Artist Responds to New York Times Critiques of Shen Yun, Setting the Record Straight
A former Shen Yun performer claims that the journalists appeared determined to craft a negative narrative, overlooking key details and presenting a biased view of the organization.
NEW YORK—A former musician from Shen Yun Performing Arts, who has been cited as a critical source in multiple New York Times articles, has stepped forward to clarify his stance.
He expressed that the portrayal in the articles presents a distorted perspective and has negative implications, stating that during his interview, the Times reporters exhibited a biased viewpoint.
Shen Yun, a classical Chinese dance and music company based in New York, was established in 2006 by practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that faces severe persecution from the Chinese communist regime.
Every year, the company’s eight dance troupes and orchestras perform to great acclaim across some of the world’s most esteemed venues, championing the theme, “China before communism.”
Some of the dance performances address the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
In the last five months, The New York Times has released several articles featuring complaints from former Shen Yun performers regarding pay, workload, and working conditions.
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The recent article prominently discusses young artists touring with Shen Yun as part of their studies at two affiliated religious institutions, Fei Tian College and Fei Tian Academy of the Arts.
Highlighted in the article is violinist Eugene Liu, who left Shen Yun in 2017, voicing concerns regarding the remuneration of student artists.
However, following the publication, Liu communicated with The Epoch Times and made a series of posts on X, asserting that comparing the stipend he received as a student performer to a standard wage is misleading.
“A more accurate comparison exists in collegiate sports, where student-athletes (many of whom receive full scholarships) are not compensated for their participation,” he remarked in a post on social media platform X, noting that Fei Tian students, like student-athletes, also receive full scholarships and gain additional value from the hands-on experience.
“I credit my artistic achievements post-Shen Yun to the invaluable performance opportunities I was afforded between 2015 and 2017,” he stated on X.
Shen Yun representatives previously mentioned that besides the scholarships and stipends provided to artists, students also have all touring expenses reimbursed, including certain leisure activities.
“Although I am no longer performing with Fei Tian and Shen Yun,” Liu continued in subsequent posts, “my experience there was entirely positive. The nurturing environment allowed me to steer clear of issues many peers face, such as internet and gaming addiction, as well as substance abuse. … I never felt deprived of material possessions, and significantly, the mission of Shen Yun nourished me spiritually.”
Liu felt compelled to speak out because he was worried that the articles in The New York Times could jeopardize Shen Yun’s efforts in fighting against the persecution of Falun Gong, he conveyed to The Epoch Times.
The curtain call for Shen Yun Performing Arts at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on Jan 11, 2015. Larry Dai/Epoch Times
“That’s the effect the New York Times article has. It incites persecution by attempting to, in a manner of speaking, discredit [Shen Yun],” he stated.
His impression was that The New York Times reporters, Nicole Hong and Michael Rothfeld, approached Shen Yun with the belief that it was something “sinister.”
“It’s challenging to change the minds of those who already hold that belief. You could claim they’ve been influenced or brainwashed. If that’s their perspective while reporting, it tends to produce more extreme outcomes,” he commented.
In discussing the articles, Hong mentioned that she had little knowledge of Shen Yun before being approached by an individual claiming to have insider information about the company, who subsequently connected her with a former performer.
The identity of this individual remains unclear. However, a Chinese-American man known for his extreme anti-Falun Gong remarks on social media has spoken with some of the same former performers on his YouTube channel and later claimed credit for introducing the reporters to “at least the initial” former performers with grievances against Shen Yun.
Students practice meditation on the campus of Fei Tian college in Deerpark, New York. Courtesy of Shen Yun Performing Arts
Last year, the FBI warned law enforcement that the man might be “armed and dangerous” after he was seen near the Shen Yun compound in upstate New York. He was later arrested and charged with illegal firearm possession.
Earlier this year, multiple whistleblowers from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) security establishment revealed that the regime is utilizing this Chinese-American individual, along with other social media influencers and the Western media at large, to conduct a smear campaign against Falun Gong and Shen Yun. One of the campaign’s objectives is to generate allegations that could trigger investigations into Shen Yun by U.S. authorities, they noted.
Spirituality vs ‘Cynicism’
Liu, alongside many other current and former Shen Yun artists who spoke with The Epoch Times, underscored the significance of spiritual beliefs to the performers.
Numerous Shen Yun artists engage in Falun Gong practice and assert that they seek to embody its principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance to better both their character and their artistry. Moreover, they highlighted that the traditional Chinese culture depicted by Shen Yun integrates spiritual elements, particularly those from Buddhism and Taoism.
Shen Yun dancers perform on stage during a show. Courtesy of Shen Yun
“Our motivations were deeply spiritual,” Liu remarked.
“So it wasn’t merely about making money, traveling the world, or gaining performance experience. Our primary focus was on contributing to a spiritual mission.”
Liu articulated that his objectives were twofold: one was to counter the persecution of Falun Gong, while the other concerned the self-improvement principles within Falun Gong, often referred to as “cultivation.”
“We engage in endeavors that we believe enhance us through our spiritual practices in cultivation. Thus, it wasn’t a typical company with standard performance goals,” he stated.
Falun Gong practitioners perform the exercises at an event celebrating World Falun Dafa Day in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 1, 2021. Sun Hsiang-yi/The Epoch Times
Liu mentioned that he had candid discussions with Hong and Rothfeld about the spiritual dimensions of life on the Fei Tian campus but sensed a lack of open-mindedness from their side.
“They appear to approach the narrative from a cynical viewpoint, attempting to piece together information through that lens, rather than arriving with an unbiased perspective,” he observed.
The New York Times articles frequently utilized the CCP propaganda narrative that portrays Falun Gong as a doomsday cult. However, they consistently failed to mention that Falun Gong practitioners explicitly reject such characterizations.
In one instance, Hong seemed to suggest a negative implication regarding a scene in a Shen Yun performance where a natural disaster struck a Chinese city, neglecting to mention that the scene concluded with divine intervention reversing the calamity—essentially the opposite message of what she hinted.
“There are many important details they conveniently omit,” Liu remarked.
He speculated that the reporters may have considered including such information unnecessary, but from the perspective of performers and how the company operates, “it’s essential not to exclude these facts, as it distorts the narrative significantly.”
