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In this article, Willow Ransom will describe the unethical activities of the religious group Falun Gong, as well as their relation to the local and international performances of Shen Yun.
Falun Gong (Buddhists law) &
Falun Gong (Buddhists law) &
SHen yun (The rhythm of the divine spirit)
SHen yun (The rhythm of the divine spirit)
By Willow Ransom
By Willow Ransom
During any ordinary year, posters are published regarding the Chinese cultural entertainment show of Shen Yun all over the United States. With the show demonstrating a grand array of colors and talents, it is a grand investment to watch for the entertainment and the cultural aspects that can be learned. With innocent shows following classic legends such as Mulan or Journey to the West, it appears to be a desirable experience. However, what is not noticed by those who visit the show is the traditionalist cult of Falun Gong, who controls the artistic group of Shen Yun and has harmed their employees in multiple ways.
In 1999, the Chinese government finally had enough leads to crack down on a group named Falun Gong, which was against the communist regime. While doing so, the Chinese Communist Party claimed to have found 70 million Falun Gong practitioners who worshiped their leader, Li Hongzhi. During the late 1900s, however, the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party perceived Falun Gong as a threat, and it began to persecute those who practiced the spiritual religion. It is mentioned, according to the European Parliament, that since the Falun Gong persecutions during the year 1999, organ transplants increased by 300%. This striking statistic concluded the US governmental investigations to have found records of live, illegal, and forced transactions that resulted in thousands of murders of those who were identified as either political prisoners (usually Muslims) or Falun Gong practitioners.
Photo Credits: Aljazeera
These victims of the Chinese administration were seen as threats to the Marxist, atheistic government. During the investigation, 41,500 unaccounted victims were uncovered from 2000 to 2005, resulting in the conclusion of a genocide that resulted in more than the 41,500 murdered members of Falun Gong throughout the silenced decade that it occurred. Furthermore, according to Human Rights Watch and the Markkula Center, Li Hongzhi already had enough connections in the US to settle Falun Gong in New York in 1996, where he could practice his self-prescribed religion freely and finally became a permanent resident in 1998. With no issue regarding his immigration to the US, however, his followers came along with him. As Falun Gong became more active in the US, the US government slowly came to recognize the true illegal actions that were and are being committed, along with the groups’ connections to ironic, yet horrific, unethical practices such as those following human trafficking, visa fraud, along with abuse and exploitation of their performers.
A few years after Li Hongzhi’s residency, in 2006, Shen Yun was finally set up and, over time, accumulated power and stability by performing all over the country, currently having a net worth of $266 million. This net worth has, since 2006, paid off the group's debts and those who have spoken out against the organization who, according to workers' claims, stole the money from their unpaid laborers and exploited children. Nicole Hong and Micheal Rothfield of The New York Times covered the story of former dancer Chang Chun-Ko, the woman who insisted (and filed a lawsuit against) the practices of Shen Yun. These assertions stated that “Shen Yun instills obedience in its dancers through a wide range of tactics” of which the lawsuit said, “including by confiscating their passports, cutting them off from outside media, denouncing them as Chinese government spies if they question the group’s practices and subjecting rule-breakers to public critique sessions,” along with the idea that the group and its leaders were trafficking vulnerable children to work for little to no pay; an ironic, unethical feat considering Falun Gong’s previous immoral persecutions in China.
According to the former dancer, Ms. Chang, Shen Yun at first recruits children by sham schools that cover the forced labor scheme. As a result, if children refuse to participate, Mr Li would threaten them with physical abuse by “karma” (such as disease, injuries, or car accidents). During Ms. Chang's own time in the Dragon Springs compound, she was also not allowed to use the internet, was not allowed to view anything unauthorized, and was banned from talking to anyone of the opposite sex.
On the other hand, as a young minor, Ms Chang would also snack constantly, as she was growing and needed to gain weight. In response to her 110-pound, five-foot, five-inch stature, she was harassed, blocked by classmates from entering the market, and was constantly called fat until she grew older, lost more weight, and began eating a bowl of porridge a day. As she sipped her porridge, however, she alleges being asked by another instructor why she was even eating to begin with.
Furthermore, although Chang may seem like the only dancer to claim such, many other dancers before her have, as well. The New York Times itself has gathered the stories of 25 other dancers who claim similar experiences. It states how dancers were constantly discouraged from seeking medical care when their bodies were broken and how their minds suffered much emotional abuse and manipulation. “In interviews, some former dancers recounted performing through dislocated kneecaps, sprained ankles or other serious injuries, unwilling to seek medical treatment because the group’s belief system regarded such care as a crutch of the unfaithful.”
Photo Credits: The Seattle Times
The common belief that the dancers were saving the observers of their performances from Hell was also instilled within their minds. Thus, no breaks or mistakes were ever allowed. Performers suffered-- often working 15-hour days (of rehearsing, setting up the stage, and performing, with no breaks and no recovery time belonging to grief and pain) for little or no pay, on just five hours of sleep; moreover, the performers were under the impression that they were indebted to the group for the cost of schooling, food, and lodging.
As healthcare was continuously denied and performers were routinely harmed, however, Shen Yun representatives Ying Chen and Levi Browde called claims labeling Dragon Springs as a toxic environment: “highly subjective and smacks of cultural bigotry”. While some dancers, such as Sam Pu, have received medical care, Falun Gong insists they would never refuse needed healing, citing medical records as proof; unfortunately, former performers and teachers have reported to The New York Times that such instances were immensely rare-- only a few in counting.
The Story of Ms. Kate Huang
“She was in a dance class, lying on her back for a flexibility exercise. Hovering over her, a teacher gripped her ankle and began pushing it toward her head — moving it farther and farther until Ms. Huang heard a snap from her thigh that seemed to echo across the classroom, she said.”
“Ms. Huang was one of 14 former Shen Yun performers who told The Times that they suffered untreated injuries or ailments — or saw others get hurt without receiving care”
-The New York Times, reported by Nicole Hong and Michael Rothfield
Shen Yun’s official slogan remains simply, “China before Communism,” and promises passionate plays across the globe in 36+ countries and 200+ cities, putting on over a thousand shows in just over six months. Proclaimed as an “ancient” teaching, however, it is asked: What does Falun Gong teach its followers? And how is it that Li Hongzhi has so many believers?
Photo Credit: Council on Foreign Religions
Despite how Falun Gong cruelly harms others without consideration, similar to how the Chinese government acted towards them in the late 1900s, there are demonstrations of how Falun Gong was seen as such a persistent threat. Previous believers, such as journalist Ben Herley (a believer for 12 years), have officially proclaimed the dangers of Falun Gong’s teachings. Herley claimed that turning his back on something that he first believed to be the universal Truth was difficult, and that “It is hard to understand the depth or the complexity of these feelings if you have not held a belief as extreme as Falun Gong. The decision to leave is like upending your life, abandoning your certainties, and waking up to confront a different, at first alien world.” Within these principles, there was also a common, persistent belief that Li Hongzhi was an omniscient deity that could read minds and perform "law bodies” -- copies of himself that exist in a spiritual dimension-- to watch over the believers and know their next thought. By being committed to the teachings of the Zhuan Faun, members close to Li Hongzhi can also learn to levitate and even see through walls as an additional form of enlightenment, according to teachings.
Healthcare
Healthcare
With the constant pressure of Hongzhi gaze, it was difficult for followers to leave the cult and lead their lives without the fear of impending doom that had been threatened. Unfortunately, one of the most well-known restrictions inside the religion is that seeking medical help means distrust in the teachings of Li Hongzhi; thus, many who struggled with treatable health conditions, no matter the intensity, rarely became better-- leading to death by dishonest intentions. As a result, the tens of millions of followers-- especially those who were exposed to sickness-- have been bound to death according to the strict beliefs that were constantly used to control them and prevent them from seeing the outside world.
“It means you are a bad practitioner. It means you do not fully trust Master Li.
If you take any kind of medication or go to a hospital, even.”
Previous follower Anna, quoting the Zhuan Falun
Its founder, Mr. Li, has also incorporated less conventional ideas, implying that he is the creator of the universe, saying that faithful adherence can purge the body of illnesses and suggesting that followers can develop supernatural powers and may reach enlightenment in heaven, compared to the Hell that all those who were not of Chinese descent would suffer.
Relationships
Relationships
Past believers often feared telling close family, spouses, and friends that they had given up belief. The outcome was difficult to accept, often resulting in harassment toward past believers until they were forcibly talked back into Falun Gong. Others who had reached out to Ben Herley mentioned having to cut off contact because their relatives became too aggressive.
Another past believer, Anna, revealed in an interview with journalists Eric Campbell and Hagar Cohen that, as children began to feel that as their family members (especially parents) became more devoted to Falun Gong’s teachings, the children became less important to them.
“Part of the whole premise of the practice is getting rid of your human attachments to attain salvation,” says Anna. “I think a lot of parents conflate human attachment with basic parental love and emotional presence with your children.”
Racism
Racism
Within the book of Zhuan Falun, there is a common message regarding outsiders (anyone who is not fully Chinese) as aliens that walk among the Earth to corrupt mankind from reaching enlightenment. Despite being open to interracial followers and those of other heritage, a form of superiority is still placed towards the Chinese race, as it is only Chinese Falun Gong worshipers who may reach the heavenly kingdom of enlightenment.
“The leader of Falun Gong claims that race mixing in humans is part of an alien plot to drive humanity further from the gods,” says Anna. “He says that when a child is born from an interracial marriage, that child does not have a heavenly kingdom to go to.”
Around 2006, when Master Li first started establishing the professional dance troupe, now known as Shen Yun, which toured the world before COVID-19, a rush of Falun Gong followers began to train for dancing.
“She thought that it was the highest honour possible and that it would guarantee me getting into heaven, essentially,” says Anna (half "European", half Chinese), concerning her mother.
Despite the constant advertising of the group, it is unethical to support something that puts aside current human feelings for profit. With tickets reaching around $80, it can easily be assumed that the quality of the performance is phenomenal; however, while that may be so, the constantly exhausted dancers and musicians prove that the profit does not reach a humane cause.
Sources:
Sources:
The New York Times: Untreated injuries + Emotional abuse
The New York Times: Labor practices
The New York Times: Profit
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