After Being Detained in Forced Labor Camp for One Year, Mr. Xia Dong and His Wife Are Sentenced to Forced Labor and Held in Detention Centers

By a Clearwisdom correspondent from Chongqing City, China

(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Yan Xiaoyue and her husband Xia Dong from Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, were arrested by officers from the Jiulongpo 610 Office, the Jiulongpo Domestic Security Division, and the Baguocheng Police Station on August 11, and in November 2010, respectively. Their home was ransacked, and the police took away their computer, printer, DVDs, Falun Dafa books, and several thousand yuan in cash.

The couple was sent to forced labor camps for one-year terms. Mr. Xia was detained in the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp, while his wife Ms. Yan was held in the Shimahe Forced Labor Camp. Recently, when their terms had supposedly ended, the couple was transferred from the forced labor camps back to the Huayan Detention Center. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) personnel said that the couple would be sentenced further. It was said that Ms. Yan Xiaoyue had been sentenced to two years in prison and is still being detained in the Huayan Detention Center.

After practicing Falun Gong, Mr. Xia Dong changed his nasty temper and learned to be considerate of others during conflicts. Ms. Yan Xiaojue also changed her unruly temper and became more kindhearted. The illnesses that she suffered from before had disappeared. She talked to people about Falun Gong by using her personal experience as examples.

The couple’s families and friends went to the Baguocheng Police Station in Jiulongpo District to inquire about the couple’s situation. The police told them not to come back again, or the couple’s persecution would get more severe. When their families asked who had arrested them, a police officer claimed responsibility, but refused to disclose his name, telephone number, or police identification number.

The couple’s families and friends said that they would not give up their support of Mr. Xiao Dong and his wife Yan Xiaoyue, and that they would continue to seek justice.

Relevant departments and personnel:
Huayan Detention Center: +86-23-65253395
Yang Qizhong, superintendent
Jiulongpo Police Departments:
Zhong Qingxuan, director
Li Yeming, contact personnel

Chinese version available at 已被劳教迫害一年-夏东夫妇面临非法判刑

China: Failing to Arrest an Outstanding Teacher, Police in Sandong Province Arrest Her Husband Instead

By a Clearwisdom reporter in Shandong Province

Name: Ma Qin (马芹)
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Pingdu, Shandong Province
Occupation: Teacher at Pingdu Development Zone Experimental School
Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 9, 2010
Persecution Suffered: Arrest

(Clearwisdom.net) Seven or eight police officers including Zhao Hongwu, Section leader from Pingdu Police Department in Qingdao City, Shandong Province; Li Zhong, deputy head; and Jiang Hanbin, superintendent of Taishan Road Police Station, broke into a residential house on the morning of November 21, 2010, in an attempt to arrest Ms. Ma Qin, an outstanding teacher. When they discovered that Ms. Ma was not home, they took her husband to the Taishan Road Police Station and locked him up for a day. The officers also confiscated a computer from Ms. Ma’s home, but returned it later.

In the police station, the officers took the mobile phone from Ms. Ma’s husband and locked it in a desk drawer after switching it off to prevent him from contacting the outside. Then they pressured him to tell them where his wife was and asked him if he also practiced Falun Gong. He replied, “I haven’t practiced it yet, but I will one day, because I think they (practitioners) are much better than you are!”

Ma Guochun, head of the Taishan Police Station, went to Beijing to harass Ms. Ma’s younger brother on December 8. Ma Guochun brought all the documents needed to apply for a guarantor pending trial to deceive Ms. Ma’s brother, saying how good obtaining a guarantor pending trial was. Ma Guochun asked him to call Ms. Ma’s husband and persuade him to convince Ms. Ma to return home.

Ms. Ma Qin only practiced Falun Gong for five to six years. All her chronic diseases disappeared without medication after she began to practice. She set the Fa principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance as her standards, worked conscientiously, and willingly bore the burden at work, therefore, she was well respected by her students and highly praised by their parents as the only teacher in the development zone who did not accept gifts.

On August 9, 2010, Yu Deshao, the deputy head of the school, got Ms. Ma Qin to come to the school, where she was arrested by Hou Jiarui, deputy head of the Pingdu Police Department; Zhao Hongwu, section leader; Liu Jie, a hit man; and Liu Yongchang from the Taishan Road Police Station. However, Ms. Ma Qin escaped that evening. The Pingdu Police Department, Pingdu 610 Office, and the Taishan Police Station dispatched a large number of officers to search for her. They even issued an arrest warrant on the Internet.

Her Family Harassed

Not long after Ms. Ma Qin escaped, Zhao Hongwu from the Pingdu Police Department; Li Zhong, deputy head of the Taishan Police Station; and Yu Deshao, deputy head of the Development Zone Experimental School, went to Ms. Ma’s home to harass her mother.

Zhao Hongwu said to Ms. Ma’s mother, “Actually, we only want Ma Qin to go to a study session. We will not beat or verbally abuse her. The food and accommodations there are just like here. I guarantee nothing will happen to her.” After learning that their evil deeds were exposed on the Clearwisdom website, Zhao Hongwu was utterly frustrated and asked Ms. Ma’s husband who had sent the information to the website and who else did he inform. Ms. Ma’s husband said he had informed all his relatives and friends. Zhao Hongwu flew into rage and swore at him.

Since late June 2011, Taishan Road Police Station officers have regularly harassed Ms. Ma’s family, which has harmed them greatly, especially Ms. Ma’s husband. He has not only suffered from loneliness due to his wife absence, but also from the harassment and threats. He was getting thinner with each passing day. Zhao Hongwu showed no concern for him and just laughed, saying, “Look how thin you are getting now!”

In order to catch Ms. Ma Qin, Ma Guochun convinced Ms. Ma’s family to try to persuade Ms. Ma to “surrender to the police” so that she would be “released on bail pending trial.” He also deceived Ms. Ma Qin’s cousin, Ma Shurong; two nephews, Ma Haoyuan and Ma Zhongyuan; as well as her best friend and colleague, Liu Ping into trying to persuade Ms. Ma Qin to return home.

Over the past year, officers from the Taishan Road Police Station went to harass Ms. Ma’s family many times. They sent two officers at around 4 p.m. on July 4, 2011. They went to where Ms. Ma’s husband worked. When they found out that he was not there, they asked the merchants nearby about him. They asked if Ms. Ma’s husband still worked there and what he did. When Ms. Ma’s parents-in-laws were home, they went to harass the old couple who berated the officers, saying “What is wrong with Ms. Ma Qin following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance? Why do you want to persecute her?”

Officer Jiang from the Taishan Police Station and Liu Yongchang, the officer who watched Ms. Ma Qin in the detention center, went to Ms. Ma’s husband’s workplace on the morning of August 12 but he was not there. They asked his colleagues to give him a message that he should go to the police station to go through the formalities of getting a releasr on bail pending trial. They also said that if Ms. Ma’s husband signed the document, they would delete the arrest warrant for Ms. Ma Qin on the Internet. The “release on bail pending trial” was only a trick. Ms. Ma’s husband did not go the station. A few days later, Officer Jiang phoned Ms. Ma’s husband and told him to come to the station to discuss his wife’s situation. Ms. Ma’s husband said, “You have already arrested her. Why bother to talk about it anymore! ”

Liu Jie from the Pingdu 610 Office tried very hard to convince Ms. Ma Qin’s husband to divorce her. Liu Jie said, “You only need to agree to get a divorce and I will help you.” “You write a divorce statement and I will help you to get it published in the newspaper.” Ms. Ma’s husband did not listen to him. Then Liu Jie said, “When she comes home, you ask her to write aguarantee statement promising not to practice Falun Gong anymore.” Ms. Ma’s husband said, “I do not have the ability to do that.” Staff from the Pingdu 610 Office once said, “If Ma Qin hadn’t run away, she would have already been sentenced to at least eight to ten years of imprisonment.”

Learning the Truth about the Tienanmen Square Self-Immolation Leads Her to Practice Falun Gong

In the spring of 2004 when Ms. Ma Qin returned home one day, she found a black plastic bag on the milk bottle box near the door. When she opened it, she found a DVD with the words “The Fake Tienanmen Square Self-Immolation” and the “April 25^th Peaceful Appeal.” Out of curiosity she began to watch the DVD as soon as she got in. After it was over, she was very angry, because she had believed the program broadcast by the CCTV and had been hostile toward Falun Gong because of the self-immolation. Now, after watching the analysis by experts, she realized that the self-immolation was fake.

After that she would take whatever Falun Gong materials she came across and read them at home. Eventually she realized that Falun Gong was not like what the media had said. Falun Gong taught people to be good. After learning the truth about Falun Gong, she began to practice it with a mentality of giving it a go and also hoped that it would cure her diseases. Very quickly her illnesses were healed and she became fit happened.

Ms. Ma Qin once said to the officer who questioned her at the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, “At the time I began to remember things (maybe I was about 4 years old), I suffered from a very serious form of psoriasis. You could not find any healthy skin from my head to my feet or from the backs of my hand to the soles of my feet. My joints were the worst, and I often had big cuts that oozed blood, which dried to my clothes, and in the evening when I wanted to get undressed to sleep, it was extremely painful. I began to search for a cure at a very young age.

“I remember at one stage, almost all my hair came out as a result of the medication I was taking. Whenever I washed my hair, it came out in handfuls. I cried as I washed my hair. I also suffered from severe mouth ulcers, and even drinking water would cause a lot of pain. I could endure the physical pain, but the discrimination from my classmates almost devastated me. As a result, I never wore short-sleeved shirts after I started high school. I always wore long-sleeved shirts and long trousers and wrapped up my body and soul tightly so that no one who could potentially hurt me would see my skin.”

Ms. Ma Qin said, “I got married, and my husband was very kind to me. He not only did not distain me, but actively helped me to find a cure. We traveled to almost half of the country and spent all our savings (about 300,000 yuan). Every treatment would begin with new hope but ended in disappointment. Sometimes my psoriasis would get better for one or two months, but the cost to my health was very high. I suffered from nervous headache, cervical deformation, ulcers, elevated aminotransferases, arthritis, a frozen shoulder, a variety of gynecological diseases, and so on. I felt uncomfortable all over my body, so my heart was heavy all the time .”

In 2004, after Ms. Ma Qin had practiced Falun Gong for only four or five days, a tumor on her right leg that had made her suffer for a very long time disappeared. She felt disease-free two months after she started practicing. She had a healthy complexion, and her skin became fine and smooth. In the summer of the following year she finally wore the short-sleeved shirts she dreamed of wearing. Ms. Ma said that, more importantly, she learned the reason for her diseases after reading Teacher Li Hongzhi’s works and also understood the real meaning of life. She gained a new life both physically and mentally. She said to her family, “The last few years after I learned Falun Dafa have been the happiest years of my life.”

Now, Ms. Ma cannot return to her own home, because she refuses to give up the practice which has benefitted her so much both physically and mentally. She has been forced to live away home for more than one year now.

Those involved in persecuting Ms. Ma:

Taishan Road Police Station, Pingdu City, Shandong Province: 86-532-88382979, 88380110

Ma Guochun, head of the Taishan Police Station: 86-13906482705

Li Zhong, deputy head of the Taishan Police Station: 86-13606395700

Pingdu Police Department:

Jing Huiping, head of the Pingdu Police Department: 86-13305320626

Hou Jiarui, deputy head: 86-13806395105, 86-532-80818678, 86-532-87367131

Du Linde, deputy head: 86-532-88330586 (Office), 86-532-87367628 (Home)

Li Shiming, Political commissar: 86-532-88318380, 86-532-88316208(Home)

Zhao Hongwu, section leader: 86-13105170998, 86-532-87339058 (Home)

Liu Jie, hit man: 86-15866870870

Chinese version available at 山东恶警绑架优秀教师未遂-劫持其丈夫

FDIC: Chinese Regime Continues To Call the Shots in Manhattan’s Chinatown

Press statement from the Falun Dafa Information Center27 Jan 2012

NEW YORK — The will of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to exert itself in Manhattan’s Chinatown, increasing the fear many in the community have of the Chinese regime, while also raising troubling questions as to how a foreign communist power can dictate community events on American soil.

Representatives of the local Falun Gong association say their application to participate in Chinatown’s Chinese New Year parade—the biggest community event of the year—has been rejected by the parade organizers, and pressure from the Chinese consulate is behind it.

“The Chinese consulate is exerting influence in Chinatown to suppress and marginalize Falun Gong here in New York City,” says Falun Dafa Information Center executive director Levi Browde. “This is a known fact backed up by a wide range of sources, including high-level Chinese officials who have defected to the West and revealed the extent to which Chinese consular officials do this worldwide.”

“What really concerns us, however, is what this means for the greater New York community. By allowing the consulate to implement its oppressive agenda here, it sends a clear message to every Chinese person that they are not safe, even here in America. And of course, it’s an assault on American freedom and values more broadly.”

Browde added, “I think we all need to ask ourselves what it means to have a foreign communist regime directing events here in our backyard.”

The Chinatown parade’s organizers, the Better Chinatown Society in cooperation with the Fukien Association of America, have indicated that the reason for the denial primarily centers around “security” concerns—apparently referring to potential harm that could come to parade participants because of hostile groups lashing out at Falun Gong participants.

Representatives of the Falun Gong association say, however, that they have participated in many parades in Manhattan’s Chinatown—once or twice a year—without incident. Moreover, to deny freedom of expression to victims of potential harassment is hardly the way to address any such threats.

In fact, Falun Gong has always been a peaceful and integral part of the Chinese community. The only “conflict” arose when, beginning in July 1999, the Chinese regime launched a violent campaign to stamp out the practice in China. Today, Falun Gong practitioners constitute the largest group of prisoners of conscience in China. Thousands have been tortured to death, and tens of millions of Chinese citizens who practice Falun Gong live each day under threat of arbitrary detention, wrongful imprisonment, torture or death.

As part of this campaign, Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide work to marginalize and silence Falun Gong overseas. Testifying before Congress on July 21, 2005, former Chinese consul for political affairs from Sydney, Australia, Mr. Chen Yonglin, revealed that every Chinese embassy and consulate around the globe is required to have at least one officer in charge of spying on and suppressing Falun Gong in their respective host countries.

Falun Gong represents the very essence of Chinese culture, embracing traditional ideals that are thousands of years old. Part of that rich heritage has, over the centuries, yielded some of the world’s most profound disciplines and philosophies, including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The Communist regime that currently rules China was an import from the West and one that maintains power through violence and suppression.

It is, therefore, sad and unfortunate that on a day meant to celebrate traditional Chinese culture, it is the influence of the Chinese Communist Party that will be on display in New York City’s Chinatown, while those who represent wholesome, authentic Chinese culture have been pushed aside.

What is perhaps most disconcerting are the ramifications for the people who live and work in Chinatown.

Today, it is a parade, but tomorrow, what other aspects of their lives will be encroached upon and manipulated by a totalitarian regime halfway around the world? No one in America should accept living under such a shadow.

For interviews regarding parade rejection or other Chinese Communist Party interference on U.S. soil, please contact:
Dr. Wenyi Wang: 917-776-3821; Levi Browde: 845-418-4870

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER
Contacts: Gail Rachlin (+1 917-757-9780), Levi Browde (+1 845-418-4870), Erping Zhang (+1 646-533-6147), or Joel Chipkar (+1 416-731-6000)
Fax: 646-792-3916 Email: contact@faluninfo.net, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/

Shen Yun: A Heavenly Experience for Mississauga, Canada, Audience Members (Photos)

(Clearwisdon.net) Shen Yun’s five-show run at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Canada, from January 19-22 evoked thunderous applause and lavish praise from audience members.

Shen Yun’s five-show run at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Canada from January 19-22

Diplomat discovers China’s heart in Shen Yun

Mr. Phillips, a diplomat stationed in Canada from a Caribbean country, said Shen Yun opened his eyes to China’s ethnic diversity and true spiritual heritage.

Mr. Phillips, a diplomat posted to Canada from a Caribbean country, said that Shen Yun was “beautiful.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gives a completely different picture of China and the rich culture that this nation possesses. And what is also interesting is the spiritual overtones that comes through with each performance; very rich, very powerful, very interesting,” he said.

“I see a strong belief in God, in the creator, and in the fact that he is really in charge of whatever is happening and he determines the end. He’s in charge of the last events, and deliverance will come for mankind.”

He continued, “It tells me, therefore, that the Chinese have had a strong heritage of belief in a divine being who is creator and also the controller of the universe.

“I will recommend this performance to anyone. It gives a better understanding of Chinese culture and of the Chinese nation as a whole. … It’s really unfortunate that these performances cannot be performed in China.”

While the forms of Chinese dance are being staged in China, the connotations originally invoked by this art form are absent, notes Shen Yun’s website.

“Today, on the surface, the Chinese Communist Party claims to be reviving traditional Chinese culture. But no matter how its efforts are framed, they are ineffectual. For the Chinese Communist Party removes the cultural essence of respect for the divine, thereby extracting the heart and soul of traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun seeks to revive these virtues the world over,” it reads.

For Mr. Phillips, Shen Yun was not only an introduction to true Chinese culture, but also a reminder of the deeper meaning of life.

“In spite of what the world is going through at this time, which seems to be economic gloom and natural calamities, there is hope because God is in charge, which gives you courage to face the future knowing that the future is not left to man’s imaginations or man’s doings, but to the workings of a divine being.”

China’s diverse ethnicities

Mr. Phillips commented on the different Chinese ethnicities presented in the show, saying that they were an eye-opening and memorable experience for him.

“Sometimes one gets the impression that all China is one, but there are different groups that possess their own unique culture, which contributes to the rich nature of the country.

“I will recommend this show for anyone who wants to understand Chinese culture better—the wide diversity and the hugeness of this nation.”

Beyond the subject of the dances, he was also impressed with the caliber of the performance.
“I think it was excellent. I’m certainly impressed, as I said, with the discipline, the professionalism, and the kind of perfection that goes into it. I’m impressed and I enjoyed it,” he said.

“The orchestra was wonderful. I think the music and the performances were just in perfect harmony. And the variety of instruments, you know it was just impressive that everything was so harmonized.

“The costumes were very colorful. Quite a lot of thought, imagination, and creativity, went into the production of those costumes. There was a costume for just about every performance which I think was quite impressive and it must have demanded quite a lot of creativity to do that,” noted Mr. Phillips.

“The show is great, it is a wonderful performance. It really demonstrates great discipline and everything was performed with grace.”

Actress and ballerina: Shen Yun is an ‘amazing experience’

Actress and ballet dancer Brittany Bristow (left); her father, Leif (right); and mother, writer Agnes Bristow (center), attended the Shen Yun Performing Arts on Sunday Jan. 22.

Actress and classically trained ballet dancer Brittany Bristow attended the Shen Yun show to get a deeper appreciation for the artists’ talent, and for the challenging techniques in classical Chinese dance.

“I just appreciate it so much because I know how much precision it takes, how much practice, and just how difficult it is. I’m a classically trained ballet dancer, but I can’t imagine studying [classical] Chinese dance. It’s remarkable,” she said.

‘They’re just phenomenal dancers’

“There’s a beautiful power to the men and women in the troupe. They’re just phenomenal dancers.”

Ms. Bristow, who sees the show every year, attended Shen Yun with her father, Leif, and mother, screenwriter Agnes Bristow. She said it’s obvious the Shen Yun performers have a deep passion and commitment to their craft.

“I was lucky this time. I got to sit very close and you feel how much those dancers love what they do, and how much they love sharing their story,” she said.

“It’s just beautiful to watch, they’re so passionate and expressive.”

Ms. Bristow chose to see the show for a second time because of the diversity of ideas and themes presented through the dances and costuming.

“I think a lot of why it’s so enjoyable is how colorful it is. There’s so many different types of dance within it. There’s the happier dances and the sad, and the dances explaining some of Chinese history and the fairytales,” she said.

“I love the costuming, I think it’s absolutely stunning. The colors are brilliant. It’s not very often that you get to see such extravagant costuming in a performance and it’s beautiful. I loved all of them.”

One dance that stood out for her was a dance called “Snowflakes Welcoming Spring.”

In this folk dance, the performers use sequined handkerchief “snowflakes” as continuously-twirling props to capture the mood of a season’s transition.

“I loved the snowflakes—that was a beautiful, beautiful piece. I loved the handwork and the intricate handwork of the snowflakes themselves. I was sort of captivated trying to figure out how they were doing everything. That was beautiful.”

“Its an amazing experience and a beautiful display of artwork. It was a wonderful gift,” she concluded.

Soprano ‘blown away from the moment the curtain rose’

After seeing the acclaimed classical Chinese dance and music production on Friday night at the Living Arts Centre, soprano and vocal teacher Adria McCulloch was deeply moved.

When soprano and vocal teacher Adria McCulloch was given a ticket by one of her students to see the Shen Yun Performing show, she had no idea what to expect.

But after seeing the acclaimed classical Chinese dance and music production, she was deeply moved.

“Absolutely loved it,” said Ms. McCulloch.

“I was just blown away from the moment the curtain rose. The costumes are just breathtaking, the dancing is just phenomenal, and the singing and the music was just so beautiful, and it was really, really emotionally moving.”

Ms. McCulloch teaches in Toronto, holds a Master of Music degree, and has performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Regina Philharmonic Chorus, and Cowtown Opera. After hearing the vocal soloists of Shen Yun, Ms. McCulloch had a burst of warm praise to give.

‘They use incredible technique, that’s opera’

“They use incredible technique, that’s opera, it’s a really authentic vibration that comes from the core, and they obviously believed in what they were singing, and their connection to the text was especially powerful and moving and just really created a lovely overall shape. It was beautiful,” she said.

The singers perform original compositions in the Chinese Mandarin language using the bel canto operatic singing technique, grasping its highly difficult technical requirements while retaining the proper Chinese articulation and diction.

Although the lyrics are displayed in Chinese with English translation on the backdrop, she said that was not important for her.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even watching the lyrics, because I didn’t need to, because they emote so well with their vocal color and their performance … To be honest, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them, so I didn’t need to look at the translation.”

She said she believes she understood the songs even without knowing the language.

“I think they were trying to emote a beauty from within—a beauty and a truth—and that it comes from a divine light.”

In its spiritual core, Chinese culture embraces the values of benevolence, honor, propriety, wisdom, sincerity, and a deep reverence for the gods and the heavens, something that strongly resonated with Ms. McCulloch.

“I think it’s really important to have that connection, and I think that music and the fine arts especially are sort of the highest form of praise for that type of emotion, for that type of feeling,” she said.

She added, “In saying that fine art is the highest art form for praising that type of feeling, I believe that the voice is the direct link to the emotional center and their authenticity in performing with their voices, I was just blown away. It was beautiful.”
Ms. McCulloch was also fascinated by the Shen Yun Orchestra, a unique fusion with a Western philharmonic orchestra.

“They’re incredible. They’re just incredible,” she said of the musicians. “It was really beautiful. I loved hearing the unison strings, the European strings, and then I loved the color that the traditional Chinese instruments added to that. They blend, yet they don’t blend, but it’s really interesting!”

Exciting energy of the colors

Commenting on the costumes of the dancers, Ms. McCulloch expressed how impressed she was by the brilliant colors and designs.

“I think [the colors] really added to the drama on stage because it was almost very jovial … It was really fun. It was really exciting energy that it brought,” she said.

“The colors were incredible,” she added. “A few times there I thought my retinas were going to explode in my head, and the color choices were just so tasteful and interesting. They were beautiful.”

She also took special notice of the “water sleeves” used in classical Chinese dance and “how [the dancers] incorporated their costumes into the dance moves, like an extension of their arms.”

The sleeves linger in the air after a movement is finished, producing a trailing-ripples or fluttering-wings effect.

It was Ms. McCulloch’s first time seeing classical Chinese dance, and its rich expressive power stood out for her, especially the lovely postures and hand gestures of the dancers.
“It’s beautiful. I watched their hands … their hands are just so beautiful and I can see that there were different postures that they were using, and I saw them repeated throughout,” she said. “I’m really excited to learn more about that, specifically what their positions mean. It was just so fluid.”

Authentic stories

A hallmark of Shen Yun is its mini-drama pieces inspired by stories and legends that span Chinese history from the Yellow Emperor through the Tang and Song dynasties up to the modern day.
Some of the story-based dances tell of the persecution of the practitioners of the Falun Dafa spiritual faith by the communist regime in contemporary China.

Those were the pieces that spoke to Ms. McCulloch the most.

“Overall, the pieces that I enjoyed the most were the pieces of religious persecution. I thought that they were particularly authentic and really tragic and moving and I just, I can’t believe it … I really will take that away with me,” she said.

‘Spectacular, breathtaking, just beautiful, pure magic’

She said the dancers and other performers showed conviction and shared something everyone could identify with in their hopes to an end to spiritual suppression.

“It’s really important for everyone to come together and identify that and witness that and talk about it, and express that, and try to change that,” she said.

“Spectacular, breathtaking, just beautiful, pure magic,” said Ms. McCulloch.

Writer: ‘I always enjoy traditional Chinese culture’

Also in the audience was writer Agnes Bristow, a big fan of traditional culture.

“I thought the costumes were phenomenal,” she said.

“I thought the pacing of it was very good. I love the choreography, it has such a nice, gentle flow to everything, and I like the graphics,” Mrs. Bristow said after the performance.
“I think it’s very professional,” added Mrs. Bristow, who has seen Shen Yun several times and attended Sunday’s performance with her husband, Leif Bristow, a film producer and director, and their daughter, Brittany, an actress and dancer.

“I always enjoy the traditional Chinese culture. It’s really nice—it’s really refreshing to see that. I always, always enjoy it, and this year, actually, many family members came out to see it as well and they really enjoyed it.”

Mrs. Bristow co-wrote Blizzard, a 2003 movie starring Christopher Plummer, Whoopi Goldberg, and her daughter, Brittany.

She was particularly impressed by Shen Yun’s unique animated backdrops that often act as an extension of the pieces being played out on stage.

“I think it really adds so much character to the show, because you get more of a fuller picture of what’s going on.

“With the characters in the background and the way it transforms, like with the Monkey King you’ve got the mountain and the stone, and it just progressively comes, reaching out to the audience, and by the time it gets to the stage you see the real-life character emerge from that and I thought that was quite brilliantly done,” she said.

Shen Yun endeavors to renew the ancient Chinese heritage through dance and music that is true to the culture’s deep spiritual essence with its values of compassion, propriety, wisdom, honor, and reverence for the gods and the heavens.

“I always find it fascinating, the whole concept of good and evil and the contradictions between those two forces, and I think the show depicts the good triumphing over the evil forces that compromise us and interfere with our ability to have happiness in our lives,” said Mrs. Bristow.

“I think that certainly is the message I get from the show, that if you have purity in your heart and your spirit and in the way you conduct life, that you will triumph in the end. That’s what I get from it and I think that’s a good message.”

She concluded, “I think it’s wonderful, really enjoyed it, so I’m really glad we came.”

Chinese supermarket owner: ‘The most exhilarating performance ever!’

Mr. Lin, a large supermarket owner, attended the show with his wife.

“From the beginning to the end of this performance, I felt inspired and perfectly at peace. I’ve watched many movies and TV shows in my life, but none can compare to what I saw today” he enthused.

“This show is like a breath of fresh air, I’m really excited.

“The dancing was like a crystal, clear spring water, making me feel thoroughly refreshed; the music, it was as if I was listening to it in a heavenly palace; the backdrop was even more natural than watching three-dimensional movies, the scenery and landscape were very real; and the historical stories, it seems like I’ve known them before, but today is the first time that I understand their inner meaning.”

“China’s 5,000 years of traditional culture is worthwhile for us to pass on, carry on, and promote. I’m proud to be Chinese!”

Chinese version available at 神韵再临加拿大密市-五场爆满-一票难求-图

Falun Dafa Gave Me a New Life

Dictated by a practitioner form Shandong Province

(Clearwisdom.net) I will never forget September 16, 2008, the day I began practicing Falun Dafa. I was very happy. Dafa gave me a new life.

Before I began practicing, I had pain in my cervical vertebra. My lumbar vertebra disc was dislocated, causing severe pain and putting pressure on my legs. The pain in my back and legs was unbearable. My husband took me to many hospitals for treatment, but it didn’t help and the pain only got worse. He took me to the city hospital for a stretching treatment to reset the dislocated disc. The treatment made it even more difficult for me to walk. I stayed in the hospital for over a month. We ran out of money and I had to return home.

My husband took me everywhere to find doctors and get medicine. We went to see traditional Chinese doctors after Western medicine didn’t work. My stomach became inflamed after taking so much medicine. My mouth was dry and I was thirsty all night.

I was paralyzed in bed, unable to work, and couldn’t manage on my own. My husband could only watch me suffer and spend all of our money on my medical treatments. He was so worried that he considered taking his own life. My three daughters were also worried and feared losing their father. My eldest daughter bought a quantum pendant for over 200 yuan that claimed to reduce the pain in the cervical vertebra. The pain abated some, but it was difficult to endure in the rest of my body.

A Falun Gong practitioner came to my home one day and told me the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution. She introduced the practice to me. Because they had been deceived by the lies and propaganda spread on TV by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), my husband and daughters didn’t want me to practice. They feared that the CCP would persecute me, and my daughters were worried that they would be unable to find husbands. They objected to my practicing until all three were married.

On the evening of September 16, 2008, I studied the Fa and practiced the exercises for the first time with the Falun Gong practitioner who had come to my home. Master purified my body right away. I spit up white saliva and felt all of my illnesses disappearing. The next morning, my quantum pendant fell off and broke. I realized that I no longer needed to wear, it because my illnesses were cured. By the very next day, my whole body felt light and I had boundless energy. I went from being paralyzed in bed to being able to do any kind of work or activity. After a day’s work, I didn’t feel tired. I felt as if Master was encouraging me.

Dafa is really miraculous. My family became happy and harmonious. Tears of gratitude flowed down my cheeks. Dafa gave me a new life. There is no way to express the gratitude that I feel towards Master. Master saved me. I diligently study the Fa and practice the exercises every day.

One time, I was riding my bike to my sister’s home when I came across a ditch, over a meter deep, that was blocking my path. If I took a different route, it would have been much further. I was wondering what to do, when I suddenly thought of Master. Didn’t I have Master? So why didn’t I ask Master for help? I pressed my hands together in the Heshi position in front of my chest and said, “Master, please help me get over this ditch.” I was just about to push the bike into the ditch when all of a sudden I sensed that there was someone behind me, and, without warning, my bike was picked up and carried it over the ditch. I was unable to stop the tears that flowed down my cheeks.

Another time, I needed to load bags of wheat onto a tractor. The sacks were really heavy, over 130 pounds each, and I couldn’t pick them up. I put my hands in the Heshi position and said, “Master, please help me to lift up the sack.” As soon as I touched the sack, I felt as if someone was helping me to lift it up. Dafa is really miraculous. There are no words to express how happy I feel. I feel as if Master is always by my side.

One day in the fall of 2011, I woke up and my body felt very light. I floated up into the air. I quickly sat down, but as soon as I stood up, I started to float up again. I felt so light, as if I didn’t weigh anything. I kept floating up and down all day long. There are no words to express how excited I felt.

I will energetically practice cultivation and diligently do the 法轮大法让我获新生