(Clearwisdom.net) On February 6, the Divine Performing Arts presented the 10^th show of the Chinese New Year Splendor and celebrated New Year's eve with people from all walks of life and different cultural backgrounds. On this particular evening, Mr. Chen Pokong, a well known economist, current affairs commentator, and writer was in the audience. He spoke highly of the show for promoting the bright spirit and kindness of humanity and denouncing the darkness and persecution. He said the show presented traditional Chinese culture through beautiful and splendid performing arts, and portrayed the real, unyielding spirit of the Chinese people.

Mr. Chen Pokong, a well known economist, current affairs commentator, and writer, enjoyed the 2008 Chinese New Year Splendor at Radio City Music Hall (Photographer: Ji Yuan / The Epoch Times)

Chen Pokong holds an MA degree in Economics from Columbia University and an MA from Tongji University in Shanghai and is currently a visiting scholar at Columbia University and a special commentator for Free Asia Radio. Mr. Chen was awarded a "Certificate of Achievement" from the Chan Foundation for Journalism and Culture in the US in 2007 for his in-depth writing and commentaries and his extensive influence overseas.

Promoting brightness and kindness; denouncing the darkness and persecution

Reporter: You have watched the Chinese New Year Splendor every year since 2004, so this was your fifth time. What are your general comments on the show?

Chen Pokong: I would say that the show has always adhered to its main theme, and constantly elevating. It portrays brightness, kindness, and honesty, and denounces darkness and persecution. This theme has never changed. The artistic standards and ways of expression are steadily improving. Their standards are very high.

Although in mainland China there is a Chinese Spring Festival show that bustles with excitement--as if it were splendid--it is, in fact, rather vulgar, commercial, and inferior.

For example, their top actor, Zhao Benshan--when he was performing overseas, he was rated as being vulgar and mean-spirited. From this we can see that, under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the so-called arts and culture in China have deteriorated to a point where they are far behind the mainstream culture of the civilized world. The Divine Performing Arts productions have presented Chinese traditional culture through beautiful and splendid art forms. I think this is most significant.

Past memories were recalled, tears running down my cheeks

Reporter: I noticed that when you were watching the "The Risen Lotus," you found it hard to control your emotions and shed tears. Could you tell me how you felt?

Chen Pokong: I was imprisoned myself, so when I saw the prison scene, I shed tears, because I truly understand the situation. I was imprisoned twice, for a total of five years. When I saw the persecution Falun Gong practitioners suffered, it reminded me of what happened to me in the past. It reminded me of the extreme means of persecution. Such severe and intense persecution, it is hard for ordinary people to imagine, but I can. Falun Gong practitioners have demonstrated such an unyielding spirit that they would rather die than submit. Their spirit is really outstanding.

The suffering of Falun Gong practitioners epitomizes all the suffering in today's China

Reporter: People from all walks of life praise the artistic standards of the show. However, a few people have said that the show, while promoting the Chinese traditional culture, is mixed with a kind of political content by showing the persecution of Falun Gong. What are your views on this?

Chen Pokong: The phenomenon of Falun Gong and the culture of Falun Gong itself is part of Chinese culture, and the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners also epitomizes all the suffering of the Chinese people in today's China. It is a true-to-life portrayal of the situation in China today. The CCP, for the last half century since it came to power, has resorted to every conceivable means to destroy traditional Chinese culture. It can be said that over the last 50 years, Chinese culture has been reduced to nothing.

The so-called Spring Festival show, or other forms of shows, are all of low taste, rather vulgar, even nasty. In such circumstances, anyone who wants to restore the traditional culture and to truly understand and appreciate Chinese traditional culture, should keep far away from what the CCP advocates, and find a new way. The Divine Performing Arts has opened up a way for the world and the Chinese people to understand Chinese traditional culture anew."

The Divine Performing Arts' curtain call in Radio City Music Hall Photo by Dai Bing/ The Epoch Times)

Practitioners' indomitable spirit represents the true integrity of the Chinese people

Reporter: Then, how can people truly understand what Chinese traditional culture is?

Chen Pokong: Well, those who really want to understand Chinese traditional culture can make a comparison. What is the true Chinese culture? What is the Chinese Communist Party culture? When you think about it, it brings you Falun Gong practitioners' efforts. As they promote the traditional culture, they continue to advocate the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" to awaken the Chinese people's conscience and wisdom. They have been making such efforts all along in the course of reviving the social morality that has been destroyed.

I think what Falun Gong practitioners have been doing is part of traditional Chinese culture; the spirit they demonstrate is also the true integrity and the true spirit of the Chinese people. At the same time, Falun Gong represents the best, the most outstanding component of it all.

If China had taken the direction towards "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," China wouldn't have sunk to such moral depravity, and China would have been able to avoid a wide range of tragedies. However, the CCP completely rejected "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" and has taken a totally opposite direction, and carried out a brutal persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. When I came to see the show, I was in a jolly mood, but when I saw the performance about the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, I could not help but shed tears.

I have suffered a lot in the past, but I still could not hold back the tears, and that is because I could feel deeply what they are doing is very difficult and full of hardships. So Falun Gong practitioners' resistance is extremely profound, outstanding, and they represent the spirit and the unyielding integrity of a nation!

Reviving the Chinese national spirit

Furthermore, we can see from the show the tireless endeavors of Falun Gong practitioners in recovering and restoring Chinese national culture, and this has also demonstrated their great effort in revitalizing the Chinese national spirit. While I was moved to tears, I also felt deep admiration and have profound respect for them.

The artistic depiction of the persecution is also a part of art

Reporter: Do you think art should be strictly limited to pure art? Or can it be used to reveal gloominess and persecution?

Chen Pokong: Depicting the persecution in an art form can more deeply and vividly reveal the severity of the persecution and what is truly happening. When we normally talk about the persecution facts directly in the form of political comments or in a commentary, sometimes it sounds like preaching a sermon.

But when the persecution is exposed in the form of art, such as the well designed dance "The Risen Lotus Flower," it uses a very appropriate form to expose the CCP's persecution. Whether it was the clothes worn by the prison guards or the yellow shirts worn by the Falun Gong practitioners and their body language, they all deeply exposed the brutality of the persecution and the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners, as well as the hardships they endured for spreading the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in the human world, even though there are no words spoken.

Audience at the Chinese New Year Splendor (Photo by Ma Youzhi/ The Epoch Times

As a non-practitioner, I hold deep sympathy and respect for Falun Gong practitioners who are suffering such persecution. It's true, I can deeply, deeply understand what they have been suffering and what they are doing. So I think that using an art form to reveal the persecution is part of art, and such artistic expression is just right.

Evil cannot destroy the Chinese essence; the spirit won't die

Reporter: What touched you most today from watching the show?

Chen Pokong: What I feel most is that the CCP has not been able to monopolize anything, just like what it is said in the words of the song: "That which is destroyed is the corrupt regime; that which is restored is civilization and kindness." Although suffering much destruction and ruin, many beautiful things still exist! Sometimes when I come across things that restore Chinese traditional culture, I think that, although the CCP's ability to destroy things is unprecedented, even with such power of destruction, still it cannot make the essence of the Chinese people and the Chinese culture disappear.

The endeavor of Falun Gong practitioners serves as a symbol; such will, such integrity, and such cultural essence and spirit of the Chinese nation will never die; they are immortal. No matter how strong the evil CCP is, it won't be able to destroy these. Also, we can see that this force of justice opposing the CCP is getting more powerful and their voice is getting louder and louder.

Reporter: Today (February 6) is New Year's eve, a most important time for the Chinese people. At the beginning of the Year of Rat, would you like to say something auspicious to our readers?

Chen Pokong: (Laughs) Something auspicious? All right, I would like to wish that you all "In the Year of the Rat, do everything right!" I would like to wish that more and more people will be able to distinguish the true Chinese culture from the vulgar Party culture and vulgar culture in contemporary mainland China, and I wish more and more people will be able to appreciate the efforts of NTDTV, including Falun Gong practitioners, and I wish they will be duly rewarded by society for the painstaking efforts they have taken.