Shen Yun Performing Arts began its revival of China’s traditional culture in 2006—exactly three decades after the end of Mao Zedong’s efforts to kill off the country’s ancient traditions through his Great Cultural Revolution.
With the mandate of preserving 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, Shen Yun has been hailed as a cultural phenomenon. Through music, dance, and storytelling, the New York-based company has been bringing about a renaissance of Chinese culture and fine arts and bringing it to audiences around the world—except in China, that is.
The years 1966-1976 were hailed by Mao as a cultural revolution as he tried to eradicate all those he believed were going against Marxist-Leninist ideals by becoming too rich, too powerful, or too independent. Ultimately he crushed the spirit of the Chinese people. it would be more appropriate to call that period of time the cultural annihilation.
Writers, artists, scholars, business entrepreneurs, and landowners were arrested, beaten, and paraded through the streets before being banished to remote areas of the country to live out the rest of their lives doing menial labour.
Innumerable historical and religious artifacts, important historical sites, antiques, books, and paintings were destroyed by the organized gangs of youth called the Red Guards. Originally supported by Mao the millions of high school and university students wearing red armbands were removing the “four olds” of Chinese society (old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas). Within a couple of years, Mao outlawed the group when they developed too much power and became difficult to control.
This ten-year period all but devastated the Chinese culture. By 1967, true literature had been replaced by 350 million copies of Mao’s Quotations—the ubiquitous little red book. Artistic performances were laced with propaganda and Chinese Communist Party culture, while the cultural heritage and music that had been passed down for thousands of years was quashed.
The Cultural Revolution also brought China’s education system to a virtual halt. Many of the intellectuals who had been sent to rural areas fled China shortly after the revolution ended. This led to many people being all but illiterate. The situation was made worse by the elimination of teachers, as schools were forced to rely upon students to re-educate the next generation with heavy doses of Party propaganda.
By the end of Mao’s reign, Chinese culture and arts were severely damaged. Many customs such as wearing traditional Chinese wedding dresses, using the traditional Chinese calendar, teaching classical Chinese literature, and writing with traditional calligraphy were frowned on. Even the name Chinese New Year was changed to the “Spring Festival.”
Of course this ten-year episode is not the only damage to China’s traditional culture inflicted by the communist regime. Buddhism and Daoism had already been to a large degree transformed before the Cultural Revolution, and the entire population had been indoctrinated with atheism and materialism.
After the Cultural Revolution other means of wiping out China’s traditional culture and replacing it with Party culture have been used. The Cultural Revolution is just the most extreme example of the regime’s attack on China’s traditional values and way of life.
After watching Shen Yun perform in Ottawa earlier this year, I was reminded of the oft-debated line in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
It seems the truest forms are the most beautiful, and the delicacy and talent of the Shen Yun dancers, singers, and musicians are proof of this as they portray all the refinement and grace that is missing from modern-day China as a result of Mao’s destructive reign and the subsequent communist party policies.
I am thankful that Shen Yun Performing Arts has chosen to bring the beauty and excellence of true Chinese culture to the world. If only the show could play in China and give back to the people all that they have lost.
With the mandate of preserving 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, Shen Yun has been hailed as a cultural phenomenon. Through music, dance, and storytelling, the New York-based company has been bringing about a renaissance of Chinese culture and fine arts and bringing it to audiences around the world—except in China, that is.
The years 1966-1976 were hailed by Mao as a cultural revolution as he tried to eradicate all those he believed were going against Marxist-Leninist ideals by becoming too rich, too powerful, or too independent. Ultimately he crushed the spirit of the Chinese people. it would be more appropriate to call that period of time the cultural annihilation.
Writers, artists, scholars, business entrepreneurs, and landowners were arrested, beaten, and paraded through the streets before being banished to remote areas of the country to live out the rest of their lives doing menial labour.
Innumerable historical and religious artifacts, important historical sites, antiques, books, and paintings were destroyed by the organized gangs of youth called the Red Guards. Originally supported by Mao the millions of high school and university students wearing red armbands were removing the “four olds” of Chinese society (old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas). Within a couple of years, Mao outlawed the group when they developed too much power and became difficult to control.
This ten-year period all but devastated the Chinese culture. By 1967, true literature had been replaced by 350 million copies of Mao’s Quotations—the ubiquitous little red book. Artistic performances were laced with propaganda and Chinese Communist Party culture, while the cultural heritage and music that had been passed down for thousands of years was quashed.
The Cultural Revolution also brought China’s education system to a virtual halt. Many of the intellectuals who had been sent to rural areas fled China shortly after the revolution ended. This led to many people being all but illiterate. The situation was made worse by the elimination of teachers, as schools were forced to rely upon students to re-educate the next generation with heavy doses of Party propaganda.
By the end of Mao’s reign, Chinese culture and arts were severely damaged. Many customs such as wearing traditional Chinese wedding dresses, using the traditional Chinese calendar, teaching classical Chinese literature, and writing with traditional calligraphy were frowned on. Even the name Chinese New Year was changed to the “Spring Festival.”
Of course this ten-year episode is not the only damage to China’s traditional culture inflicted by the communist regime. Buddhism and Daoism had already been to a large degree transformed before the Cultural Revolution, and the entire population had been indoctrinated with atheism and materialism.
After the Cultural Revolution other means of wiping out China’s traditional culture and replacing it with Party culture have been used. The Cultural Revolution is just the most extreme example of the regime’s attack on China’s traditional values and way of life.
After watching Shen Yun perform in Ottawa earlier this year, I was reminded of the oft-debated line in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty—that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
It seems the truest forms are the most beautiful, and the delicacy and talent of the Shen Yun dancers, singers, and musicians are proof of this as they portray all the refinement and grace that is missing from modern-day China as a result of Mao’s destructive reign and the subsequent communist party policies.
I am thankful that Shen Yun Performing Arts has chosen to bring the beauty and excellence of true Chinese culture to the world. If only the show could play in China and give back to the people all that they have lost.
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