On September 7, 2021, Mr. Nan Su spoke to the membership of the Magnolia Rotary Club about how China was before and after the Communist Revolution. Pictured above is Mr. Nan Su.
Mr. Nan Su is a Chinese Historian who has studied Chinese History both before and after the Communist Revolution. He is also part of the Shen Yun Organization and let everyone view a short review of the Shen Yun Show.
Mr. Nan Su used a slide show to speak to the group about wisdom and humanity from the ancient Chinese culture. In ancient Chinese culture, only royal families received any education. However, a man named Confucius worked to give educations to the masses. As China's most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, Confucius's life and teachings were an expression of self-cultivation, of the ability of human effort to shape its own destiny.
Confucius gave great importance to education. He devoted his time to gain new insights and learned from renowned scholars of his time. He started his own school at the age of 22. At that time, China was undergoing a state of ideological turmoil; all around there was injustice, war, and evil. Confucius established a moral code of conduct based on human principles of mutual respect, good conduct, and familial ties. Confucianism along with Taoism and Buddhism became the three religious pillars of China. Today, Confucius is revered not just as a moral teacher, but a divine soul who saved the world from moral degradation.
Mr. Nan Su spoke of "Tao" or Taoism as the "wisdom of the universe" or the belief of a creator who can not be seen except through the creators creations. In short, Taoism is a philosophy searching for its creator. Mr. Nan Su also showed how the design of early Chinese coins reflected the Taoist Philosophy. He also spoke of how the main royal color in China prior to the Communist Revolution was yellow or orange reflecting the color of the soil or earth. He spoke about how:
- Humans follow the earth
- The earth follows the heavens (sky)
- The heavens follow Tao
Once the communist took over China in 1949, they systematically wiped out all history and religion in order to change the culture to no longer believe in a creator but to believe that the government is the creator and giver of everything. Therefore, everything that is done by the communist party in China is considered to be for the good of all and therefore the government can never be wrong. This keeps the communist in power. Although it is not well known, Communist China has a constitution but it is written to keep the communist party in power.
Mr. Nan Su than spoke about the Shen Yu Show and how it relieves the rich Chinese cultural history prior to 1949 though dance. The website for finding out more about the Shen Yu Show is https://www.shenyun.org/
