{"id":39210,"date":"2025-03-25T12:06:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T10:06:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=39210"},"modified":"2025-03-27T13:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T11:29:20","slug":"shen-yun-alternative-chinese-propaganda-arrives-in-prague","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/shen-yun-alternative-chinese-propaganda-arrives-in-prague\/","title":{"rendered":"Shen Yun: Alternative Chinese Propaganda Arrives in Prague"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
If you are in Czechia, it is unlikely that you have not seen an advertisement for \u201cThe Beauty of Divine Beings Dancing.\u201d<\/strong> The globally popular Shen Yun Performing Arts (\u795e\u97fb\u85dd\u8853\u5718), known for its performances allegedly promoting \u201cChina Before Communism<\/strong>,\u201d is returning to Prague this spring. The tickets are nearly sold out already.<\/p> Beneath the facade of \u201can explosion of color and sound\u201d and \u201cChinese culture in its fullest flower,\u201d a more controversial narrative<\/strong> unfolds. Shen Yun is closely tied to the Falun Gong religious movement<\/strong>, a Chinese opposition cult, raising concerns about both its ideological messaging<\/strong> and the well-being of its performers<\/strong>.<\/p> Rooted in Buddhist and Taoist traditions, Falun Gong (\u6cd5\u8f2a\u529f) is a religious movement<\/strong> that emerged in China in the 1990s. Its followers engage in moral teachings, meditation, and qigong exercises. The movement\u2019s rapid rise in popularity\u2014gaining millions of votaries\u2014quickly became a threat to the Chinese Communist Party<\/strong>, leading to its ban and harsh suppression within China. Today, Falun Gong\u2019s headquarters are located in New York. The group enjoys significant <\/strong>popularity \u2013 its estimated following exceeds<\/a> 10 million \u2013 particularly in the U.S. and Taiwan, where many followers have taken refuge and continue spreading its teachings.<\/p> Falun Gong was founded and is led by Li Hongzhi (\u674e\u6d2a\u5fd7), who has built a<\/strong> cult<\/strong>–like<\/strong> following<\/strong> around himself and is regarded as a god-like figure with supernatural abilities. His teachings are controversial<\/strong>, as they include rejecting modern medicine, feminism, and non-heteronormativity, among other topics. The movement also operates far-right media outlets <\/strong>such as The Epoch Times <\/strong>and Tang Dynasty TV.<\/strong> Falun Gong is spreading the movement’s teaching and anti-CCP narratives across the world, especially at tourist<\/strong> sites<\/strong> popular<\/strong> with<\/strong> Chinese<\/strong> tourists<\/strong>.<\/p> Donations<\/strong> from its followers and revenue<\/strong> from<\/strong> Shen<\/strong> Yun\u2019s<\/strong> performances<\/strong> sustain the group\u2019s funding. The shows are highly stylized, large-scale productions often compared<\/a> to Cirque du Soleil. The shows feature hundreds of young performers subjected to rigorous<\/strong> and grueling<\/strong> training<\/strong>.<\/p> An investigation by The New York Times<\/em>, based on interviews with former Shen Yun performers and Falun Gong followers, uncovered<\/a> allegations<\/strong> of<\/strong> bullying<\/strong>, discrimination<\/strong>, extreme<\/strong> control<\/strong>, and exploitation<\/strong>. Many performers, often teenagers, described grueling 15-hour workdays, bans on specific literature and music, restrictions on their personal lives, pressure to maintain strict self-discipline, suppression of injuries with refusal of medical care, and an<\/strong> overall<\/strong> culture<\/strong> of<\/strong> self-renunciation<\/strong>.<\/p>\u00a0<\/h2>
What is the broader picture?<\/h2>