Shen Yun

Shen Yun, dance performance group that is based in New York and associated with the Chinese spiritual practice Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa). The group is known for its strongly anti-communist beliefs and describes itself as an organization that seeks to revive traditional Chinese culture—which, it claims, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would rather eradicate. The troupe’s labor practices and beliefs are controversial, and the group faced federal investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the State Department following a 2024 exposé by The New York Times and a lawsuit by a former performer who alleged that the group was guilty of child trafficking and abuse.

History and conflict with Chinese Communist Party

Shen Yun, which describes itself as the “world’s premier classical Chinese dance company,” is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 in upstate New York. Shen Yun operates eight touring companies consisting of dancers, orchestras, production crew, and soloists who, according to the organization, have performed in 36 countries and more than 200 cities. Shen Yun performing groups typically include about 80 members total.

Shen Yun performances typically feature two bilingual hosts, with one speaking Chinese and leading audiences in learning Chinese phrases. The acts are set against bright backdrops featuring ancient Chinese temples, cities, and architecture. Performances are explicitly anti-communist, and a reporter for The New Yorker described a performance in which what appeared to be a “Communist tsunami” demolished a city. While dancers and singers perform, an orchestra accompanies them, incorporating Chinese instruments such as the erhu and pipa.

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Shen Yun’s performers are trained at the organization’s Fei Tian Academy of the Arts, located on Shen Yun’s Dragon Springs campus in Cuddebackville, New York. Promotional campaigns for each performance are funded by local Falun Gong associations. The organization generated more than $51 million in revenue in 2023. Critics question the authenticity of the group’s performance as it relates to ancient Chinese culture, noting that the performance includes pointedly Western arts such as gymnastics and ballet.

The organization is deeply intertwined with the spiritual practice of Falun Gong, which has a long history of conflict with the CCP. Founded in China by religious leader Li Hongzhi in 1992, the practice is an offshoot of qigong, an ancient Chinese practice combining meditation with physical movement. Li left China and became a permanent resident of the United States in 1998. The next year Falun Gong was banned in China after followers orchestrated a large-scale peaceful protest outside CCP headquarters in Beijing. After the ban, protesters resorted to more extreme tactics, including self-immolation (though followers claim these displays were staged by the Chinese government). Alongside Shen Yun, the movement has established organizations such as The Epoch Times newspaper and other media outlets.

Among followers of Falun Gong, Li is referred to as Master Li. Testimonies from those raised in Falun Gong claim that they were taught that Li could read their thoughts, attributing to him godlike power and omniscience. Followers are also taught that if they attempt to leave the religion, they will be sent to the “gate of no-life,” a dimension akin to hell. A more extreme belief that Li preaches is that across history extraterrestrial beings have taken over human bodies to walk among humans and to corrupt them.

Criticism and controversy

The Chinese government actively warns against attending Shen Yun performances and claims that Falun Gong is “utterly anti-China” and aims to “undermine China-U.S. relations.” Western perception of the movement is complicated. Although Falun Gong is a movement that has faced persecution, Shen Yun is often described as a cult and has been accused of homophobia, racism, and black-and-white teachings that claim that dissenters of the movement will be sent to hell.

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Shen Yun received a bevy of negative attention in 2024, when the release of an investigation by The New York Times coincided with a lawsuit by a former performer and an inquiry from the New York State Department of Labor into Shen Yun’s labor practices. The New York Times reported that performers were discouraged from seeking medical treatment for injuries for religious reasons and were forced to perform while injured. The report also alleged that the organization subjected its performers to emotional abuse and manipulation. Performers appeared to be financially coerced to stay in the group, with leaders threatening them with having to repay the organization for schooling, lodging, and food if they attempted to leave.

The lawsuit, filed by former dancer Chang Chun-Ko, alleges that Shen Yun is “part of an enterprise that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars via forced child labor of vulnerable minors, for the financial benefit of Hongzhi Li, his wife Rui Li, and the rest of the Defendants.” Chang performed with the troupe from age 13 to 24, leaving in 2020. The lawsuit states that she and other performers were subjected to emotional abuse and threats of physical harm, denied education, and allowed very limited contact with family. Following the investigation and the lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State Department began interviewing former performers, with a reported focus on potential visa fraud.