Introducing Our New 'Treasured Tales of China' Series

Evan Mantyk, Contributing Writer

A wealthy cook, now retired from the imperial court, lives a comfortable life running a local restaurant. But, when a plague sweeps through the land, he shutters the restaurant and locks himself in his luxurious home. Despite all of his precautions, he too starts to suffer from the plague. What can he do now?! He decides that since his life is pretty much over, he should spend the rest of his breath on giving away all the food and money that he has and helping take care of those who are suffering.

This one righteous thought ends up leading the cook back to good health and helps turn around the situation for the entire town—and, with the help of a Taoist immortal, even the nation. This is the power of traditional Chinese culture!

In this story, passed down through the generations as real historical fact, we see that one’s positive thinking, which can also be translated as "righteous thoughts," plays the determining role in overcoming the plague. This dynamic of one’s thoughts and morality shaping the outcome of events is, if you think about it, very different from the modern scientific mode of thinking that has become commonplace today.

Normally, tiny biological components, such as DNA, cells, viruses, germs, antibodies, and so on, are thought to be the primary factors determining the spread of a plague and its ability to kill a person or a large group of people. In our story, a human being takes control of a situation and saves the day through means that are accessible to anyone. This is the reverse of the modern science-bound approach. It is not the tiny biological factors that are most important; it is those broad, unquantifiable, and unobservable factors like how one perceives the world and one’s place in it that play the determining role.      

The power of one’s righteous thoughts is only one theme in the vast treasure trove of traditional Chinese culture. Zhongguo (中國), the Chinese name for China, literally means “Middle Kingdom,” and it has 5,000 years of culture filled with such treasured tales. In addition to the power of righteous thoughts, there is the crucial and beautiful value of filial piety, the inescapably powerful principle of retribution, the enchanting and mysterious tradition of spiritual cultivation, and so on, and so on. 

Wise sages, heroic emperors, and noble ladies grace the epic stage of history in one scene after another. However, people today often think of traditional Chinese culture as beginning and ending with the Zhou Dynasty sage Confucius. In fact, Confucius is only the tip of the iceberg! The Treasured Tales of China series has been created to bring to life, for modern readers, the magic and wisdom of the flowing 5,000-year-long tapestry of traditional Chinese culture.

Many of the great themes, moral principles, and spiritual insights found in these stories can also be found to some extent in Western civilization—in ancient Greece and Rome; in Christian, Jewish, and other traditions; and in the many great empires, kingdoms, and republics that have come and gone in the West and throughout the world. Nonetheless, the stories from traditional Chinese culture presented here are unique in the irresistible boldness and charming style with which they present the high morals and virtues of all of human civilization.

For example, take the principle of retribution (good is rewarded and evil is punished). In the West, there is also the saying “You reap what you sow,” derived from the Bible, and the common adage “What goes around comes around.” Even Santa Claus “knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake.” However, the Chinese tradition is strongly influenced by Buddhism and thus believes in reincarnation and holds that lifetime after lifetime, everything is predestined and connected to karmic relationships. This makes for a rich and meaningful interplay among characters, their lives, and their actions—all leading back to the fact that good is rewarded and evil is punished.

Also, after 70 years of communist rule in China, traditional Chinese culture has been eroded and threatened with extinction by political campaigns like the Cultural Revolution. It is important to look back and see what exactly traditional Chinese culture is and to make sure that this treasure is not lost. Indeed, this is part of why Shen Yun was started in the first place in 2006, followed a few years later by the Shen Yun Collections.

The Shen Yun Collections is, of course, inspired by Shen Yun performances, but our designers also draw on 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and its culture. But what exactly is this culture? These treasured tales, presented here by the Shen Yun Collections, give a look into the essence of traditional Chinese culture, illustrating the strong values and rich heritage that inspire the creation and design of our Shen Yun Collections products. We hope you find them enlightening!