The Divine Performing Arts (DPA) created an unprecedented sensation in Sweden. The theater was filled to capacity for each show. The Swedish audience, known for being reserved and shy, expressed their appreciation for the DPA with deafening applause. VIPs and celebrities who saw the show on March 26th shared their impressions.

On March 22nd, UK practitioners held a press conference at the Chinese Embassy in London to protest against the CCP)s recent intensification of the persecution of Falun Gong in the name of the Olympics.

On March 25th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference at the Chinese Embassy in Ireland protesting against arrests of large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners on China on the eve of the Olympic Games. The practitioners called on the international community to be concerned about human rights in China, and to put pressure on the CCP to release all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Between the 14th and 16th of March, the Gala Spectacular held four shows in the International Conference Centre Berlin, bringing traditional Chinese culture to Germany. The warm atmosphere inside the theatre formed a contrast with the cold breeze outside. Each performance in each show was applauded and every time when it came to the end of the show, the audience would applaud for a long time and the curtain of the stage had to be open again and again. On 14th March, after the first show, some members of the audience gave their impressions of the Spectacular.

The second show of the Chinese Spectacular in Sweden was held at Cirkus Theatre on March 24. The theatre was packed, and warm applause for the artists erupted frequently. One audience said of the hosts of the show, "They are humorous. The American host can speak perfect Chinese, and the Chinese woman spoke fluent Swedish. It was amazing".

Famous Swedish surgeon Goran Mardh and his wife Karin were full of praise for the performers of the show. Dr. Mardh happily claimed, “This performance really moves the hearts of people, I like it very much. I have seen Chinese performances in mainland China and Taiwan before, but tonight’s performance is the best one I have seen yet.

Ms. Helena Bargholtz, a Swedish congresswoman, saw the second show of the Chinese Spectacular with her husband on March 24th. She told reporter that she thought the show was amazing and wonderful. She said she could not understand why the Chinese government has tried to interfere with it. "All the programs were excellent, including the dances and music", she said. "They were very impressive. The show manifested the beauty of Chinese culture".

On March 20th, 2008, the first Chinese Spectacular show in Northern Europe was presented by Divine Performing Arts. Applause from the audience was heard from the beginning to the end. Even after the curtain was drawn, the audience continued applauding. The performers came out for several curtain calls, but the audience was still reluctant to leave.

On March 20th, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular debuted at Cirkus Theatre in Stockholm. The audience warmly welcomed the show, and many local artists expressed high praise for the show. Ennart Asd, an artist, his wife Serpil Inanc and their friend enjoyed the show. Serpil Inanc was excited about the Spectacular. She said, "Every performance was great ...The show inspired me to read more about Chinese culture."

The performance of the Chinese Spectacular in Slovakia took place on March 9th, 2008, in Bratislava. The newly built Slovak National Theatre was sold out; the organisers even wished it had bigger capacity than the 900 people it held. Peter Osusky, a medical doctor and Vice-Rector of Comenius University in Bratislava, said that although he had seen Chinese paintings and calligraphy in museums, he had never seen a show such as the Spectacular.

A law student loved the entire show and said excitedly, "The costumes were wonderful to behold! The gracefulness of the dancers was terrific! The entire show was like a kaleidoscope of colours, filled with optimism, strength, full of energy and love of life; as well one could feel the fighting spirit and positiveness." She said about the scene depicting Falun Gong, The Rising Lotus Flower, she said, "One had goose bumps all over ones back."

The Chinese Communist Regime has used all means to prevent the Chinese Spectacular's global tour. When the Chinese Embassy in Sweden tried to stop people coming to watch the first round of performances in Sweden two months ago, it aroused public condemnation as well as, ironically, widespread interest in the show. This time, many people interested in Chinese issues were in the audience.

After presenting 29 performances in nine European countries, the Divine Performing Arts Company (DPA) gave its first show in Stockholm, Sweden on March 20th. The audience included people from all walks of life. Many expressed their indignation at the Chinese Communist Party's interference with the show and its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

On the afternoon of March 16th, 2008, despite the rain, people came to see the final show of the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) at the Berlin International Congress Center. A parliamentarian said, "The main theme is very clear. This show can help people distinguish between good and evil. It is very unique and touching."

A former x-ray technician assistant loved the gracefulness displayed by the male and female dancers, "I loved the male and female dancers very much. Besides, I also was quite impressed with the drummers in The Drummers of the Tang Court scene, as they were very powerful." Ms. Gabriela Morales-Nunez, a nurse, said, "It was a show where one wants to stay and not leave. I really liked the Victory Drums. The dances also caught my eye, especially as to the impression of effortlessness by the dancers".

On March 15th, 2008, the National St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in Cashel Town in County Tipperary which is located in the south of Ireland. Falun Gong practitioners were made very welcome at the activity. Although it was drizzling on and off, the happy atmosphere of the festival wasn’t affected. Up to 1000 people in colourful clothes watched the parade holding their umbrellas up against the rain.

After watching the Divine Performing Arts, Mieke Bouve, one of the most famous actresses in Belgium said, "I had been looking forward to seeing the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular, for I have been attracted to everything about China. I know that I will go there one day and that’s why I came here. There is a huge difference between the China ruled by the CCP and a free China. Divine Performing Arts presents the original Chinese traditional culture, which is very different from what I’ve known about China.” While talking about her feelings about the shows, Mieke Bouve was very excited. She said, “It’s really beyond words to describe the show".

At the premiere of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular at Bratislava's Slovak National Theater on the evening of Sunday March 9th, the audience honoured the performers with an enthusiastic standing ovation. Slovakia was the first stop on Divine Performing Arts' tour of post-communist countries, and it was a complete success.

After departing from Vienna, the Divine Performing Arts stopped for one performance in Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. A few hours before the show, all of the dancers, singers and musicians were working hard in preparation. Nonetheless, the atmosphere in the Slovak National Theater was calm and unbelievably harmonious.

A Member of the Bundestag from the Green Party, Cornelia Behm, was quite impressed with the Chinese Gala Spectacular", performed at The International Congress Centre in Berlin. After seeing the show on Sunday March 15th, she explained that she had to reflect on what she had seen. The show was "something special and very moving" said the politician.

On March 17th, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts performed in Hamburg for the first time at the Theater im Hafen. The more than two-hour-long Chinese Spectacular showcased 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture and was coupled with state-of-the-art animated backdrops.

On March 16th, 2008, French Falun Gong practitioners gathered at Human Rights Plaza in Paris, calling on the international community to be concerned over the persecution of Falun Gong in China, urging the Communist Party to stop the illegal arrests and detention of Falun Gong practitioners before the Beijing Olympics and to release all the practitioners detained.

St. Patrick’s Day is a National Day for the Republic of Ireland. The whole nation was filled with a festival atmosphere. After attending the Great National Day parade in Cashel on March 15th, Falun Gong practitioners were also invited to join the National Day parade in Cork on March 17th. At the end of the event, Falun Gong practitioners were awarded the best dancing group award for their beautiful traditional Chinese dances during the parade.

Renate Vrchovska is a reserved sixty-two year old Czech. She declined the first interview due to a language barrier. Having seen the performance, however, she was deeply touched by the pure beauty of the Gala. She found the reporter and tried to express her feelings in the limited English that she knew, “The performance was wonderful! Deeply moving!”

"Impressive, fascinating, wonderful!" This was the impression left on renowned German historian Professor Arnulf Baring after he attended the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular at the Berlin International Congress Center. Professor Baring said that what he found most amazing was Ms. Qi Xiaochun's Erhu performance. "The sound was simply beautiful".

In the leather-clad debating chamber of the oldest debating society in the world a forum on Human Rights in China rang clear. David Kilgour, former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), Annie Yang, an ex-prisoner of conscience and David Matas, international human rights lawyer were guest speakers in a forum hosted by the Cambridge Union Society of Cambridge University in England.

In the mid-18th century, the most brilliant classical music masters in the history of music including Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert lived in Vienna. The Chinese Spectacular, upon completion of performances in Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland, opened at City Theatre in Vienna at 7:30 pm, March 6th, 2008. Austrian government officials and celebrities all extended their greetings on the arrival of the Gala Spectacular.

The global Human Rights Torch Relay arrived in Turkey on 1st March, 2008 and the ceremony of the relay was held at the famous Ataturk Park in central Mersin. The Human Rights Torch Relay was initiated by the CIPFG (Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China) on 9th August 2007. The protest revealed the Communist Party (CCP)’s crimes of persecuting Falun Gong, its human rights abuses and violation of the Olympic spirit, calling on the Turkish government and people to pay attention of human rights situation in China and to boycott the Olympics.

Ms. Liu Yu-Chi, president of the Han Clothing Creation and Development Association, praised the costumes in the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular. She said she previously misunderstood the making of traditional Chinese clothing. But after seeing the Spectacular in Kaohsiung, she said the show helped her understand the real uniqueness and special elements of Han clothing. She said that the show truly presented the beauty of traditional Chinese clothing.

After a year of anticipation, the city of Berlin has once again welcomed the Divine Performing Arts. On March 14th, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts presented a fascinating performance of the Chinese Spectacular for the people of Berlin. Upon conclusion of the final act, applause filled the theater, and performers answered curtain calls three times. Numerous members of the audience offered a standing ovation, and many were reluctant to leave.

The Chinese Spectacular by the Divine Performing Arts is sweeping Europe with its ever increasing popularity. The two shows in Vienna, the music capital of the world, attracted a large, appreciative audience representing all walks of live. Among the spectators were quite a number of artists, many of whom came to the last show in Vienna on March 7th, 2008.

On the evening of March 1st, 2008, the French International Conference Centre welcomed the third performance by Divine Performing Arts. This rich and splendid performance once again conquered the heart of the romantic Paris audience. Many French main politicians and well known people in the art circle came to see the show.

On March 8th, the Gala Spectacular safely arrived at Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia, with a performance of the Chinese Spectacular scheduled for the 9th at the new Slovak National Theatre. This is The Divine Performing Arts’ first visit to a former Communist country in central Europe. A week earlier, almost 1,000 tickets were sold to eager customers.

At the conclusion of the second show of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular at the Prague Congress Centre, the audience responded with a long standing ovation. The performers answered two curtain calls, but when the curtain closed once again, most of the audience was still standing, enthusiastically applauding.

Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular presented two more shows at the Prague Congress Center on March 11th. Many artists were among the audience. Ballet expert Ms. Kostulanova praised the Chinese Spectacular highly. She said, "It was absolutely perfect and excellent. I have never seen such a performance before. All the dancers were the top of the top".

The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular presented at Vienna's City Hall Performance venue, the Stadthalle, was warmly received by the audience, which responded with multiple rounds of applause on March 7, 2008. People in this capital of music were favorably impressed with the music played with Chinese and Western musical instruments.

On March 10th, the Divine Performing Arts held the first show of the Chinese Spectacular in Prague, Czech Republic. Many artists came to the show and had high praise for it afterwards. Mr. Jiri Korn, one of the most popular singers in the Czech Republic, is an important person in the Czech art community. He attended the Chinese Spectacular on March 10th with two of his children and a friend and was full of praise for the show afterwards.

The Gala Spectacular performance in Vienna made a stir in this musical city. Many people in intellectual and cultural circles not only saw the show, but they were also deeply touched by the performance. During the intermission of the last show in Vienna, two professors told our reporter that they really enjoyed the show and that the performance brought them a good time.

After seeing the Chinese Spectacular, the president of Lien Direct Association said, "The dancers are wonderful. Tonight I learned about the three features of your classical dance: bearing, form and technique. I think the performers' exquisite bearing and form made the dances so different. You can see technique in other shows, but you cannot find the beauty I saw tonight."

On March 7th, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts Touring Company's second presentation of the Chinese Spectacular in Vienna was honored with continuous applause from the audience. The spectators were delighted by the wonderful show. Traditional Chinese dances, Western and Chinese musical instruments combined to produce Chinese classical music, and a state-of-the-art backdrop transported the audience from the present back to ancient China.

Student Sunny Xu appealed at the Chinese Embassy and called on the Chinese Communist regime to release her parents, who were kidnapped by the authorities because they practised Falun Gong. She also strongly protested against the Chinese regime’s escalation of the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in the run-up to the Olympic Games.

The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular premiered to a full house at the Slovak National Theater in Bratislava, Slovakia on March 9th, 2008. According to the organizer, the tickets were completely sold out a week before the performance. Many people who did not get tickets in time were disappointed that they could not see it this year.

The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular premiered at the Prague Congress Center on March 10th, 2008. Many dignitaries, including people from political circles, and art and cultural circles as well as people from all walks of life attended the more than two hours performance showcasing China's 5,000 years of traditional culture.

“Another very good point I want to make is that, the Spectacular also mentioned things about the spiritual side, but it did not make a definition. This makes people feel very good; the audience was not forced to take in anything, I feel it’s very good. It did not stress on a particular religion, but it reminds people of the human beings’ sacred origin. I am very satisfied about this”.

On the evening of March 4th, many gathered at the Theatre du Leman in Geneva for the Chinese New Year Spectacular. To the performers' surprise, renowned Swiss violinist Armene Stakian and a representative from the Traditional Chinese Cultural Arts Renaissance Association presented a music box to the Divine Performing Arts Company in appreciation of their efforts.

A Chinese lady who married into France said to a reporter, “I was a dancer in mainland China. The performance was absolutely perfect. From choreography to costumes everything was beautiful". Her husband commented happily, “Stunning, poetic and colourful. We seemed to have been transported to China far away.”

The Divine Performing Arts Company on Tour arrived in Geneva, Switzerland on March 3, 2008 at the invitation of 12 financial and international organizations. The two-plus-hour show at Theatre du Leman won thunderous applause from the audience and the performers had to answer the curtain call twice at the end the show.

At the exhibition stand placed by Falun Gong practitioners at the Rathausplatz, the people of Halle were shocked and indignant when seeing the information about the CCP’s cruel torture and spiritual destruction of the Chinese Falun Gong practitioners. Practitioners' petition forms were quickly signed one after another.

The Divine Performing Arts held its first Chinese Spectacular in Vienna, Austria on March 6, to a warm welcome from the artistic community. Gregor Hatala, the leading Ballet dancer for the Austrian State Opera House, Jennifer O'Loughlin, Soprano of Vienna Opera House, and Kathrin Czerny, a famous Ballet dancer in Austria, gave the show high marks.

From February 29th to March 2nd, the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) performed four shows at the Palais des Congres in Paris. Many local artists were impressed when they came to see the show. "For me, China is magical and beautiful," said Marie-Silvia. "The China the DPA presented to us is completely not the current China we see in our mind."