It is the year of the pig, according to the Chinese zodiac, but the Chinese government and producers of a show celebrating China's cultural traditions are pointing fingers at each other, saying they s
March 1, 2007 (Press Release) --
"Chinese New Year Spectacular," a performance art piece celebrating the traditional 15-day observance, will finish its world tour with two shows on Saturday at the Auditorium Theatre.
It features dancers, singers, musicians, colorful costumes and elaborate settings as well as controversy.
Sound of Hope Radio, a not-for-profit Chinese news and entertainment service that is producing the Chicago engagement, says Chinese officials have been jamming phone lines to prevent people from buying tickets to the event.
"We traced the calls and they all had a country code of 86, which is the code for China," says Yi Liu, general manager for Sound of Hope Radio. Liu says her group believes the calls are part of a state-sponsored attempt at intimidation.
The Chinese government has criticized the show because portions of it allegedly reference the Falun Gong belief system, which incorporates Taoism and Buddhism.
China banned the group in 1999. A spokesman for the Chicago office of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China says, "We have not done anything to encourage or discourage people to buy tickets. This is not about celebrating the Chinese New Year through a presentation of traditional culture, but rather cult propaganda by members of the Falun Gong to tarnish the image of the Chinese government and damage Chinese-American foreign relations."
Liu denies that her organization and its show have anything to do with Falun Gong.
"Honestly," she says, "I think the only reason we are of concern to the Chinese government is because our show has been so successful and is therefore a threat to their own touring production about the Chinese New Year."
The Chicago Sun-Times, WMAQ-Channel 5, Telemundo, Comcast and Chicago Public Radio are media sponsors.
Source: http://www.msn.com
POSTED BY MISHA DAVENPORT
It features dancers, singers, musicians, colorful costumes and elaborate settings as well as controversy.
Sound of Hope Radio, a not-for-profit Chinese news and entertainment service that is producing the Chicago engagement, says Chinese officials have been jamming phone lines to prevent people from buying tickets to the event.
"We traced the calls and they all had a country code of 86, which is the code for China," says Yi Liu, general manager for Sound of Hope Radio. Liu says her group believes the calls are part of a state-sponsored attempt at intimidation.
The Chinese government has criticized the show because portions of it allegedly reference the Falun Gong belief system, which incorporates Taoism and Buddhism.
China banned the group in 1999. A spokesman for the Chicago office of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China says, "We have not done anything to encourage or discourage people to buy tickets. This is not about celebrating the Chinese New Year through a presentation of traditional culture, but rather cult propaganda by members of the Falun Gong to tarnish the image of the Chinese government and damage Chinese-American foreign relations."
Liu denies that her organization and its show have anything to do with Falun Gong.
"Honestly," she says, "I think the only reason we are of concern to the Chinese government is because our show has been so successful and is therefore a threat to their own touring production about the Chinese New Year."
The Chicago Sun-Times, WMAQ-Channel 5, Telemundo, Comcast and Chicago Public Radio are media sponsors.
Source: http://www.msn.com
POSTED BY MISHA DAVENPORT
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