Multiple investigations have questioned the ethics and legality of the Falun Gong
On Friday night, Houston Mayor John Whitmire was among the many Houstonians who traveled to Jones Hall for the Performing Arts for a show produced by dance group Shen Yun Performing Arts. Formed in 2006 by Chinese expatriates and members of the Falun Gong new religious movement, Shen Yun tours the world, putting on seemingly daily shows where it presents its story of traditional Chinese culture.
After Whitmire attended Friday's show, the Houston Mayor's Office X account posted photos of him excited to see Shen Yun.
Several comments to the post questioned why Whitmire attended the show:
"There’s a lot of stupid here. Shen Yun is the PR arm of Falun Gong, a cult that is banned by the Chinese government. It has been very supportive of Trump through its Epoch Times media," wrote one response by X user @lyoungdvm.
On Sunday, The New York Times published a report alleging that Falun Gong has made more than a quarter of a billion dollars "by using religious fealty to command the free labor of its followers. It has received tens of millions of dollars more in ways that may have crossed legal or ethical lines."
The mayor's post on X was still live on Sunday night after the Times published its report, but sometime before 8:30 a.m. Monday, the post was deleted. Whitmire's office did not respond on Monday to Chron when asked about the post and its deletion.
A screenshot showing a since-deleted post by the Houston Mayor's Office celebrating Mayor John Whitmire's appearance at Shen Yun.
Screenshot/X/@houmayor
Allegations against the Falun Gong
The Falun Gong, which was banned by the Chinese Communist Party starting in 1999, has been accused most publicly of exploiting young and low-paid performers, and of propping up its founder Li Hongzhi through its global network.
The New York Times in August reported that Shen Yun "has treated many of its performers as an expendable commodity" by subjecting them to "grueling rehearsal and tour schedules through relentless emotional abuse and manipulation." The Times investigation included interviews with several former dancers who said they had to perform while suffering from multiple injuries and were discouraged from seeking medical care.
Sunday's Times report about the Falun Gong's finances includes allegations of a money-laundering conspiracy regarding the Falun-Gong-affiliated newspaper The Epoch Times, and a strategy to skirt "rules to tap tens of millions of dollars in pandemic-era relief money." Plus, the Times says former Shen Yun performers had to transport cash into the U.S. in "a possible attempt to circumvent laws about reporting U.S. currency transactions."
"Shen Yun has kept its own costs down by wringing countless volunteer hours, and sometimes personal savings, from followers of Mr. Li, who has suggested he created the universe and instructed believers that Shen Yun performances can save people from a coming apocalypse by exposing them to his teachings," wrote the Times.
The ads for its shows, according to the New Yorker, are "both ubiquitous and devoid of content so that they can convince more than a million people to pay good money to watch what is, essentially, religious-political propaganda."
The Falun Gong operates out of Orange County, New York, about 85 miles northwest of Manhattan. It is headquartered in a small hamlet called Deer Park and has slowly taken over the nearby city of Middletown.
Source Link: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/whitmire-shen-yun-falun-gong-20006046.php
