Taiwan: Martial Arts Master: "Shen Yun Purifies People's Hearts"

Mr. Yang Wenqi, a famous martial arts master in Taiwan, the judge of International Chinese Martial Arts Association, and chief of the Martial Arts Association in Taiwan, attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts' show in Kaohsiung on March 16th. He said, "As a martial arts judge, I have seen a lot of competitions. I can tell that these performers have been well trained. They are so young, so I guess they have practised really hard."

Mr. Yang Wenqi

Mr. Yang said, "From their movement, I can tell that they all know kungfu. Some of their movements, including jumping, spinning and kicking, are even hard for people who practise martial arts for many years. Especially the spinning, the young dancer made eight rotations and stopped, but her feet landed in the same exact place. It is very difficult. She is better than many martial arts competitors."

"I had thought that Shen Yun was just an ordinary performing arts troupe. I was so surprised today. I was shocked. Shen Yun is better than world class. Some programs were very touching. Every performer was so sincere. They demonstrated the heart of truthfulness and compassion. The stories in the show, for example, the monkey king and Monk Jigong, are well-known folk legends. It is precious that they depicted them through the arts."

"The dance 'Heaven Awaits' made me cry. There was no language. The performers told the story through dancing and their facial expressions. I cried. They [Falun Gong practitioners] are not afraid of tyrannical power and they must have the final victory. It also tells people that we should pay more attention to the groups which are being bullied and persecuted."

Mr. Yang was impressed by the performers' demeanor. "Their smiles were so sincere and made them look like angels from the heaven. Not just one or two performers, all of them were like this. This was something I've never seen in other shows."

Mr. You Shaolan, the chair of Shaolin Hongquan Martial Arts Association was also amazed by the performance. "The show was excellent. Every piece was precious. It manifested our Chinese culture. The performers were professional. I feel lucky to have seen this show, and I will recommended it to my friends."

Mr. You said, "To me, practising martial arts is something physical and superficial. To reach a very high level, one must pay attention to cultivating one's heart. Art is the same. Physical practicing is necessary, but to reach a high level, the performers must cultivate their hearts.

"The stories and the contents of the songs purify people's hearts. It helps people to find their true self. The background scenes were great too. They added to the beauty of the dances."

Mr. You commented on his favorite programmes. "The most impressive program to me was the story of Monk Jigong. People didn't understand him. To save people's lives, he stole the bride and manifested great compassion. It makes us think. The first and last programmes were great too. They make us think about where we are from and where we are headed."