In order to promote the sales of unsalable "Holiday Wonders" tickets, Falun Gong racking their brains to figure out all kinds of selling methods.
I. Advertising through the media.
If you search the key word "Holiday Wonders" in the Google.com, you can find stacks of information about it here and there. Among them, ads are so extrusive.
II. Donating the tickets to the "disadvantaged" people.
NTDTV, the hosting unit of "Holiday Wonders", doesn't cherish the chance for donating the tickets to the poor and the weak for free as a charity practice.
To our surprise, NTDTV asked a New York charity institution to buy their tickets, and then sent out those tickets to those "disadvantaged" families.
With the slogan of "Truth, Compassion and Forbearance", Falun Gong itself didn't send out those tickets to the disadvantaged families directly, but put all it effort in persuading other institution to buy their tickets to make a fortune greedly. (http://en.epochtimes.comews/7-12-20/63111.html )
Stephen L. Norris, co-founder of the powerful private equity firm The Carlyle Group, and his wife recently donated 40 tickets for disadvantaged families and the elderly to see Holiday Wonders at Beacon Theatre, in New York City.
According to Falun Gong's website Epoch Times, "Norris donated $3, 000 for the 40 tickets, which will go to disadvantaged families at the renowned Hale House in Harlem." and "The donation program was set up by the show's Chinese-language producers, New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV)."
III. Supplying enough discount to attract most men.
Under the title of Connecticut Chinese Culture Association (CCCA), an organization has supplied a discount of 15% for the tickets and cheap all way round bus service in order to attract those residents to buy the tickets and watch the show.
On CCCA's official website (www.ctchinese.org), the whole frontpage is the advertisement of the "Holiday Wonders", other relevant Ads also appeared on many other websites, such as "amity observer". (http://www.zwire.com/siteews.cfm?BRD=1342&dept_id=433243&newsid=19083957&PAG=461&rfi=9 )
In fact, the price of Holiday Wonders ticket is at up to 50% off regular Broadway ticket price. Holiday Wonders theater discount codes distributed by the show producers. (http://www.searchles.com/links/show/broadwaybox.com%2Fshows%2Fholiday_wonders_nyc_tickets.aspx+-+65k )
In the comment column of that AD, someone named "natalie" had such a vicious comment as follow, "I got 3 original price tickets weeks ago with great interests to chinese tradional arts, but the incredible 50% off discount appears before the show, god damn it." (http://pod01.prospero.com/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=25370&nav=messages&webtag=kr-miamitm )
Shelley Rigger, a Brown Professor of Political Science, Davidson College has written her idea down after seeing the preview of "Holiday Wonders" on charlotte.com with the title "Chinese dance conflict not what it seems":
The preview of the "Holiday Wonders" dance performance mentions the Chinese government's opposition to the show, but it doesn't get the story quite right. The preview doesn't mention that New Tang Dynasty TV is affiliated with the Falun Gong religious movement -- a Buddhist sect that is banned in China. That is the reason the Chinese government is trying to discourage venues from presenting "Holiday Wonders" -- not a desire to "wipe out the arts of dynastic China." The Chinese government sponsors many performances aimed at promoting traditional Chinese culture.
The conflict between Beijing and Falun Gong is a complex and tragic saga; taking either side's statements at face value can lead to misunderstanding. (http://www.charlotte.com/opinion/story/409052.html )
So, what's the essence of the "Holiday Wonders"? Under the name of promoting the Chinese culture in the Lunar New Year, the so-called "art-performance" is very deceitful, aimed actually at propagating at the cult and undermining China-US relations.
(facts.org.cn, December 28, 2007)
