TOKYO, Japan—Ikei Ii, renowned painter from Taiwan, first saw Shen Yun Performing Arts a few years ago. Since then, she has come back every year with a large group of friends. This year, Ms. Ikei came to see Shen Yun with 11 friends, including former minister of the state in Japan, owner of a pharmaceutical company, a master of tea ceremony, and friends in the construction industry and Japanese Go Association.
From the very moment the curtain was raised, one brilliant program after another was presented on stage, and at the end of the performance, the Shen Yun performers were greeted with thunderous applause and given a standing ovation.
Every year, the entire new lineup of programs brings great surprise to Ms. Ikei, who was emotionally touched by the performance. “If it is possible, mankind should be given more and greater gifts. Today, I see this,” she commented.
Ms. Ikei said that she truly loved and cherished Shen Yun, commenting that “[Shen Yun] is God’s most precious gift to mankind. That’s what Shen Yun is. A real treasure.”
Ms. Ikei said that Shen Yun brings to people “immense spirit, immense possibilities, and immense energy.”
Ms. Ikei further described Shen Yun as “a presentation full of creativity and innovative expression that reaches deep within one’s soul. Shen Yun reaches deep within our souls and is full of hope and courage.”
Ikei Ii is a recipient of the Japanese International Culture Medal of Honor, Minister for Foreign Affairs Award, has won a gold medal from the Art Maison Selecting Committee by Museo Nacional Del Prado, and is the painter for voltive tablets (Ema) at Toshogu Shrine, which is part of the “Shrines and Temples of Nikk,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Reporting by Zhang Ben-Zhen and Frank Fang.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Read the Chinese article.
