Chinese Descendant Greatly Inspired by Shen Yun

FRANKFURT, Germany—Ms. Lai, an accountant at a well-known global firm based in Frankfurt, was so impressed with Shen Yun Performing Arts in 2010 that she bought tickets for this year's show for herself and her companion Mr. Dreier, a software designer. Ms. Lai said she had emigrated from Taiwan to Germany 19 years ago.

The Shen Yun performance at Frankfurt's Jahrhunderthalle included a live orchestra, which combines Eastern and Western instruments, eliciting a tone most pleasant to the ears.

"It was a wonderful show. The music is impressive. But what impresses me the most is that [Shen Yun] combined Chinese traditional instruments with Western instruments. It was very harmonious," Ms. Lai said.

The colorful, handmade costumes were also appealing to Ms. Lai.

"For me the costumes were amazing. … At the same time there is harmony between the Western and Chinese influence."

Touching on the scenes from modern-day China that depict life under China's authoritarian regime, where freedom of expression and belief is violently suppressed, she said, "[Shen Yun] is bringing peacefully to the world the unfair treatment of people by the communists in China. Actually this is part of the Chinese harmonious way of life. You don't want to walk into danger, and thus you bring this matter to the public very tastefully. This has inspired me greatly."

Reporting by Florian Godovits and Heide B. Malhotra.

The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org