(Minghui.org) In response to some media articles that attempt to discredit Shen Yun, several practitioners in Japan shared their experiences while volunteering.
Ms. Ogura has attended Shen Yun since 2007, and said the performances give her a warm and wonderful feeling. To help more people benefit like she has, she began volunteering for Shen Yun this season.
“Every time I watch Shen Yun, I’m always impressed by the superb performances. They are amazing, and the dancers’ kindness, sincerity, and heart for others are so natural and genuine. When I watch them, my heart feels lightened,” she explained. “I feel Shen Yun is my source of health and happiness,” she remarked.
For generations Japanese people passed down the belief: “Good is rewarded.” By doing good deeds and interacting others with kindness, one naturally does not have bad thoughts. “By watching Shen Yun, one can regain kindness and the pure heart that’s lost in our busy lives,” Ms. Ogura explained.
She tries to share this feeling with others, “When I answer the Shen Yun ticket hotline, I’m always considerate and polite, so that people have a good experience while buying Shen Yun tickets,” she said.
One practitioner said she writes articles about Falun Dafa-related events. Even though the interviewees say Falun Dafa is good, they usually don’t elaborate. She noticed many audience members have deeper understandings after watching Shen Yun.
“Every part of this performance was as near to perfect as a human being can imagine,” said Atlanta City Council member Michael Julian Bond after watching a Shen Yun performance in December 2024. “It was a very, very, very tremendous experience.
“I am just personally moved. I believe that it’s an expression physically through the choreography, physically through the performance of the music, physically through the demonstration and performance as a voice, trying to demonstrate and ascend beyond the regular human experience,” the councilman added.
“It was just powerful, about the transformation of someone who had participated in a tragedy and then was able to have themselves uplifted out of that ... and then turn the life around and to aspire to something greater,” he continued.
When she read this report the practitioner felt the council member was deeply touched by the performances and understood Shen Yun’s mission. She said this motivates her and the other Shen Yun volunteers to do better.
The persecution of Falun Dafa in China is a serious human and religious rights violation. This is part of the systematic destruction of mankind’s traditional culture by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Min, a Chinese practitioner in Japan, said Japanese culture has deep ties to ancient Chinese culture. For example, Chinese characters and poems are taught in school. Some Japanese like to read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and that China is where the Confucian teachings of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust originated. But when they visit China or observe Chinese tourists’ behaviors they see a different situation and wonder why.
Min tells people that China’s traditional culture was ruined by the CCP. In its place the regime instilled communist ideology in people’s minds and sometimes incites hatred against Japanese and other countries to shift domestic pressure.
Min said this is why she invites Japanese people to watch Shen Yun—to see a glimpse of genuine, traditional Chinese culture. After watching the show, many people say they are deeply touched. They wrote to Min and other volunteers to thank them, and many said they plan to see Shen Yun again.
One renowned sanxian (a three-stringed traditional Chinese lute) player likes Chinese history and culture very much. Before she visited China, she bought a book about it. “When she returned she said she was disappointed by what she saw—it was as if the country had been shattered,” Min recalled.
On Min’s recommendation, the musician bought a premium priced Shen Yun ticket. After she saw the show, the woman said, “The value of this show is much higher than the ticket price. Our music group gives stage performances every year and I also attend many performances. I know the difficulty involved in putting on a stage performance. With such a high artistic level, this ticket price is not very high! I can tell Shen Yun’s purpose is not making money. Right?”
Min agreed and explained, “I think Shen Yun’s mission is reviving traditional culture, so that mankind does not lose these values.” The musician was moved to tears as she nodded her head in agreement.
Another volunteer said, “As a Chinese, I am honored to be involved in Shen Yun because these performances remind us of who we are and bring us hope. That’s why I strive to do my best.”