Taiwan: Divine Land Marching Band Performs at Kaohsiung Athletic Volunteers Conference

On November 29th, 2008, the Southern Taiwan Athletic Volunteers Conference was held in Chungshan University, Kaohsiung. Early in the morning, the university became a bustling place. Nearly three hundred Falun Dafa practitioners, members of the Divine Land Marching Band, arrived here from northern, central and southern Taiwan. The Divine Land Marching Band was separated into two sections. The concert band performed inside the stadium during the sports events, while a marching band led the flags and athletes into the stadium.

Divine Land Marching Band leads the flags and athletes into the stadium.	Divine Land Concert Band performs for the athletics meetings
Divine Land Marching Band performs for the athletics meetings	Divine Land Marching Band performs at Xizi Bay for tourists from Taiwan and Mainland China

A member of the band talks to a tourist from Mainland China about the persecution of Falun Gong and about the Divine Performing Arts' 2009 World Tour

To celebrate the World Volunteers' Day, the 5th annual Southern Taiwan Athletic Volunteers Conference was a big event for Kaohsiung volunteers. The mayor, Mr. Chen Ju, director of social affairs Mr. Hsu Chuansheng, CEO of KOC Mr. Hsu Zaojuan, many council members of Kaohsiung City, and directors of the Volunteers Association attended the event. Chairman of the World Volunteers Association Dr. Lee Kang-Hyun was also invited to the event from Korea. Mayor Chen Ju and the Chairman of the event, Mr. Chung Tairui, director of the Volunteers Association, welcomed all attendees and volunteers.

During the opening ceremony, the Divine Land Marching Band led the flags of the nation, city, and organisations participating in the event into the stadium. When the music "Falun Dafa Is Good" began, the crowd was energised.

After VIPs gave speeches, deputy director of Kaohsing City Volunteers Association Ms. Hsu Huimei invited the Divine Land Marching and Concert Band to perform again. She said, "The band came yesterday to prepare for the event. They practised until 9 p.m. This morning, they arrived around 5 a.m. for more preparations and rehearsals. This is a very moving endeavour. The Divine Land Marching Band wishes to honor the kindhearted volunteers through their music and hopes to bring the beauty of Falun Dafa to everyone. They bring light and beauty to the world. We appreciate their performance!"

The band's performance won a lot of praise. Many of the people who gathered along the streets gave "thumbs up" too.

While part of the band stayed inside the stadium to perform during the sports events, another part of the marching band moved on to the nearby tourist attraction: Xizi Bay, where they performed for tourists from Taiwan and Mainland China near the entrance to the General Consulate of the United Kingdom. The band also publicised the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour and clarified the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong.

When the city officials were giving speeches, the Divine Land Marching Band had a break outside of the stadium. One elderly couple from the UK came up to them and asked, "We've been watching this band for a long time. They look very professional. Where are they from?" They wished to see the Band's performance in the UK too. A band member told them that the Band was formed only two years ago and that the members included players of all ages, both young and old. He also told them about Divine Performing Arts and invited them to see the show in the UK. The couple was very happy to hear this and thanked them before leaving.