'Spectacular' Brings China's Ancient Traditional Values to Finland

Veijo Pekkarinen (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times)

TAMPERE, Finland—On a sunny Sunday afternoon in the city of Tampere, the celebrated Shen Yun Chinese Spectacular excelled in its Finland debut on March 30.

The show played to a captivated audience at Tampere Hall, the largest concert and congress center in Scandinavia and the Nordic region's premier cultural and performanc venue.

The Tampere show was co-hosted by the Association for Chinese Traditional Art (KIPETA) and the Finnish Falun Dafa Association.

At an exclusive VIP reception before the performance, KIPETA Chairman Veijo Pekkarinen, told the invited guests that the Spectacular is unique because it portrays the values the ancients lived by in China's dynastic era.

"In ancient China, virtually everybody thought that the most important goal of man was to live in harmony with the universe," said Pekkarinen.

"The traditional philosophies and belief systems discussed the refinement of moral character. Taoists sought to attain the Tao, and the Buddhists were cultivating Buddhahood. Also the Confucian philosophy emphasized harmony between people, sincerity, propriety, and justice." However, after the arrival of European communism in China fifty years ago, said Pekkarinen, Chinese society lost a large portion of its traditional values, most notably as a result of the Cultural Revolution.

"Nowadays, for many people, Chinese cultural performances are synonymous only with dragon dances, firecrackers, balancing acts, and exhibitions of different martial arts."

But this, he said, does not represent the authentic Chinese culture, which is far more profound.

"The ancient Chinese culture is laden with extensive inner meanings. It is a culture that used to treat spiritual growth and the strengthening of personal morality with utmost importance."

In reviving these traditions, the Spectacular "tells us about inner endeavors, the search for spiritual enlightenment, and noble ethical ambitions. The songs and dances of the performance group reflect the various peoples of this immense land and their genuine roots," he said.

Pekkarinen added that the show also depicts how, in the contemporary China of today, "some people are still courageously trying to protect their own cultural heritage and preserve it for future generations."

The residents of Tampere are known to be arts lovers, with the region boasting 20 active stages in the summer theater season. More than 1,000 people, including many families, came to see the Spectacular's first ever show in Finland.

The Spectacular will play in Tampere for two days, after which the group will return to Stockholm for an encore performance on April 3.

For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org