{"id":170584,"date":"2026-02-09T16:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/170584\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T16:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T16:59:08","slug":"southern-californian-city-councilwoman-says-everyone-must-see-shen-yun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/170584\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Californian City Councilwoman Says \u2018Everyone Must See\u2019 Shen Yun"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONG BEACH, Calif.\u2014On the evening of Feb. 6, \u00a0Shen Yun Performing Arts presented a sold-out performance at the Terrace Theater of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in California. The theater resonated with enthusiastic applause, and several government officials in attendance expressed their appreciation to the Shen Yun<\/a> artists for their outstanding performance.<\/p>\n

Among them was Dorothy Pemberton, a city councilwoman for the City of Downey in Southern California. In addition to her work in local government\u2014where she focuses on public safety and municipal development\u2014Ms. Pemberton is also actively involved in charitable and nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n

After watching Shen Yun, Ms. Pemberton spoke enthusiastically about the experience. \u201cThis performance<\/a> was truly phenomenal\u2014a deeply cultural experience,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone must see this. It was really, really wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although she had heard about Shen Yun for many years, this was the first time Ms. Pemberton decided to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI honestly don\u2019t know why I waited so long,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt a calling to come on my own today, and I\u2019m so glad I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly engaging,\u201d she said. \u201cI loved the live orchestra\u2014the musicians were beautiful. The dancers, the costumes, and the 3D backdrop\u2014even the humor woven into it\u2014it was amazing. I\u2019ve never seen anything like this before.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 3D backdrop<\/a> Ms. Pemberton referred to is Shen Yun\u2019s patented, state-of-the-art animated backdrop technology, which seamlessly interacts with the live performers on stage\u2014an element she found especially captivating.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen many dance performances and symphony concerts,\u201d she said, \u201cbut the 3D backdrop effects here truly blew me away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond its artistic brilliance, Shen Yun\u2019s mission to revive<\/a> traditional Chinese culture resonated deeply with Ms. Pemberton. She said the performance vividly portrayed Chinese history\u2014from ancient times to the present\u2014while conveying a message of hope and positivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show reflects China\u2019s history\u2014what happened in the past and what\u2019s happening today\u2014and it highlights a sense of positivity,\u201d she said. \u201cIt also reflects where we are today and the situations we face. It reminds us to stay positive and always keep goodness and kindness in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Shen Yun\u2019s artistic portrayal of China before communism and the realities faced today, Ms. Pemberton said witnessing these stories on stage had a powerful impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had received some information before, but seeing it firsthand like this is a completely different experience,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n

She explained that the performance helped her better understand both historical suffering and the ongoing effort to restore traditional values.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t very aware of China\u2019s past,\u201d she said. \u201cBut seeing it on stage made me realize how people today are working hard to bring back positivity, the old China, and its traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the ongoing persecution<\/a> of Falun Gong practitioners in China, Ms. Pemberton expressed hope for change.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have to stay strong,\u201d she said. \u201cThey need to come together and raise their voices collectively. I truly believe that they can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Pemberton also praised Shen Yun\u2019s artists for their perseverance<\/a> over the past two decades in preserving and promoting traditional culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey refuse to give in to the communist regime,\u201d she said. \u201cThey want to live according to their traditional culture. Keeping that culture alive, making it viable, and raising awareness\u2014especially among young people\u2014is extremely important, just as we strive to do here in our own country.\u201d<\/p>\n

She concluded by saying she would enthusiastically recommend Shen Yun to her family and friends and expressed her desire to return.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe performance is phenomenal,\u201d she said. \u201cI will definitely be back, and I\u2019ll bring others with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reporting by NTD and Olivia Li.<\/p>\n

NTD is a media sponsor of\u00a0Shen Yun Performing Arts, covering\u00a0audience reactions\u00a0since 2006.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONG BEACH, Calif.\u2014On the evening of Feb. 6, \u00a0Shen Yun Performing Arts presented a sold-out performance at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-170584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-long-beach","9":"tag-long-beach-headlines","10":"tag-long-beach-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}