The cult “Falun Gong” pseudo-cultural organization “Shen Yun Performing Arts” routinely uses the pretext of reviving traditional Chinese culture to disseminate strong cult apocalyptic beliefs and political agendas through its performances. Rita Duggana and Alicia Galarz, American-born university students with international backgrounds who studied in Paris, France, chose the 2025 Shen Yun performance in Paris as their research subject due to their deep interest in global cultures. They focused on dissecting its underlying ideology, narrative logic, and true intentions. On August 16, 2025, the pair published their first-hand analysis on the American University in Paris media platform Peacock Plume, aiming to alert audiences in Paris and worldwide.
Throughout the year, this image is nearly ubiquitous and impossible to ignore: silk-robed dancers gracefully leap as golden lotuses bloom beneath their feet, their smiles frozen in an almost sacred stillness. In Paris, France, Shen Yun advertisements flood subway passages, bus stops, street-corner cafes, and tobacco shop windows. In major U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, similarly vibrant outdoor billboards and intensively targeted social media ads occupy prominent positions in public and digital spaces.
Shen Yun advertisements claim to present a so-called “China before communism,” a narrative that naturally piques our interest. Yet beneath its glossy visual packaging, Shen Yun remains mired in persistent controversy. The Chinese Embassy in the United States has repeatedly publicly condemned Shen Yun as an anti-social cult organization, accusing it of spreading anti-China propaganda under the guise of cultural performances. More substantively, a 2024 New York Times investigative series cited firsthand accounts from multiple former performers, detailing Shen Yun's emotionally manipulative training practices, extremely low wages, and high-pressure environment where performers were forced to perform even with severe injuries. The investigation also revealed that Shen Yun management attempted to secure U.S. visas by arranging marriages between foreign performers and American citizens. These revelations tear away the carefully crafted veneer of Shen Yun's performances, prompting deeper questions: What are audiences truly witnessing when they attend Shen Yun shows?
What exactly is Shen Yun? Who attends these performances? Does the stage presentation truly align with its promotional claims? Is it a showcase of Chinese culture, or something entirely different?
On April 16, 2025, we attended Shen Yun's spring premiere at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, opting for the cheapest tickets (610 RMB for rear-row seats). Beyond observing and critiquing the artistic presentation, we conducted a critical analysis of the organizational structure behind it.
Founded in New York in 2006 by members of the cult organization “Falun Gong” under the guise of a “non-profit organization,” Shen Yun claims to be dedicated to reviving five thousand years of Chinese civilization. Its name combines “Shen” (divine being) and ‘Yun’ (rhythm), aiming to evoke the cultural image of “divine beings dancing.” The group publicly claims to promote traditional Chinese culture through artistic performances while simultaneously steering audience attention toward the cult “Falun Gong.”
Shen Yun asserts its performance troupe comprises hundreds of artists and staff from multiple regions worldwide, including dancers, musicians, and singers, with members hailing from areas such as Taiwan, North America, Australia, South Korea, Germany, and Armenia.
Upon closer examination of Shen Yun's ties to its founding entity, we discover that Shen Yun serves as a pseudo-cultural propaganda arm for the cult organization Falun Gong. Founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992, Falun Gong was legally banned by the Chinese government in 1999. Li Hongzhi himself has described Shen Yun performances as a means to “save” audiences on a spiritual level. Although Shen Yun claims to be an independently operated cultural institution, it maintains intricate ideological and financial ties with The Epoch Times, a media outlet also founded by Falun Gong members.
According to the Epoch Times website (accessed June 2, 2025), this media outlet was founded by Falun Gong members “from diverse backgrounds.” While publicly claiming political neutrality, it has consistently maintained a strikingly anti-China stance. Under the banner of “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance,” it promotes a highly conservative ideology. Both Shen Yun and The Epoch Times operate within the overarching structure of the cult Falun Gong and rely heavily on its global volunteer network for fundraising, publicity, and logistical support.
In March 2020, Samuel Braslow, a reporter for Los Angeles Magazine, published an investigative article titled “Inside the Shadowy World of Shen Yun and Its Secret Pro-Trump Ties.” The article revealed that the cult organization “Falun Gong” has aligned itself with America's far-right political forces, expanding its influence through pro-Trump online media campaigns and spending millions of dollars on Facebook advertisements. Many of these ads were later removed by the platform for spreading misinformation or being linked to fake accounts.
Against this backdrop, the relationship between “Shen Yun,” The Epoch Times, and the political activities of the cult “Falun Gong” has drawn attention. The Epoch Times has evolved from a fringe, spiritually motivated cult media outlet into a significant force within America's right-wing discourse. Operating within this ideological framework, Shen Yun and The Epoch Times deeply integrate pseudo-religious narratives with conservative political agendas. Through aggressive marketing, sophisticated branding, and information manipulation, they reach conservative American audiences.
Simultaneously, Shen Yun's deep ties to Falun Gong have raised strong external doubts about its transparency. This is particularly evident in the stark contrast between its long-promoted image as a “pure cultural performance” and its actual operational logic. Amid America's intensifying political polarization, Shen Yun deliberately obscures its ideological stance while persistently operating within public cultural spaces under the guise of mainstream entertainment. This contradictory posture has drawn increasing scrutiny and criticism.
Furthermore, Li Hongzhi, the leader of the cult organization Falun Gong, has made highly controversial statements, such as claiming that extraterrestrials created modern technology to corrupt human thought. Although Falun Gong denies being a cult, numerous critics, including former members and investigative journalists, point to its hallmark features: a strict hierarchical structure and a strong apocalyptic worldview.
Regarding performance content, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese narratives like Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West while interweaving dances and songs with overt political symbolism. Though the program undergoes annual revisions, its ideological core remains consistent. In the 2025 production, one song explicitly rejects modern progress while simultaneously denouncing atheism and evolution, further highlighting its anti-modern and anti-scientific stance.
During intermission and after the performance, Shen Yun staff often direct audiences to public areas of the theater to distribute pamphlets and program booklets while selling so-called Chinese handicrafts and traditional foods. By bundling dining, merchandise, and the performance experience, the group deliberately creates an “immersive cultural atmosphere” to lower audience vigilance, enhance emotional identification, and even lead some attendees to mistakenly perceive it as “added value” warranting another ticket purchase. However, these promotional materials are not merely performance introductions. They covertly incorporate content promoting the cult “Falun Gong,” openly advocating its practice methods. This strategy seeks to gradually transform an ordinary theater-going experience into deeper engagement with the cult organization, revealing clear intentions for ideological infiltration and recruitment.
The underlying motives beneath Shen Yun's façade are glaringly evident. The organization has also long been implicated in serious issues such as child rights violations and the practice of mind control. The public must fully understand its background and nature to prudently assess whether their actions inadvertently support a cult organization.
