The Beginning of Eastern Cultural Revitalization
[PureInsight.org]
After seeing New Tang Dynasty TV's "Holiday Wonders" show at the Beacon
Theater on Broadway last night (12/22), I was filled with emotion. When
I walked out of the theater, I seemed to see a picture-scroll of new
frontier slowly unfolding. Revitalization of Chinese culture begins to
take shape there.
I use revitalization to describe it; based on its form and its inner
meaning. The show not only inherits and enhances the Chinese
traditional culture, but also gives it a new life. Looking from its
influence on future China and world's pattern, its influence far
exceeds the Renaissance in Italy over 600 years ago.
Belief has the most profound influence on human being, but the most
widespread influence comes from culture. When we study the changes in
human history, culture shows the strength of its silent and far
reaching influence.
In mid-15th century, when the Ottoman Turkish Empire destroyed the
Eastern Roman Empire, masses of talented artists escaped to Italy. As
the unification of church and state of the Middle Ages ended, the
glamorous ancient Greek culture swept across Western Europe and
triggered the Renaissance. During this social movement, painting,
sculpture, and music surged.
There are a good deal of similarities between the situation in China
and the Renaissance in the west. The situation with Chinese culture is
that it is actually on the verge of dying. The Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) is a regime of "unification of church and state" based on the
evil Marxist-Leninist doctrine. The regime is based on atheism. The CCP
has not merely monopolized the power of Chinese politics, the economy,
and the military, but, evidently, it has also monopolized the
interpretation of morality. Even under the dictatorial rule of the
Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, God was still above the church. But
the CCP has boasted: "If you were a Christian, the CCP was the god of
the Christian God. If you were a Buddhist, the CCP was the Master
Buddha of the Master Buddha." (From the "Nine Commentaries on the
Communist Party") The unification of church and state under the CCP is
far more extreme. Its suppression of the cultures of Confucianism,
Buddhism and Taoism is even more ruthless and methodical, an all-out
offensive.
The revitalization of Chinese culture faces even greater difficulty
compared to the western culture. It is because Confucianism, Buddhism
and Taoism are so wide-ranging and profound and the abstruse scriptures
are beyond the comprehension of most common people. True cultivators
become the indispensable link to the inheritance of Chinese culture.
The CCP’s abrogation of scriptures and suppression of cultivators
creates a wide gap between contemporary people and traditional Chinese
culture.
Chinese culture seems to be bogged down in a hopeless situation. Its route of retreat is cut off and its prospects uncertain.
It will be hopeless if we just follow culture itself for
revitalization. But NTDTV opens up its own path to solve the problem of
revitalization and to rebuild the culture with belief. The depth and
audacity makes me feel admiration as I look back from the last few
years.
Many programs of the NTDTV "Holiday Wonders" show were directed and
played by Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong embodies the essence of
Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. This derived culture is similar
to the China's ancient culture and even brings forth new ideas. This
new culture has also displayed the essence of the traditional culture.
NTDTV "Holiday Wonders" show mainly praised God. Beginning with "The
Bow of Old," "Celestial Maidens" to "A Dunhuang Dream," which reflected
on Dunhuang art, and from "To the Rightful Seat," which manifested good
is rewarded with good and evil meets evil, to the singing by two
sopranos and a tenor, the show conveyed respect and admiration for God,
pursuing and pondering the true essence of human life. "Serve the
Country Loyally" displayed the most valued faithfulness to one's
country and filial obligations by Chinese people. The Tibetan ethnic
dance, "White Lotus of Snow-Capped Mountain," showed the perfection of
music, costumes and dancing. The "Mongolian Bowl Dance" and the "Ladies
of the Manchurian Court Dance" also reflected the magnificent Chinese
culture. "The Resounding Drums" with the Ming dynasty palace in the
background showed the cheerful occasion from the great Tang dynasty.
The ballet, the instrumental performance by renowned clarinet master
Giora Feidman, and the Empire Brass Quintet, unfolded the essence of
western theatrical art and NTDTV fair-mindedness in absorbing all
outstanding arts.
NTDTV invited Sound of Heaven Symphony Orchestra to accompany on site.
Besides the symphony, which conveyed magnificent style, stringed
plucked instrument and alto fiddle expressed the exquisite inner
sentiments of the players. With the symphony as the foundation in
"Statues," the extensive use of traditional instruments such as bells,
pipa (a lute-like stringed instrument), Andean pipes, tubes, and flute
awakened audiences' memory of ancient history. It gave rise to
resonances in my mind from ages ago.
Even though these programs were short, they aimed at the essence of the
Chinese traditional culture. They reminded me what Sima Qian wrote in Historical Records: A Brief Biography of Qu Yuan:
"Although his article was short and vocabulary simple, his aspiration
was noble and unblemished, and his conduct honest and upright. Even
though his speech was slight, yet it was quite big. His examples
occurred in close proximity, but its inner meaning was profound and
far-reaching." From these little stories, NTDTV elucidated fathomless
rationality; only cultivators were able to comprehend gradually.
From the performances, I have seen an ancient but brand new culture
being developed. Its prospect is magnificent and broad. It cannot be
stopped.
The Chinese Communist Party's Culture, on which the CCP's existence
depends, is melting away by the NTDTV's culture revitalization
movement. It will trigger change in the Chinese way of life and social
patterns and help China sail into a new era through belief, morality
and culture.
Being born in this precarious age gives us the utmost thoughtfulness in
life. We will witness and participate in a transition in history and
facilitate the arrival of a great era. NTDTV's "Holiday Wonders" show
will become the cultural background of this era.
New Tang Dynasty TV's "Holiday Wonders" show opens the road to Chinese
culture revitalization. Just like Renaissance that became the starting
point of Middle Ages towards contemporary society in Europe, the NTDTV
show will be the demarcation and milestone of Chinese culture and will
enter into the history books to let later generations sigh with
emotion, reminisce and imitate in the near future.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2006/12/24/41515.html