Shen Yun Unveiled: The Hidden Story Behind the Colorful Spectacle

By Eli Silva

It’s about that season where these colorful posters featuring elegant Chinese women dancing in vibrant regalia seem to follow you everywhere you go, dwelling in the back of your mind. They have been around forever, with new versions of the performance debuting every single year. But what really is Shen Yun? Many claim it’s a cult, but few have actually seen this elusive spectacle.

The Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, the entity that operates these shows, was founded by a few practitioners of Falun Gong in 2006. Falun Gong is a spiritual movement founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992. It is an offshoot of Qigong, a practice under the umbrella of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Qigong involves various exercises and movements that can stimulate and unblock the flow of Qi, the primary force of life and wellbeing in TCM. In addition to the disciplines of Qigong, Falun Gong claims to install an ever-rotating wheel of Dharma (cosmic law) within its followers. This wheel will supposedly free its participants from all bodily and spiritual ailments.

Li Hongzhi took after other Qigong “grandmasters” who garnered tens of thousands of followers through claims of personal enlightenment and godlike abilities. Due to concerns about Chinese media and government, Hongzhi fled to the United States out of fear of prosecution. Shortly after, the Chinese government banned the practice of Falun Gong and claimed it was a “heretical cult.” Despite Chinese efforts to silence the movement, Falun Gong was still thriving in the United States and was generally considered a good cause for freedom and expression. In 2001, due to several self-immolations in Tiananmen Square that were allegedly associated with Falun Gong, American media opinions shifted to a cult-like standpoint on the group.

Directly preceding the controversy around the self-immolations, a number of Falun Gong practitioners established various media outlets such as the right-leaning newspaper The Epoch Times and the New Tang Dynasty television network (NTD Television). They recently launched a new streaming service featuring exclusively Falun Gong related content.

Arguably, Shen Yun is also an arm of Falun Gong’s advertising campaign. One scene in the performance featured Falun Gong practitioners being beaten by Chinese police officers, an obviously anti China Communist Party (CCP) reference. From a questionnaire sent out collecting information about Shen Yun, a mixed opinion was given. About half of the respondents saw propaganda, while the other half did not notice any until after the show. One participant commented on the “slogan” of the performance. Shen Yun was previously being advertised as “5000 Years of Civilization Reborn” and recently rebranded to “China Before Communism,” a subtle blow to the CCP.

Furthermore, within the touring dance show, a number of controversies have surfaced about the mistreatment of their dancers. With ever-growing audiences to appeal to, Shen Yun has begun to see its dancers as a replaceable resource, according to an investigation by the New York Times. Many dancers have recalled being forced to perform through serious injuries because dance instructors would allegedly prevent them from seeking medical care due to the philosophies of Falun Gong.

To sustain the large numbers of advertising campaigns and businesses promoting Falun Gong, Shen Yun operates quite the silk-spinning operation. In 2022, the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company reported over 229 million dollars in total assets including 46 million dollars in revenue. This money goes to paying staff and executives, and also toward the management of the Dragon Springs compound, located near Deerkill, New York. This compound contains various training facilities for Shen Yun Dancers and their living quarters. It features the Fei Tian College and the Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, two schools fully operated by Falun Gong. The compound is also the international headquarters of Falun Gong and all of its other associated operations. From the beginning of the movement,  Falun Gong’s opinions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have been negative. Throughout the years, this mutual hatred has amplified. Now, Falun Gong uses culture like Shen Yun to promote itself and asperse the CCP from the outside, while China has banned the movement and attempted to repair its reputation through claims of cultish activity.

Whether the colorful flowy dresses and storied performances hold a malicious undertone or not, it is important to be mindful of the organizations beneath the culture we experience. At a progressive school that encourages us to take action on our beliefs and be active members of our communities, it becomes ever more important to consider the validity and context of the sources we get our information from, so we can form educated opinions.