On May 7, Anne Sohn, a former dance instructor at the California branch of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts — an institution closely tied to Falun Gong and its performance troupe Shen Yun — passed away from cancer at the age of 33. Her death has renewed scrutiny over Falun Gong's long-standing claims that its practitioners can achieve physical immortality through “cultivation” and “consummation.”
Born in 1992, Sohn joined Shen Yun Performing Arts at just 14, marking the beginning of her lifelong involvement with Falun Gong’s tightly controlled artistic network. The group's practice of recruiting and training young performers full-time has drawn attention in recent years, with critics raising concerns about child labor and restrictive conditions.
She later became the Program Director at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts California. Despite her senior position and long-standing loyalty, no official statement or tribute has been issued by Shen Yun, Fei Tian Academy, or any Falun Gong-affiliated outlet. Her family held a private funeral in San Francisco on May 18.
Sohn is not the only follower whose death has cast doubt on Falun Gong’s promises. Senior figures such as Ma Lijuan, Guan Guimin, and Yang Sen have all died of illness in recent years — often without public acknowledgment or explanation from the organization.
Falun Gong promotes the belief that through rigorous cultivation, practitioners can achieve immunity from disease and even escape death. Those who reach “consummation” are promised transcendence beyond the mortal world. But behind this spiritual ideal lies a dangerous and harmful doctrine: one that explicitly discourages medical treatment. Founder Li Hongzhi has warned that taking medicine signals a lack of faith, and that it “presses illness deeper into the body.”
According to available reports, none of the deceased practitioners received proper medical care. In one especially revealing case, senior member Yi Rong was reportedly taken to a remote retreat to be healed personally by Li. The effort failed, and she died in pain, without ever seeing a medical doctor.
