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What is the “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” of Falun Gong?

2017-01-12 Source:facts.org.cn

New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) and its subordinated Shen Yun Performing Arts are both affiliated organizations of Falun Gong. Before you make the decision to watch the shows, it’s necessary for you to learn more about the truth of Falun Gong and its “Performing Arts Shows”.

--- What does Falun Gong believe in?

Falun Gong, which is also known as Falun Dafa, originated in China during the early 1990s. Its founder is Li Hongzhi. It claims that the practices of Falun Gong can “build body, raise moral standard, and become immortal beings”.

As the leader, Li Hongzhi alleges that:

human beings have been destroyed 81 times and the earth will be destoryed at once, and nobody but him can stop it;

human beings get corrupted and the earth is just a large garbage dumpl in the universe; nobody but the practitioners of Falun Gong can escape from it.

He prevents practitioners of Falun Gong from believing in religion by claiming that religion is misleading and that only Falun Gong is the “right doctrine” above all the religions.

He said that everything in the world is arranged by him and even the holocaust carried out by Hitler was the result of astrological changes.

He said that diseases needn’t be handled by visiting doctors or taking medicine, and can be removed by practicing Falun Gong.

He goes further to spread racist thoughts by claiming that hybrid race can be saved only by practicing Falun Gong and that homosexuals, are those with the dirty psychopathy and will be eliminated by the “Deity”.

Incomplete statistics show that more than 1000 practitioners of Falun Gong have died of their diseases due to their refusal to seek medical help due to the deceptive doctrine of Li Hongzhi; that several hundred practitioners of Falun Gong have killed or mutilated themselves; and that more than 30 innocent people have been killed by  practitioners of Falun Gong.

Even in the United States, some practitioners, like Feng Lili and Li Dayong lost their lives because they refused to seek medical help.

Falun Gong orally advertises their “truthfulness, compassion and forbearance”, but in practice tolerates nothing different.

Falun Gong has organized its disciples to attack those people, media and government agencies, including the Associated Press and Rogers, which questioned the fallacies of Falun Gong. In December 2014, Rick Ross, a famous U.S. scholar in the research and intervention of cult issues, published the book Cults Inside Out. Two chapters of this book discuss Falun Gong in detail, and define Falun Gong as a “destructive cult with a global impact”. (The book is available at the following website:  https://www.amazon.com/Cults-Inside-Out-How-People/dp/149731660X  )

--- Deceptive nature of Falun Gong’s “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows”

“Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” are performances put together by Falun Gong. In the shows, performers preach the doctrine of Falun Gong and flatter the cult ringleader Li Hongzhi. Li Hongzhi himself even claimed in public that “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” are held by the local “Falun Gong” organizations.

The “Performing Arts Shows” are organized for “the entertainment of common people”, but to “display the charms of Dafa disciples….deliver people and unveil the truth”.

However, the so-called “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” aren’t cultural and artistic performances, but Falun Gong’s political tool to advertise Falun Gong, conduct anti-Chinese propaganda, expand influence and wantonly make money. They have stained and twisted Chinese culture to fool their audiences.

“Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” include programs which preach the doctrines of Falun Gong and attack the Chinese government. These programs may fall into three categories: first, the programs of traditional Chinese culture; second, the programs on the doctrine of Falun Gong; third, the programs that smear the Chinese government’s “persecution” of Falun Gong.

First, the programs of traditional Chinese culture mainly take the form of folk dances and the music of China. But these programs only make up a small proportion, and are designed only to attract an audience. To cover the real intention, these programs are mostly presented during the first half of the Performing Arts Shows.

Second, the programs that extol Li Hongzhi and preach the doctrines of Falun Gong; they all sing the “greatness” of Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong and “Dafa disciples”. These programs deify Li Hongzhi in a very covert manner and absurdly claim that Li Hongzhi is the reincarnation of Emperor Li Shimin and a Buddha descending to the human world. Since Li Hongzhi used to give such hints, lots of programs center on this theme.

Third, the programs that smear the Chinese government’s “persecution” of Falun Gong, include stories about the “persecution” of Falun Gong practitioners and the defaming of Chinese government and law enforcement officials.

“Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” under the guise of “traditional culture” is something more than a deceptive show. When the so-called “persecution” of Falun Gong is advertised, “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows” have been developed into a significant platform where the poisonous doctrine of Falun Gong is preached. The cult’s thoughts are advertised when the upholding of “divine culture” is used as a legal form. In this way, the fallacies of Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong can increase their influence in the name of “divine culture” to reap the identification with and even acceptance of Falun Gong by the innocent audience with little access to the truth. So Falun Gong can achieve its intention of controlling people ideologically.

On the performance list of Shen Yun, there are always several programs based on ancient Chinese stories or folk arts, such as "Mulan Joins the Army", "Loyalty of Yue Fei", "Drummers of the Tang Court", "Flowing Sleeves", "The Monkey King Triumphs". But the real purpose of Shen Yun is to instill those well-disguised cultic doctrines into the audience.

To hide something instead of exposing everything is actually a deliberate technique of Falun Gong’s “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows”. It's like seasoning a tasteless meal or serving a dessert before the main course so as to tempt the audience into more programs. The organizer clearly knows that no western audience will accept physically and psychologically direct political propaganda and "truth clarification" and they will leave the theater during the performance, which is a humiliation for the performers and the organizer. As a result, the shows may become a one-for-all-deal. Li Hongzhi, as a trumpeter, knows much about the tricks involved.

---More people see the truth of Falun Gong’s “Shen Yun Performing Arts Shows”

Lots of US-based media have published articles in recent years revealing the truth about the shows by Falun Gong, such as New York Times' A Glimpse of Chinese Culture That Some Find Hard to Watch on February 6, 2008 and Los Angeles Times' Ties to Falun Gong add Controversy to the Chinese New Year Spectacular on January 7, 2008. Some US audiences going to the show without preparation are also aware of the truth later and have written online articles to reveal the truth about these shows.

● On January 7, 2008, Los Angeles Times published Ties to Falun Gong Add Controversy to the Chinese New Year Spectacular to report that, "Most of the Chinese community think it's linked too much with political events," Michael Cheung, president of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, based in downtown Los Angeles said, "I saw the show last year at the Kodak Theatre. Some of the contents reflect politics and human rights; it is not exactly art."

● On January 9, 2008, Star-Telegram commented in the article Show's Beauty Shaded by Political Message: "The basic message – Falun Gong good, Chinese government bad – could not have been clearer."

● On February 6, 2008, New York Times mentioned in A Glimpse of Chinese Culture That Some Find Hard to Watch that more members of the audience "had realized that the show was not simply a celebration of the Chinese New Year, but an outreach of Falun Gong, that is banned in China. People leaving before and during the show out of Radio City said that they felt uneasy with this stuff.”

● On January 17, 2008, Canadian CBC TV broadcasted a news segment entitled: Chinese New Year Spectacular "Just Propaganda of Falun Gong: Chinese Embassy. The news related the view of the Chinese Embassy to Canada and quoted a letter from a Canadian Chinese citizen saying, "We went there looking for traditional Chinese culture and a celebration of New Year and it wasn't either of those things, really. In the end, I felt deceived."

● On January 20, 2008, the Toronto-based Canadian newspaper The Star published an article Falun Gong New Year Event Mere Propaganda, stating: "The production is so heavily laden with Falun Gong messages as to negate any pleasure the dancing and singing might have afforded. Art it wasn't. The choreography was consistently banal, with the performers arranged in rows doing identical gestures. The dancers were under-rehearsed and unremarkable."

● On February 25, 2008, the British newspaper the Telegraph published an article Shen Yun: Propaganda as Entertainment, claiming "Acrobatics, singing and dancing skills are used in the service of a propaganda exercise on the part of Falun Gong." "Most of the members of the Shen Yun Performing Arts troupe are members of Falun Gong. But their beliefs do not simply form a backdrop to a neutral presentation of traditional Chinese dance and legends. They are the focal point of the evening. Thus the songs boast about the benefit of the laws and principles by which they live." Sarah Crompton, a journalist from the Telegraph, said: "What I really object to is that such a politically motivated performance is being smuggled on to stages around Europe in the name of family entertainment."

● On February 25, 2008, the Guardian published "Something Creepy" about Falun Gong Performers, saying, "Most performers of Shen Yun Performing Arts are the practitioners of Falun Gong. What they hope to present or the purpose of this show is to demonstrate against the communist system of China. Even if you are sympathetic to the Falun Gong cause, there is something creepy about the evangelical tone with which this is delivered. "

● On February 25, 2008, the Evening Standard reported Great Pall of China that, " The company is based in New York and wastes little time bashing the Chinese Communist Party, both in the programme and on stage. You could overlook the politics if the show was any good, but it is dated and sentimental, with comically bad comperes, laughably awful film projections and dance routines that would make panto producers blush."

● On March 31, 2008, the Melbourne-based Australian newspaper The Age reported: "Many performers of the show are Chinese exiles who follow Falun Gong. Lead dancer and assistant company manager Vina Lee said the show told traditional spiritual stories suppressed by the Chinese Government."

Because of the political theme, Shen Yun shows have been rejected not only by some countries but also by lots of politicians.

● The Malaysian government canceled a dance performance of Falun Gong which was planned to be staged on March 22-23, 2008. According to a government official, the Malaysian government revoked the show's permit because the Chinese Embassy complained that the organizers — U.S.-based New Tang Dynasty Television station — were supporters of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that Beijing bans as a dangerous cult.

● New Zealand’s political leaders refused to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts Show. New Zealand Herald reported on April 7, 2008 that “the Shen Yun Performing Arts Show has stirred up controversy. Invited guests are spurning a Chinese cultural performance in Auckland as organizers try to stop a repeat of last year's situation when not a single politician turned up.”

● Shen Yun Performing Arts Show tasted the same cold treatment in Australia. The Age related on March 31, 2008, that about 130 Victorian MPs were invited to a VIP function on opening night but only seven attended. Four MPs who had accepted invitations cancelled at the last minute, without explanation.

Most articles published by Falun Gong media cited that "people of all walks" sang praise about the "excellent shows". Ironically, these "celebrities", "statesmen", and ordinary audience members in western countries talked about the excellence of the performance in terms of costumes, lighting, and stage set but few of them mentioned the content of these programs. Even if there are a few remarks about the content in these articles, the topics center on "traditional Chinese culture" and few of them are about the impressions on Falun Gong. The reason why this happens is that the Falun Gong organization intends to fool western countries by covering their real purpose of launching political propaganda.

--Falun Gong is a political organization that holds a staunch anti-Chinese stand and damages the Sino-US relationship.

The Chinese government banned Falun Gong according to laws to protect human rights and social and public benefits. However, Falun Gong continues to cheat the public and propagandize the cult under the guise of “religious organization” and even tries all means to conduct anti-Chinese activities and damage the Sino-US relationship. They make up all kinds of lies to attack and slander the Chinese government, wrongfully accused Chinese government agencies and officials, and harassed the officials from the Chinese Embassy to America so as to undermine the stability of Chinese society and overthrow the Chinese government. With their anti-Chinese propaganda, they’ve become an anti-Chinese political organization. Falun Gong’s cultic thoughts and anti-Chinese activities have resulted in considerable opposition and condemnation from lots of Chinese Americans.

Chinese culture, with its long history and profound content, has enjoyed long-standing interest and love from Americans. But we must remind you to keep away from Fal;un Gong’s “Shen Yun Performing Arts Show” when you appreciate or support those celebrations and performances with the theme of Chinese culture. Otherwise, you may get deceived and exploited by Falun Gong.

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