“Now that Shen Yun has finally returned, I felt I had to be among the first to step up and show my support. It also shows that, as Canadians, we cannot be intimidated by the CCP’s influence. We should enjoy freedom, and we should protect the freedom of speech and expression we have today,” said Terence Shen, a Canadian content creator.
“This is actually very shocking. The CCP persecutes Chinese people inside China, and now it has even extended that persecution into a democratic country like Canada. That is very frightening,” said Toronto Big Face, a Canadian content creator. “I think the CCP has actually brought more attention to the situation for me. After the CCP tried to disturb [the performance], I felt I had to come and see what it was really like, and why the CCP would go so far to suppress it.”
“As an overseas Chinese, being able to experience traditional Chinese culture here in Canada, the kind of culture I learned about when I was young, and seeing it presented so beautifully is truly valuable. So I’m very grateful to Shen Yun for bringing such a wonderful performance to North America and to the world,” said Mr. Shen. “When we come together to support Shen Yun, we are also supporting Canada’s freedom and democracy. I think this sends a message to the CCP: its intimidation and threats do not work. Not only do they fail, they may even have the opposite effect, more people may stand up to support Shen Yun.”
“We can see that the CCP has indeed failed. The performance is still going on as normal. As for the CCP’s transnational repression overseas, I believe it has put a lot of effort into it recently, but it has not achieved its goal. I believe that in a democratic country, people can use democratic means to stand up to an authoritarian system,” said Toronto Big Face.
“For the next generation of overseas Chinese to carry on this culture, to say no to the CCP’s threats, to come together, and to show both unity and such a high level of artistry, I think only Shen Yun has been able to do that. I was very moved,” said Mr. Shen.