Four months have now passed since Chinese National Security forces arrested erhu artist Mei Xuan’s husband in what is regarded as an attempt to interfere with Shen Yun Performing Arts. Between performances, Mei Xuan shared about her hushand’s current situation.

Mei Xuan’s virtuosity hailed in Europe

Many audiences have enjoyed the superb artistry of Mei Xuan and her Chinese violin (erhu) in the 58 performances Shen Yun gave in Europe this year.

Antonio Giulio Priolo is a composer from Rome. He was impressed by the erhu and enthusiastically commented: "It is very nice. Maybe it is connected in some way to the sound of a violin. It is amazing that just two strings can be so loud and full of emotion with different kinds of dynamics and musical phrases: Very nice. The first time I heard it on stage, I was very impressed by the artist."

Mei Xuan and her erhu have been praised at almost every performance. It seems audiences in Europe are especially attracted to the soft and sorrowful tone of the erhu, an instrument passed down from ancient times in which may have been deposited the joys, vicissitudes of life, and sadness of Chinese people over thousands of years.

There is the sorrow that comes from Mei Xuan’s heart as well. Before touring Europe, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secret services arrested her husband at the Shanghai airport when he was on his way to see her in the United States.

They have been married for 10 years but only have spent a few months together because of Mei Xuan’s belief in Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that is outlawed in China. Her story has been reported by the media in Europe, including the Dutch-based Het Parool, Belgium’s largest newspaper, De Standaard, as well as in other German media.

World renowned harp virtuoso Maria Bildea exclaimed after listening to Mei Xuan’s performance in Greece, “Incredible, it was very, very good. I liked it very much.”

Dr. Wang Weiluo, a renowned hydrologist now living in Germany, is the author of the book Thirty-six Strategies of the Three Georges Project. He also highlighted Mei Xuan’s performance when speaking of Shen Yun. “She is very peaceful, and achieving such a realm is not an easy matter.” Wang knew about the kidnapping of Mei Xuan’s husband. “Even under such circumstances she was able to stay poised, so she must have what we call a ‘Buddha’s heart,’” Wang said.

When he learned that her husband had been abducted in China on his way to the United States in what is believed to be an attempt to interfere with the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, he said: “I hope that all these Chinese Embassies and Consulates will leave the show in peace.”

Calling for support

Mei Xuan explained what she had experienced in the 104-day European tour in which she has worked hard to rescue her husband. "My husband Jiang Feng was suddenly kidnapped by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP's) secret police right before he would have boarded the flight to visit me. It has been 120 days, and I have not received any official notice. It’s almost like he disappeared from the face of the earth.

“My husband has been detained many times in China without any valid reason. I deeply know the ruthlessness and evilness of the Chinese Communist regime's persecution."

Recently, some media have reported that the CCP is using different tactics to disrupt Shen Yun performances. Mei Xuan talked about her own understanding: “The CCP’s interference never stops. As Shen Yun’s influence becomes greater and greater in the world, the fears of the CCP grow as well. Shen Yun promotes China’s 5,000-year-old culture, and it is a spectacular art, a revival of China’s history. In our 20-plus programs, two talk about persecution of the Falun Gong by the CCP. Falun Gong’s being persecuted is a part of China’s history, and a part that is happening in China right now. It is just like the Christians were persecuted in history. After that page was flipped over, many artists used art to demonstrate that part of history. Yet we just demonstrate this piece of history in real time, reconstructing the reality."

“However this is what the CCP fears the most as we expose the crimes they commit against Falun Gong–crimes which are still being hidden by the CCP. The CCP fears Shen Yun, but it has no reason to stop it. The CCP has made many machinations. For example: their agents pretend to be Falun Gong practitioners and write letters to intimidate the venues which host Shen Yun performances; they pretend to be audience-members and give trumped-up comments on Shen Yun shows; they add economic and political pressure to intimidate the venues to stop Shen Yun performances. They even abduct relatives of Shen Yun performers. These tricks can work for a while, but will not last. As soon as people know the truth, everything done by the CCP is in vain. They can only make people see their crimes more clearly.”

Shen Yun artists bear solemn responsibility

Once many audience members learned about her family’s misfortune and experienced that she can still perform so peacefully and perfectly on the stage, they expressed much admiration. Many artists said they would not be able to perform under such mental stress. This appears to be the reason the CCP abducted Jiang Feng at the airport. Only by doing so did they think they could lead Mei Xuan to a mental breakdown. However Mei Xuan, who practices Falun Gong, responded surprisingly to such pressure.

“As a wife and an artist, when my family suffered such misfortune, I felt sad in my heart for sure. However as a Shen Yun performer, I sense the lofty responsibility I shoulder even more. It is my greatest good fortune to be a Shen Yun performer. My performance is not merely self-expression. Shen Yun has a high standard for performers on the stage and their hearts have to be completely pure. My performance this year is an erhu solo called “Evocation” which not only demonstrates the erhu but awakens people’s desire to help those who are still being persecuted. Let’s all call for an end to this persecution.”

Mei Xuan continued, “With this understanding, if I perform well, it is to help rescue my husband. He is one of the tens of thousands of people who are being persecuted. Therefore, I request myself to have the purest heart to spread a most solemn message on the stage. Prior to every performance, I meditate. I hope the audiences can use their hearts to listen to my performance and receive the message. Probably because of this, audiences felt stunned after watching Shen Yun shows. It is because there is sacred power behind the performance.”

March 24, 2010