HOUSTON, Texas—Fascinated by Chinese culture, Mukesh Singh had a personal reason to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts on Dec. 26.
Mr. Singh—an engineer and former global director of engineering sales and business development for Baker Hughes, which specializes in oil field drilling for the petroleum industry—was at Shen Yun in memory of his wife. His wife was Chinese and passed away a few years ago, and he explained that it was she who encouraged his interest in Chinese culture. He said his wife’s parents “came from mainland China, and they escaped Mao in 1947.” They fled to Hong Kong, and then to the West Indies.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the culture, the beliefs, the religion, and the food [of China],” he said. “I love the dancing. I love the music. And I think the fact that [Shen Yun] represents China before communism goes back to my in-laws,” he said. “So, for me, it is very special. I wish my wife was here.”
Mr. Singh has four boys. “We’re very family-oriented. So I came to see the show and to celebrate my wife and everything that she stood for while she was alive.”
Through classical Chinese dance and music, New York-based Shen Yun is sharing with the world the beauty of China’s 5,000 years of history. Since its founding in 2006, the company has received worldwide accolades.
With shows scheduled in over 200 cities and across five continents, the 2024 touring season is shaping up to be the artists’ busiest one yet.
Mr. Singh saw the performers representing the best of Chinese culture. “I think they represent happiness, liberty, freedom of thought, beauty, good versus evil. They’re extremely happy kids. The dancing is marvelous.”
“And what they represent, I think more than anything else, is how people should live free and happy,” he said, “with the connection with God and the divine, belief in a higher power, and the belief that [people] can be happy when left to be reasonable human beings and not bound by bad political beliefs.”
Mr. Singh said Shen Yun represents the best that humanity offers. “I think the show represents the universality of all people, where people can be happy, and where all peoples can be free, can enjoy themselves, and live together.”
Reporting by Sherry Dong and Yvonne Marcotte.
From The Epoch Times
