Retired Investment Banker Recommends Shen Yun

NEW YORK—Some of the audience members at Saturday’s Shen Yun Performing Arts show at Radio City Music Hall discovered a link to their ancestral roots, made more special by the fact that it’s the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Among them was a retired investment banker who used to work for Morgan Stanley, Mr. Jung. His grandparents were from Mainland China. He came to see Shen Yun for the first time at the Saturday night show, Feb. 13, although he had heard about the show a few years ago.

Mr. Jung said it was well worth coming out to see, even recommending that others come see Shen Yun during its run at Radio City Music Hall.

"Spend the money, be entertained,” he said. “It will be a good entertainment, absolutely.”

He enjoyed the performances and the overall show.

“I liked the show very much,” said Mr. Jung. “The music, the dancing was excellent, everything was just great—I loved everything about what I heard and saw just now.”

He added that he particularly enjoyed the music, as it made him feel connected to his ethnic Chinese roots.

“I enjoyed the music immensely, because it reminded me of my father [who] was into musical instruments and it brought back a lot of fond memories,” he said.

Shen Yun's orchestra, which has over 40 members, uses Western classical music as its base, in conjunction with Chinese classical instruments. "Traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu and pipa complement seamlessly the classical Western instruments to create a sound that is both dramatic and new," says Shen Yun's program book.

‘Who we are as human beings’

Small business owner, Manuel Alonso and his wife, were also at Saturday’s show and were impressed by the traditional Chinese elements in the performance.

Mr. Alonso said the portrayal of culture in the show was “very beautiful.”

“It’s very old, and we human beings share the same basic ethics and values that makes us all human, so it resonates with who we are as human beings,” he said.

“I think it’s a combination of trying to go back to traditional Chinese culture, and I admire that a lot.”

With reporting by Can Sun.

Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company opened its first show of the Chinese Lunar New Year at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Saturday, Feb. 13. It will perform at Radio City Music Hall on the weekends of Feb. 13-14 and Feb. 20-21.

  For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org