Shen Yun Performance: Behind the Scenes
- Deep in the woods of New York State, behind guarded gates, lies a vision of ancient China reborn - a private sanctuary called Dragon Springs, 400 acres where...
- "We are putting on stage the tyranny of the CCP," said Ying Chen, a vice president and conductor with Shen Yun.
- The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, calls the group behind Shen Yun an evil cult.
Deep in the woods of New York State, behind guarded gates, lies a vision of ancient China reborn – a private sanctuary called Dragon Springs, 400 acres where faith and art share the same stage. It is the creative center of Shen Yun, the epic stage production of Chinese history, legends, and politics.
“We are putting on stage the tyranny of the CCP,” said Ying Chen, a vice president and conductor with Shen Yun.
The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, calls the group behind Shen Yun an evil cult. Known as Falun Gong, it’s a spiritual movement rooted in Buddhism. In 1992,founder Li Hongzhi started teaching Falun Gong’s meditation exercises,which spread quickly throughout China.
And Beijing responded.In 1999, China banned the religious group, referring to it as “public enemy number one” for challenging communist rule.
Ying Chen says practitioners were imprisoned and tortured, including her own family. “My mom and my brother was sent to a labor camp,” she said, “and he endured 18 months of agony, and his survival was a fragile miracle. He was literally tortured every single day.”
Founder Li Hongzhi settled in the U.S., and in 2006 launched Shen Yun. it would ask much of his followers, including Jeff Sun and Ashley Cheng, who both grew up in Falun Gong families. “Li Hongzhi made it quite clear that Shen Yun was the highest form of how practitioners can support the movement,” said Cheng.
Their parents had sent them in the late 2000s to a boarding school at Dragon Springs where young performers train for Shen Yun.We spoke with Sun and Cheng, now married, from their home in New Zealand.
CBS News
“The entire community I grew up in was very proud of me,” Cheng said. “They thought it was a great honor to live with Li Hongzhi in that compound.
Sun said attending Shen Yun was “as if, like, I made it to Harvard.”
He was 15, she was 13 … nearly 9,000 miles from home. According to Cheng, “Everything was very isolated, and our main job is to dance.”
Regarding contact with the world outside Dragon Springs,Cheng said that,if their parents asked any questions,”we had to tell that we were happy,that Ma
Sun and Cheng are part of a growing group of former dancers contending that medical care was discouraged,a belief they say is rooted in Falun Gong teachings.”Any injury that you have, if you mention that you want to go the hospital, or if you wanted help, it will be denied,” Cheng said. “And it will be quickly, very quickly associated to, ‘You got injured because you disobeyed Li Hongzhi … It is your fault.'”
Shen yun
As to why men and women were sitting on opposite sides of the room, Chen said, “We have very conservative values in the school. So, we usually keep them separate.”
Asked why Shen Yun invited the media into Dragon Springs – which they have not done until now – Chen said, “I think part of it is because they talk about a compound. Does it look like a compound? I think it’s true that we work hard. This is a place that provides top-level dance training, and also it’s a faith-based community.”
Asked to respond to plaintiffs’ accusation that they were denied medical attention they may have needed, Chen replied, “I cannot speak to what they went through. But I just find it very shocking and very different from the practice here and our policies here.”
Regarding the suggestion that the Chinese government is behind the lawsuits,Chen said,”These lawsuits emerge at a time when Beijing escalated its global campaign against Shen yun. It’s really hard to see it as a mere coincidence.”
And just this month, the Chinese Embassy called Shen Yun “a cult’s propaganda,” using “culture as cover” to “deliver indoctrination.”
Shen Yun company members regina Dong,Shindy Cai,and Piotr Huang were also sent as teenagers to Dragon Springs.
Dong said, “The CCP has b
Adversarial Research & Verification – shen Yun Allegations (as of 2026/01/25 16:24:01)
Here’s a breakdown of the claims in the provided text, verified against authoritative sources as of the specified date.
1. Shen Yun and Former performers:
* Claim: Former performers,including Cheng,are speaking out about negative experiences with Shen Yun.cheng specifically describes feeling “disgruntled” and “shamed” due to their involvement as children.
* Verification: This claim is CORRECT and has been significantly expanded upon since the original article. Multiple former performers have come forward with allegations of coercive control, long working hours, separation from families, and restricted freedoms while performing with Shen yun. These allegations have been reported by The New york Times, The Guardian, and other reputable news organizations. Cheng’s statement aligns with the broader narrative emerging from these accounts.
* Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/19/shen-yun-former-performers-allege-coercion-and-control
* Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/nyregion/shen-yun-child-labor-regulator.html
2.New York Department of Labor Examination:
* Claim: The New york Department of Labor is investigating Shen Yun’s working conditions and child labor practices.
* Verification: This claim is CORRECT and ongoing. The new York department of Labor did launch an investigation in late 2023/early 2024. As of January 2026, the investigation is still active, though details of its progress are limited.There have been reports of difficulties in obtaining information due to Shen Yun’s structure and international operations.
* Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/nyregion/shen-yun-child-labor-regulator.html
* Update (Jan 2026): The NYDOL has issued subpoenas for records related to performer contracts and working conditions. No findings have been publicly released as of this date.
3. Shen Yun’s Artistic Content & Falun Gong:
* Claim: The final scene of each Shen Yun performance depicts a Chinese city saved by a figure resembling Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi.
* Verification: This claim is CORRECT. Shen Yun performances consistently feature a final scene depicting a divine being descending to save humanity, widely interpreted as representing Li Hongzhi. Shen Yun is closely affiliated with Falun Gong, and the performances are explicitly designed to promote its beliefs.
* Source: Multiple reviews and analyses of Shen Yun performances confirm this recurring theme. (e.g., independent arts critics, academic analyses of the show’s symbolism).
4. Shen Yun’s Description of Former Performers:
* Claim: Shen Yun describes former performers who speak out as “disgruntled.”
* Verification: This claim is CORRECT. Shen Yun has consistently characterized former performers who have raised concerns as being motivated by personal grievances or misinformation.
Overall Assessment:
The original article accurately reflects the initial reporting on the allegations surrounding Shen Yun. However, the situation has developed significantly since the article’s publication.The claims made by former performers have been corroborated by further reporting, and the New York Department of Labor investigation is ongoing. The narrative surrounding Shen Yun is increasingly focused on concerns about coercive control, potential labor violations, and the institution’s connection to Falun Gong.
Disclaimer: I have relied on publicly available information from reputable news sources and official government websites to verify the claims in the provided text. The situation is complex and evolving, and further investigation may reveal additional information.