Shen Yun Claims Lawsuit is ‘Clearly’ a Tactic in CCP’s Attack Campaign
A performing arts company has expressed concern regarding the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration into U.S. media and its attempts to undermine freedoms.
The woman who initiated the lawsuit is reportedly associated with a Chinese government agency and has provided interviews to individuals utilized by the CCP to discredit Shen Yun, as described in the statement.
“In the end, it will alarm the American public to discover that the CCP has significantly contributed to the widespread dissemination of false narratives within mainstream media,” the statement remarked.
“This issue transcends merely the reputation of our cherished company; it is vital for America to safeguard against Beijing’s influence over U.S. businesses, the media, freedom of belief, and freedom of expression in this country.”
Shen Yun, recognized as the premier classical Chinese dance and music company globally, was established in New York in 2006 by those practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline emphasizing truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, which has faced severe persecution by the CCP since 1999.
The company’s eight orchestras and dance troupes delight around a million audiences annually with the slogan, “China before communism.” Many of its performances address the persecution faced by Falun Gong practitioners.
Related Stories
“Since our inception, the CCP has launched a global campaign to vilify and undermine our company,” the statement noted, highlighting a report this year that documents over 130 instances of CCP interference with Shen Yun, including pressuring local authorities and theater managers to cancel performances, as well as resorting to vandalism, thuggery, and death threats.
About-Face
The complaint was brought by a woman who previously performed with Shen Yun but departed in 2019. In the last two years, she has made various allegations, claiming that the company exploits and mistreats its artists.
She reiterated some of these claims in a New York Times article earlier this year, as well as in the lawsuit.
The organization indicated that the woman’s narrative regarding Shen Yun has dramatically shifted over the years.
“During the two years after her departure, she expressed her appreciation for her experience at Shen Yun. At that time, she also sought opportunities to return to the company or to teach at a training school with many Shen Yun artists,” the statement read.
“Additionally, she expressed a desire to open her own dance studio, aiming to assist other young dancers in joining Shen Yun. These statements clearly contradict her current allegations both in media interviews and in the lawsuit.”
In recent years, her dance studio in Taiwan has collaborated with a teacher from the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA), a state-run institution that views Shen Yun as a competitor, as noted in a report by the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDIC), an organization that monitors the persecution of Falun Gong.
Shen Yun questioned whether “the abrupt and extreme change” in the woman’s outlook toward the company could be attributed to these influences.
“What is undeniable is that her revised narrative forms the basis of her lawsuit and echoes a broader, malevolent campaign to eliminate Shen Yun,” the statement emphasized.
Recent whistleblower accounts suggest that the smear campaign is led personally by Chen Yixin, the head of China’s Ministry of State Security, who is known to be loyal to Xi Jinping.
“His objective is to undermine Falun Gong’s presence abroad, disassemble the organization, and completely resolve the ‘Falun Gong issue’ by year-end,” the whistleblower claimed.
Shen Yun pointed out that this CCP initiative “seems to be the origin behind the recent articles published in the New York Times and other media outlets.”
The New York Times headquarters in New York City on Dec. 7, 2009. Mario Tama/Getty Images
The organization criticized the articles for depending on statements from “a small number of ex-Shen Yun performers—some of whom have known ties to the Chinese regime and/or were dismissed by Shen Yun for violating company policies.” It pointed out that certain media platforms had leveraged disgruntled performers’ claims “to generalize about a company that has collaborated with hundreds of artists.”
Shen Yun urged the media to practice “caution, skepticism, and thorough fact-checking before amplifying accusations from such individuals, especially in light of the CCP’s well-documented efforts to target Shen Yun with international repression and propaganda.”
Distortions, Inaccuracies
The recent articles by the New York Times were described by Shen Yun as “filled with inaccuracies and misrepresentations” regarding the company’s operations, referencing an earlier FDIC report to that effect.
In opposition to claims made by the New York Times that the organization employs underaged performers, the company established that 85 percent of its artists are adults, “with only a limited number of slots dedicated to talented youth” from affiliated religious performing arts schools, who can apply to tour with Shen Yun “as part of a curriculum sanctioned by the New York State Department of Education,” the statement highlighted.
Additionally, the articles inaccurately suggested that Shen Yun discourages its performers from seeking medical assistance, according to the company’s assertion.
Furthermore, the organization criticized The New York Times for demonstrating “cultural and religious bias.”
“Considering our community is faith-based, the narrative promoted by the Times and other media outlets is inciting animosity toward Shen Yun performers and Falun Gong practitioners at large,” it noted.
“Consequently, it is not unexpected that threats of bombings, mass shootings, and assaults against Shen Yun’s female performers have seen a marked increase in recent months.”
