The organizers of Shen Yun, a performing arts troupe that shows audiences a glimpse of “China before communism,” held a press conference on Wednesday in New York City to raise awareness of the growing campaign of repression against the organization.
The Communist Chinese government is at war with a dancing troupe that celebrates China’s history.
Since its founding in 2006, Shen Yun has grown into a worldwide phenomenon with 800 shows across 5 continents in 2024. The show’s popularity has surged despite a concerted campaign of destruction aimed at Shen Yun by CCP forces, which has included bomb threats on venues hosting performances and constant violent threats against performers and their families.
“It’s really scary. As much as we know the serious safety concerns that Shen Yun takes for every tour, we cannot help but be concerned about their safety,” said Kay Rubacek, a documentary producer whose son and daughter perform with Shen Yun, during the press conference.
The threats are allegedly ordered by a directive from Chinese President Xi Yinping and carried out by his enforcers at the United Front Work Department. As Shen Yun expands rapidly and grows more popular with audiences internationally, the repression is reaching a fever pitch and putting the group’s future in jeopardy.
As a result, over 1,500 Shen Yun artists and their family members have signed a petition calling for a federal investigation over this ongoing campaign of CCP-influenced terror that the group has been forced to endure.
“We have families being persecuted in China. We have performers who have lost parents to persecution in China,” said Leeshai Lemish, an emcee with Shen Yun, during the press conference. “We have performers who could not go see their parents for the last time, missed their kids’ weddings.”
As Shen Yun has faced persecution from the CCP, the communist regime’s efforts have been bolstered by American media sources, particularly the New York Times. The Times has frequently run negative stories against Shen Yun, fueling the CCP’s propaganda narratives against the performing troupe.
The Times hit pieces are likely part of a coordinated effort to initiate a lawfare crackdown on Shen Yun from the federal level. The DOJ recently indicted two men who were convicted offering bribes to an IRS official in an attempt to compel that official to revoke the nonprofit designation of Shen Yun.
Shen Yun believes that their struggle is emblematic of a broader fight against CCP dominance. Shen Yun’s success is a reminder that the CCP is not yet effective in reshaping the world in their dark, authoritarian image where freedom of expression is stamped out of society.
“This is a playbook. This is the ability for the Chinese regime to weaponize American institutions against America. And if they succeed in doing this against Shen Yun, against the Falun Gong community, it will not stop there,” said Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, during the press conference.
Iconic political operative and long-time Trump ally Roger Stone believes that embracing Shen Yun is key to defeating the CCP’s propaganda apparatus, and Trump should host Shen Yun in the White House for a performance.
“The demonization of Shen Yun is not unlike what President Trump had to undergo for years with the media and government, with their foreign backers conspiring under cover of darkness to thwart his righteous agenda. The plot against Trump failed, and the plot against Shen Yun will fail too,” Stone wrote.
“Bringing Shen Yun to the White House for a presentation would be a clever way for America to thumb her nose at CCP repression, while making it abundantly clear that Shen Yun is a cultural staple that will never be snuffed out by a jealous regime,” he continued.
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