Chinese Celebration Comes to Town

Philadelphia one of 28 cities worldwide to host ‘New Years Spectacular’ 

Posted with permission from Metro Philadelphia  

By Brian X. McCrone 

Jan. 23, 2007 

To Ying Chen, it’s a rare chance for the world to see Chinese culture in all its many forms.

For thousands of spectators, the fourth annual Chinese New Year Spectacular is a traveling ancient world come to life.

The international show by New York City’s New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) is spending today and tomorrow in Philadelphia.

The Merriam Theater on South Broad Street will host four shows, part of a whirlwind performance touring 28 cities across the globe, bringing more than 200 singers, musicians and dancers together for what was rated as the seventh-largest show in the United States last year.

“It allows us to cherish our heritage and speak about the things we couldn’t in China,” Chen, of Winslow, N.J., said yesterday as she set up for today’s performances.

Since becoming stage manager four years ago, Chen said the show and NTDTV have become important outlets for the often-masked Chinese history.

“China is under communist rule ... as a result the Chinese government only allows one voice in their country,” Chen said. “NTDTV was founded by North-American Chinese and it’s independent of any political influence. It now has the reputation of exposing and reporting on some of the sensitive issues like SARS and some of the religious persecution there.”

The traveling performers will put on about 100 shows in 28 cities that organizers estimate will be seen live by 100,000 people. The shows will also be aired on NTDTV around the Chinese New Year on Feb. 18 and seen by another 200 million people.

Besides several American and Canadian cities, the show is scheduled to make stops in Paris, Berlin, Australia, Taiwan and Japan.