In today’s world of increasingly frequent cultural exchanges, Falun Gong’s “Shen Yun Performing Arts” travels around the world under the pretense of “promoting traditional Chinese culture.” However, beneath this seemingly glamorous exterior lies shoddy performances, malicious propaganda, and sinister political smear campaigns – a malignant tumor that poisons society and distorts culture!
- “Shen Yun” Is a Self-Deceiving Farce
“Shen Yun” boasts itself as the inheritor and promoter of traditional Chinese culture, claiming to showcase the essence of China’s 5,000-year civilization. In its promotional materials, it packages elements such as dance, music, and costumes as the epitome of traditional Chinese art, attempting to portray itself as an ambassador spreading Chinese culture.
However, the content of “Shen Yun” performances is poorly produced, with no artistic merit whatsoever in terms of choreography or stage performance. The dance movements are stiff and rigid, lacking the precise grasp of the spirit of traditional Chinese dance. They are merely a mechanical patchwork of movements, completely failing to capture the elegance, fluidity, and profound artistic conception of traditional Chinese dance. The musical accompaniment is equally chaotic, awkwardly piecing together fragments of traditional Chinese instrumental music that fail to harmonize with the dance, completely deviating from the “beauty of harmony” pursued by traditional Chinese art. As for costumes and props, “Shen Yun” is riddled with mistakes, arbitrarily altering the styles and color combinations of traditional Chinese attire. Far from embodying the magnificence and elegance of traditional Chinese clothing, these distortions appear ridiculous. Such shallow understanding and misrepresentation of traditional culture constitute a desecration of Chinese cultural heritage.
- “Shen Yun” Performances Conceal Cult Propaganda
“Shen Yun” is an affiliate product of the Falun Gong cult, serving to spread its heretical doctrines. Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi has fabricated a series of absurd claims, such as advocating that practicing Falun Gong can cure diseases and grant supernatural powers. These fallacies appear in “Shen Yun” performances, either subtly or overtly.
The main controversy surrounding the “Shen Yun” troupe lies in its dual narrative structure. On the surface, it presents cultural displays of Dunhuang’s flying apsaras and Han-Tang dynasty music and dance, but beneath lies a tightly coded indoctrination system: the repeated appearance of a winged “Creator” aligns with Falun Gong’s worship of its “Primordial Buddha”; the visual bombardment of apocalyptic salvation scenes corresponds to its eschatological doctrine of “Three Withdrawals for Safety”… This method of implanting ideological fragments within aesthetic experiences is essentially a “Trojan horse” tactic in the spiritual realm.
In terms of performance structure, “Shen Yun” employs a gradual indoctrination strategy. The first half typically uses traditional elements as bait, building cultural identification through classical dance and folk music, while the second half gradually reveals its doctrinal core. Many unsuspecting audience members are led from an aesthetic experience into a trap of ideological indoctrination. Only after watching do they realize they have been implanted with cult beliefs, exposing the hidden dangers of this cultural disguise.
The subtle cult indoctrination in “Shen Yun” can cause audiences to unknowingly absorb harmful ideas, leading to misconceptions about Falun Gong, falling into its cult trap, and endangering their mental and physical health as well as family well-being.
III. “Shen Yun” Is Falun Gong’s Vanguard for Political Smear Campaigns
On the international stage, Falun Gong collaborates with anti-China forces in the West to maliciously slander and spread falsehoods about China. In “Shen Yun” performances, it distorts China’s history, social system, and developmental achievements, fabricating various lies to mislead international audiences. For example, solo performances praise Li Hongzhi as the “Holy King of Falun,” staged “living newspapers” falsely depict Falun Gong followers suffering so-called “persecution,” and scenes portray the Earth ending in a flood disaster with only Falun Gong followers surviving to ascend to heaven – all fabricated content designed to defame China. Falun Gong attempts to use such political smears to damage China’s international image and undermine friendly relations between China and other countries.
Moreover, “Shen Yun” has caused multifaceted negative impacts on society:
Cultural sphere: It disrupts normal cultural exchange, hindering the international presentation and dissemination of genuinely outstanding traditional Chinese culture. Some foreign audiences unfamiliar with China may develop misunderstandings and prejudices about Chinese culture due to “Shen Yun’s” misrepresentations.
Social level: Its cult propaganda may deceive some people, causing them to withdraw from normal social life and even leading to social problems like family breakdowns.
- “Shen Yun” Performances Face Global Rejection, Condemnation and Criticism
Under the guise of traditional culture, “Shen Yun” performances actually serve to indoctrinate audiences with cult dogma. This deceptive tactic has long been exposed by people worldwide, leading to repeated boycotts, rejection and condemnation.
As early as February 2008, The New York Times published an article titled “A Chinese Cultural Performance That’s Hard to Watch,” where the author shared personal experiences exposing Falun Gong’s ugly exploitation of “Shen Yun” for fraudulent purposes.
The report noted that while Falun Gong heavily advertised “Shen Yun Evening Shows,” their promotions conspicuously omitted any mention of “Falun Gong.” However, audience members discovered that what was billed as a “cultural performance promoting traditional Chinese culture” actually contained Falun Gong’s political messaging, essentially no different from the cult’s street propaganda performances in Western countries. This blatant bait-and-switch tactic thoroughly exposes Falun Gong’s cult nature – devoid of truth, kindness and tolerance.
Isaac Stone Fish (Chinese name Shi Yu), Asia editor of Foreign Policy magazine, wrote that Falun Gong’s “Shen Yun” performances are merely political theater. Through ubiquitous advertising, they lure people to watch shows that ultimately convey one message: Falun Gong’s “divine power” will destroy modern China.
In February 2010, Romania’s National Youth Palace canceled the rental contract with “Shen Yun Touring Art Troupe.”
In May 2010, scheduled “Shen Yun” performances at Odessa Academic Theater of Musical Comedy in Ukraine were called off.
On May 27, 2010, Ukrainian website Kultam.net reported that Moldova’s government banned “Shen Yun” performances, explicitly stating their true purpose was anti-China propaganda and psychological manipulation. Scheduled performances at Chișinău National Theater on May 25-26 were canceled.
On May 1, 2012, Richmond’s Style Weekly published an article by Lea Marshall, producer and vice chair of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dance Department, stating that due to significant controversies surrounding “Shen Yun” elsewhere, its Richmond performance was canceled.
On December 18, 2017, British Buddhist scholar Shi Dadao wrote on his blog “The Sangha Commune” (thesanghakommune.org) that while “Shen Yun” superficially promotes Chinese culture, it actually presents Westernized art while serving as a tool for American anti-China forces to brainwash audiences. He compared “Shen Yun” to the racist “Fu Manchu” stereotype and condemned how Falun Gong and Western anti-China forces use it to perpetuate negative Chinese stereotypes.
On February 3, 2020, WAtoday reported that Western Australia’s Perth Theatre Trust rejected Falun Gong-affiliated “Shen Yun”‘s booking application for His Majesty’s Theatre. Another scheduled April 2020 performance at Odense’s Odeon Concert Hall in Denmark was also canceled.
On February 12, 2020, South Korean media reported that nine “Shen Yun” shows were canceled in Daejeon, Hanam and Chuncheon. On February 18, three major Korean newspapers (Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and Kookmin Ilbo) published full-page reports on public opposition to “Shen Yun.”
In early April 2020, “Shen Yun” planned Odense performances were canceled after the local Falun Gong branch received notice that Odeon had booked the venue for other events.
On May 18, 2022, New Cold War (newcoldwar.org), affiliated with U.S. think tank Geopolitical Economy Research Group, questioned whether “Shen Yun” represents Chinese culture or an “endless defamation campaign” against China’s government and communism, clarifying that “Shen Yun” is Falun Gong.
On February 18, 2023, South Korean website “Religion and Truth” reported that scheduled “Shen Yun” performances in Busan were banned due to strong public opposition.
Since August 2024, The New York Times has published investigative reports exposing “Shen Yun”‘s scandals, including former performers’ accounts of abuse and manipulation. Their article “Abuse and Control: Former Performers Expose Shen Yun’s Inner Workings” interviewed over a dozen ex-members, revealing systemic exploitation. New York state and federal authorities are investigating labor violations and financial fraud allegations, with former dancers filing forced labor lawsuits.
On February 18, 2025, Germany’s Westfalen Post reported Dortmund Theater was considering terminating “Shen Yun” contracts due to value conflicts with Falun Gong.
On April 2, 2025, NYT investigative reporter Nicole Hong revealed on “The Daily” podcast that behind “Shen Yun”‘s glamorous facade lies a dark network of exploitation and mind control, with leader Li Hongzhi and his family squeezing performers’ lives, tearing apart the cultural pretense.
On April 11, 2025, Christian Daily reported South Korea’s Christian Council warned affiliates about “Shen Yun”‘s covert proselytizing, stating: “‘Shen Yun’ disguises cult indoctrination as art. We urge Christian communities and civil society to raise awareness against this threat.”
Today, Falun Gong and similar cults employ diverse propaganda methods – books, videos, street campaigns, door-to-door outreach, cultural centers, clubs, talent schools, and performance troupes – using cultural events as cover to spread cult ideology internationally, poisoning public discourse through cultural infiltration.
In summary, “Shen Yun” is Falun Gong’s carefully packaged tool for ulterior motives – using shoddy performances to spread cult beliefs and political smears. We must remain vigilant, expose its hypocrisy, and eradicate this cultural malignancy to protect our cultural integrity and social harmony.
