

“Not only was the Chinese culture perfectly presented in the show, but it also manifested the great compassion of gods and Buddha. It really touched the bottom of my heart,” said a lady.

Member of the Belgian Parliament: “The act portraying the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners was very touching”

After seeing the premiere in Belgium, John Vranchen, a member of parliament said that “he felt the programme was splendid and very touching, in particular, the act portraying the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners”.

Jan Peumans, MP of the NVA (the Flemish nationalist party) and Mayor of Riemst City in Limburg province, said, “the Chinese culture presented in the Chinese Spectacular was totally different from what we knew in the past. I saw some fractions of it in films in the past, but seeing the live performance, my feeling is more vivid. I was very much impressed with the Tibetan dance (the Snowy Mountain, White Lotus) and the act portraying the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in a prison (the Risen Lotus Flower).

Brussels congressman: Enjoying the True Eastern Culture for the First Time

Mr. John De Moore, member of Brussels Parliament, said, "I was pleased to learn the news that the Divine Performing Arts was scheduled to perform here, and I was curious about the opportunity of seeing the traditional Chinese culture. As living in the western world, we have little understanding of the Chinese culture."

When talking about the Chinese Spectacular, John said, "I was deeply impressed with the performance, and I think the quality of the performance is very good. Generally speaking, the overall layout of the stage is magnificent as a variety of colours matched very well. The sound effect and performance of the dances implied people’s positive attitude toward life and the message that people are yearning for happy lives.”
He said, "The first act 'Descent of the Celestial Kings' was the most exciting one to me. It was the first time I felt a strong impact on me, as it touched my heart. It is indeed wonderful. This reminded me of the still popular ancient Greek and Roman theological legends, and I feel that there are some similarities between them."

He added, "The design of dynamic back drop was very good. Especially it was wonderful when the performers interacted with it, such as people descending from the sky and the performers walking out of the stage. It is just wonderful. It is very helpful for the audience to understand the story and have an overall impression. I have never seen this kind of performance before. It’s indeed wonderful."

Belgian Federation Congress Member: Freedom of belief is explicitly presented in the show

Mia De Schampelaere is a Belgian Federation Congress member and the chairwoman of Federation Congress Legal Commission. She likes music, mainly classic music and some contemporary music. She is in favour of enhancing spiritual awareness in the society and establishing more political organisations. She is a devoted Catholic and lives her life in accordance with the moral values of Catholicism.

After seeing the show, Schampelaere said, "It's indeed splendid! Especially it is great to explicitly present the freedom of information, freedom of speech and freedom of belief. The artistic level of the Spectacular is very high. I feel the elegance of these youths is something that the Europeans don't have, and the movements of the Chinese dancers are more dexterous."

Mieke Bouve, One of the Most Popular Actresses in Belgium: “I was overwhelmed by the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular"

After watching the Divine Performing Arts, Mieke Bouve, one of the most famous actresses in Belgium said, "I had been looking forward to seeing the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular, for I have been attracted to everything about China. I know that I will go there one day and that’s why I came here. There is a huge difference between the China ruled by the CCP and a free China. Divine Performing Arts presents the original Chinese traditional culture, which is very different from what I’ve known about China.”

While talking about her feelings about the shows, Mieke Bouve was very excited. She said, “It’s really beyond words to describe the show. Maybe I shall say it’s stunning and it’s indeed magnificent. Those costumes, dances, music, and the ways the dancers performed are really something that Ballet and Flanders dancers can learn from.”

Mieke Bouve mentioned, “All of the dancers performed the dances very precisely, especially the dances in “Nymphs of the sea” which is really magnificent. The Tibetan dance and Mongolian bowl dance are really incredible too. I’ve never seen such wonderful dances in my life. I was overwhelmed by them. It beyond words to describe it, and probably “Perfect” is the only word for it.”

The Principal of Antwerp Royal Dance School: Members of the Divine Performing Arts are More Charming than Europeans

Marinella Paneda, the principal of Antwerp Royal Dance School in Belgium, have cultivated many genius Ballet performers around the world. She is also one of the world-class Ballet professors and has been very famous in Ballet circles. He said, “I think arts could make people from different cultures closer to each other. It’s something really wonderful, and is a very great innovation. ”

Marinella Paneda added, “We feel extremely lucky to see the real Chinese culture. We’ve seen some books about Chinese history and we think that it should be a great country. While watching the performances, I was thinking that Divine Performing Arts have done an excellent job. Those performers represented what the real China is and I think this is very important.”

Moreover, Marinella Paneda expressed, “I like the dances in the drum programmes very much. I could feel the strength of the manhood from them. Very powerful! It directly touches the bottom of my heart. Those female dancers present the feminine characteristics, such as tenderness, elegance, nobleness, and the lasting charm. The performers in Divine Performing Arts are more charming than Europeans. I dare to say so, because it’s the truth. In brief, I enjoy the show very much!”

Diplomat: The Chinese Spectacular has manifested the value and meaning of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance

Dr. Michael Ying-mao Kau, Representative of the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, along with his wife, attended the Chinese Spectacular and offered high praise for the show. He thanked the Diving Performing Arts for promoting the Chinese culture all over the world and enabled the world people to get more insight into China. He said, "This is of great significance."

Dr. Kau said that the Chinese Spectacular has a two-fold meaning; one is the artistic value, which is the artistic form of the Chinese culture, with high entertainment value. The other is that the show spreads what is happening in China and makes the world understand the truth. After all, this kind of show is unable to be held in China. He said that, the audience seemed to be very satisfied with the performance, and the Belgian ministers seated next to him on his left had side also gave high praise for the show. One of them said that, the Chinese dancing was different from ballet and it is very interesting. There are some officials who came to understand Falun Gong after seeing the Chinese Spectacular. Many western officials were unclear about the predicament of Falun Gong in China.

Kau added that there are different forms in the manifestation of art, and all nations should appreciate others’ art and try to understand the true meaning behind the art. The dancing and singing in the show have revealed the value and meaning of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance."

As to the incident that the Chinese Communist regime pressured the Korean Broadcasting Station (KBS) to unilaterally cancel the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular on the evening of March 26th at the KBS Theater in Busan, Kau said, "It is a shame, and it is indeed incredible. The Chinese regime's ideologies remain the same as that in the age of Cultural Revolution and try to control its people's thought by violence. We should let the entire world know the Chinese regime’s despicable acts." He also said that he hoped the Korean government would not yield to the regime’s pressure and should stand up to uplift justice."

"This kind of show can only be performed in the environment with freedom, thereby it is very important to have free environment. Belgium is a free nation, so that it can provide the environment for the Divine Performing Arts was able to perform there. It is impossible for the Chinese regime to allow such show to be performed in China. Therefore, the show is very meaningful in terms of the value of human rights, democracy and freedom.