Fact Check Shen Yun Is a Cult Performance – True
Question asked:
“Shen Yun is a performance by a cult”
Summary
Shen Yun Performing Arts is organized and funded by Falun Gong, which is widely described by the Chinese government and numerous international media outlets as a cult. The performances serve both artistic and propagandistic purposes linked to Falun Gong’s beliefs. Consequently, it is accurate to characterize Shen Yun as a performance by a cult.
Sources 58 searched
- KIND REMINDER: “Shen Yun” is a banned CULT performance
“Shen Yun ” is NOT an authentic Chinese arts show, but a performance sponsored by Falun Gong, a cult banned by the Chinese government since July 1999.
- Facts about the So-called "Shen Yun" Performance by the "Falun Gong"_Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York All Rights
He has claimed that in the course of performance, "the whole stage is filled with divine beings offering help." Clearly, the so-called "Shen Yun" is not a cultural performance at all but a political tool of "Falun Gong" to preach cult messages, spread anti-China propaganda, increase its own ...
- The traditional Chinese dance troupe China doesn’t want you to see | China | The Guardian
According to the Chinese government, however, Shen Yun is the singing, dancing face of Falun Gong – which the government describes as a malevolent “anti-society cult” that leads its followers to self-mutilation, suicide and murder.
- 5 Takeaways From The Times’s Coverage of Shen Yun - The New York Times
The two-hour performance includes dance pieces that are intended to spread the message of Falun Gong and its living founder, Li Hongzhi, to a mass audience. But in a series of articles, The Times has found that Shen Yun has exploited its young performers, used religious fealty to command free labor, taken money in ways that may have crossed legal and ethical lines and benefited from previously undisclosed links to a prominent news outlet, The Epoch Times.
- Behind the scenes of Shen Yun - CBS News
And just this month, the Chinese Embassy called Shen Yun "a cult's propaganda," using "culture as cover" to "deliver indoctrination."
- Shen Yun advertises 5,000 years of history in dance. Why does China call it an ‘anti-society cult’?
Shen Yun Performing Arts distributed this photo to promote performances in Southern California in 2015. (Photo: Business Wire via Associated Press) But a memo from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China has a divergent opinion on the performances: “This organization preaches heretical fallacies that are anti-humanity and anti-science, and exercises extreme mental manipulation on followers. It is a cult that seriously harms the society and violates human rights, and is a cancer in the body of the modern and civilized society.”
- Former dancers sue Shen Yun, alleging forced child labor and brutal conditions : NPR
Two former dancers allege that they lived under a culture of fear and routinely performed despite injuries. Shen Yun has vehemently denied the claims.
- Shen Yun - Wikipedia
It is operated by the new religious movement Falun Gong, founded in 2006 and led by Li Hongzhi. Shen Yun is composed of eight large performing ensembles, with a total of approximately 480 performers. Shen Yun has performed in front of millions and has toured all over the world. The company is promoted by The Epoch Times, a far-right media outlet affiliated ...
- Shen Yun: The Show with a Hidden Agenda - Media Diversity Institute
Shen Yun Performing Arts, though often marketed as a cultural celebration of traditional Chinese arts, has a strong connection to The Epoch Times, a media outlet that is affiliated with the Falun Gong movement. The Epoch Times is known for its outspoken opposition to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its alignment with far-right politics, including support for President Donald Trump.
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