An annual religious freedom report documents the Chinese regime’s tactics in pressuring venues to cancel performances by the group.
The State Department has placed the limelight on Beijing’s persistent efforts to censor Shen Yun Performing Arts, a New York-based arts group that tours the world to present traditional Chinese culture while drawing attention to ongoing human rights abuses in China.
The department’s annual religious freedom report, released on June 26, documents the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) tactics in pressuring venues in multiple countries to “refuse to host or cancel already scheduled performances” by Shen Yun.
“Many of the performers are Falun Gong practitioners,“ the report states in describing Shen Yun, and ”in addition to traditional Chinese dances, some dances portray present-day religious persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.”
Falun Gong is a spiritual practice involving both meditative exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. In 1999, the CCP has declared Falun Gong practitioners a “top enemy,” deploying an all-out campaign to arrest and torture adherents across China, in a bid to eradicate the faith.
Shen Yun, with a mission to showcase “China before communism,” has been a target for the regime since its founding in 2006. During its global tours to more than 20 countries across five continents, the company has suffered several incidents of sabotage to its tour buses and seen venues back out at the last minute after receiving letters from Chinese officials threatening their countries’ economic interests.
The coercion has been relatively effective in South Korea, a close U.S. ally that also counts on China as its biggest trading partner.