Incidents & Evidence
A summary of recorded cases of the Chinese Communist Party and its “diplomatic missions” interfering with Shen Yun’s shows around the world. Evidence is constantly being updated as we learn of more cases. If you know of any incidents or have further evidence and documentation, please contact me below.
| Country, City | Date of performance | Date of incident | Brief description |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA, Shen Yun HQ in Deerpark, NY | 2024 | March 27, 2024 | On March 27, our Shen Yun headquarters in Deerpark, New York received an email threatening violence against Shen Yun performers: “In the near future, you should take care of your actresses, who may very possibly disappear one by one and may be naked when found. Forensic conclusion is that they are killed after being raped!” Full blog post |
| USA, Costa Mesa, Long Beach and San Luis Obispo, California, as well as Vancouver, Canada and multiple locations in Taiwan. | March 2024 | March 21-27, 2024 | At least three theaters in California and one in Vancouver, Canada received emailed bomb threats. The emails, sent from a Chinese name, had similar text: "We randomly placed a lot of bombs in the theater. If you don't want us to detonate the bombs, please refuse Shen Yun Performing Arts to perform here immediately! And expel the relevant personnel to leave. If the show starts successfully, we will directly detonate these bombs! ! !" In other emails, the threat was mass shooting in the theater or attacks on Shen Yun performers while sightseeing in Taiwan. In each of these cases, police was alerted, inspected the theaters, added security, and nothing happened. Full blog post |
| USA, Costa Mesa, CA | March 13-17, 2024 | March 12, 2024 | An incident almost identical to one in Ottawa, Canada 14 years ago, a Shen Yun bus tire was slashed. It was cut halfway through the rubber, ensuring that the tire would not deflate right away but would burst under pressure at high speed on the freeway. According to the police report, the cut looked fresh. The bus had been under 24/7 watch, but was taken to a garage for regular maintenance. The suspicion, as noted in the police report, is that someone followed the bus to the garage and made the incision in a moment when it wasn't being watched. Full blog post |
| South Korea, Seoul | 2023 | 2023 | Local presenters tried renting the Seoul National Theater, but the Chinese Embassy used the form of a civil lawsuit (filed under the name of individual Wu Mingyu) to claim that Shen Yun is a performance propagating Falun Gong and should therefore be canceled. Presenters have not been able to rent this theater as a result. |
| South Korea | 2023 | 2023 | As in every year in recent memory, in every theater where Shen Yun performs in South Korea, there is a protest outside led by a woman named Wu Mingyu (she is the same one who instigated a civil lawsuit blocking Shen Yun from performing in Seoul). The protests are professionally organized and set up, with a consistent number of individuals, commercially produced displays and signs. This year, they applied for permits and carried out protests in front of every theater's entrance. They also printed a full-page ad attacking Shen Yun and Falun Gong in The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's biggest and oldest daily paper (rough estimated cost is $9,850 USD). Three of the individuals involved in this group had previously attempted a protest on the balcony of the Seoul National Theater of Korea - they had snuck in during intermission and set up their protest with banners before being removed by theater personnel. |
| South Korea, Gumi | Feb. 8, 2023 | 2023 | In Gumi, where two performances were held at the Gumi Arts Center Grand Hall, the Chinese Consulate in Busan directly called the Gumi city government warning the city not to allow the venue to be rented to Shen Yun, and also sent a letter. |
| Dominican Republic, Santiago | Feb. 6-7, 2023 | 2023 | The Chinese Embassy contacted the manager of the Grand Theater of Cibao in Santiago, offering him a monetary bribe and promises of future investments. The Embassy also slandered Shen Yun and Falun Dafa. The manager then wrote a letter to the presenter, Asociación Falun Dafa de la República Dominicana, saying that due to theater renovations, Shen Yun's two performances in Santiago will need to be canceled. The presenter then reported this to the Ministry of Culture, and the Minister directly stated that the shows will not be canceled. |
| Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo | Feb. 2-4, 2023 | 2023 | The Chinese Embassy contacted the theater managers in both Santo Domingo (Eduardo Brito National Theater) and Santiago (Grand Theater of Cibao), as well as the Ministry of Culture, trying to get Shen Yun's shows canceled. The Embassy then scheduled a meeting with the Office of the President to try to get a cancellation, but were unsuccessful. The president replied that the contracts were already signed and there was no way to nullify them. The Embassy then began contacting a range of influential individuals - legislators, ministers, media. The Embassy wrote them letters seeking their help to cancel the performances. These efforts did not lead to any results. Finally, the Embassy chased after the president at the airport trying to get him to cancel the shows, but all failed. |
| South Korea, Busan | Feb. 2-5, 2023 | 2023 | In Busan, presenters signed a contract to perform at Sohyang Theater, which belongs to Dongseo University. Dongseo University has close cooperation with Chinese universities and has a Confucius Institute. About two months after signing the contract, the PRC side "expressed regret" to the university that the performances were scheduled and asked that they be canceled. At the time, Dongseo University then canceled the contract. The local presenters took the case to court to block the cancellation. The presenters won the case, and only then learned that Dongseo University had been consulting the Chinese Embassy about whether or not to allow Shen Yun to perform. |
| Taiwan, Taipei | July 8-10, 2022 | July 8, 2022 | Before Shen Yun’s performances at the Taipei’s National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, two groups of protesters gathered outside the entrance. They held banners, one reading: “Taiwanese Qi Gong Society,” and the other: “CCP Committee Taiwan.” The groups left as soon as security arrived. |
| Taiwan, Taichung | June 29-July 1, 2022 | June 29, 2022 | A group of protesters gathered outside Taichung City Chung Shan Hall before a Shen Yun performance holding banners to the effect of “Shen Yun is Doing Mass Gatherings,” the implication being that Shen Yun is aiding the spread of COVID. At this point, the situation in Taiwan had already improved significantly and theaters had been reopened. One of the performances’ local presenter said he heard those people had been paid to attend. |
| Taiwan, Kaohsiung | June 21-25, 2022 | June 21, 2022 | According to local Taiwanese police, an individual suspected to be a CCP spy came to one of Shen Yun’s performances at The Hall of the Kaohsiung Cultural Center “to look around.” |
| USA, Midwest | June 2022 | June 2022 | A theater worker in one US city (not identifying which city here because did not ask for permission at the time) told a Shen Yun production crewmember during setup that every time right after Shen Yun leaves they receive letters from the Chinese consulate. It’s standard procedure every year. |
| Mexico, San Luis Potosi | May 17-18, 2022 | May 5, 2022 | The mayor of San Luis Potosi, where Shen Yun was scheduled to perform, received an email from the Chinese Embassy asking the city not to promote the Shen Yun performances. |
| Mexico, Mexico City | May 13-15, 2022 | End of April 2022 | The Auditorio Nacional, where Shen Yun was set to perform in two weeks, received a phone call from the Chinese Embassy asking them to cancel the show. The theater refused. |
| Mexico, Queretaro | May 6-8, 2022 | May 5, 2022 | The Chinese Embassy in Mexico contacted via Instagram the office of the Mayor of Queretaro, following up with email as well. On May 5, a letter was stamped and sent to the municipality of Queretaro, signed by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China (a copy of the letter is on file and available upon request). Its contents were very similar to previous PRC letters around the world, calling upon the mayor’s office to use measures to block Shen Yun from performing in the city, so as to not “undermine China-Mexico friendly relations.” |
| Denmark, Odense | April 2-3, 2020 | Oct. 15, 2019 | With all arrangements in place between the local presenter and the Odeon Music and Theatre Hall in Odense for Shen Yun to perform three shows, a day before the contract was to be signed the presenter received an email from the theater saying they would not be able to have the shows due to a scheduling conflict, although it later turned out the schedule was still open. The local city council later launched an investigation into whether the cancelation was due to pressure from Beijing, as alleged. |
| South Korea, Ulsan | Feb. 11-12, 2020 | Feb. 2020 | With COVID raging in China but not yet worldwide, Shen Yun was still performing, including in South Korea. The theater manager at Ulsan Culture Art Center received a call from a South Korean TV journalist. The journalist said that the Chinese consulate had told him that some Shen Yun performers are from Wuhan. This of course is not true, and the theater manager knew it. He told the reporter: “Shen Yun is from the U.S., and most members are U.S. visa holders. And the Shen Yun show is banned in China, and Shen Yun members even are not allowed to visit China. How can Shen Yun members visit Wuhan? Don’t you ever read news about Shen Yun?” Similar incidents were reported in Salt Lake City and Utah, with Chinese people and local Chinese organizations calling the theaters and the state’s CDC in a concerted effort. (see blog post) |
| Peru, Lima | Feb. 8-9, 2020 | Dec. 12, 2020 | Three months before Shen Yun is to perform in Peru, the Chinese Embassy held an opening ceremony for the “Chinese Book Room” in Lima’s Great Public Library. At this event, the Embassy’s cultural advisor, He Yong, gave a speech captured on video in which he advised the audience to boycott Shen Yun’s upcoming performances at the Grand National Theater. |
| Brazil, San Paulo | Jan. 30 – Feb. 2, 2020 | Ahead of Shen Yun’s first-ever performances in Brazil, the Chinese Consulate called the theater (UnimedHall) to collect information about the show’s local presenter. | |
| USA, New York | Dec. 20, 2019 | Dec. 20, 2019 | With Shen Yun performing at Lincoln Center in New York, Li Huahong, accused of being a CCP spy and the subject of a lawsuit to that effect in Flushing, gathered with others in the plaza in front of the theater holding signs and banners. Their messages accused Shen Yun and Falun Gong of being an “evil cult” and being “a tool for anti-China politics.” One banner read: “Shen Yun – Falsely promotes traditional culture and truly promotes evil cult.” According to the lawsuit and news articles about Li Huahong, she is a Flushing organizer who arranges for paid protesters to demonstrate opposite Shen Yun and Falun Gong events, with strong ties to the Chinese regime. (video and audio transcript available upon request) |
| New Zealand, Auckland | March 6-10, 2019 | March 3, 2019 | A Shen Yun dancer who is a PRC citizen and US green card holder with a travel document, was to fly with the group from New Zealand to Australia when her document was suddenly “reported as lost or stolen.” Neither she nor anyone she knows had reported it. After investigation, it appears that her status had been mysteriously changed in the system. Only days prior, her father, who had been jailed as a prisoner of conscience in China for 12 years and recently arrived in the US, made a trip to Washington to talk about the persecution he experienced. The travel document cancelation took place one day after his story was published online on a Chinese dissident blog. (see full report) |
| Spain, Madrid | Jan. 31- Feb. 2, 2019 | Jan. 7, 2019 | Chinese Ambassador admits pressuring the Royal Theater in Madrid to cancel the show. In a recorded, investigative phone call, the Ambassador admitted personally visiting Royal Theater to convey the message, telling the theater manager “not to think only about the economic income but also politics.” The shows were subsequently canceled, just weeks before the performances with tickets already sold. (see full article) |
| Israel, Tel Aviv | March 2018 | March 2018 | In March 2018 Shen Yun performed in Israel for the first time. Leading up to the shows at the prestigious Tel Aviv Opera House, the Chinese embassy tried to cancel the performances and, when that failed, to limit Shen Yun’s advertising. The Chinese embassy directly contacted the Opera House manager to request the show’s cancellation. The embassy also exerted force through the Tel Aviv municipality as well as the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Billboard companies that ran Shen Yun ads received letters from the Chinese embassy asking them to remove the ads. In spite of these pressures, the performances took place and were extremely successful. All four shows and the 6,000 tickets were sold out as Israel’s cultural and artistic elite in attendance went on record speaking of how moved and inspired they were by Shen Yun. |
| USA, College Station, TX | Feb. 13, 2018 | Jan. 30, 2018 | Chinese students at Texas A&M University, working closing the with the Chinese Student and Scholar Association and receiving guidance directly from the Chinese Embassy, attempted to pressure University President Michael Young to cancel the Shen Yun performances held on the campus' Rudder Auditorium. The students emailed the president as well as the box office, claiming the performance made them feel "not safe" and that it would even jeopardize the value of their diplomas back in China. A WeChat screenshot capture of a group discussion among these Chinese students showed them saying they had been in touch with the Chinese Embassy and were awaiting further instructions. Article |
| Spain, Barcelona | April 15-16, 2017 | April 15, 2017 | During Shen Yun’s performances, CCP front groups protested outside the Liceu Theater in Barcelona. Approximately 25-30 Chinese nationals displayed banners and shouted slogans slandering Shen Yun and Falun Gong. A defamation lawsuit accusing the protesters of hate speech was filed by the local presenter as a result. |
| Colombia, Bogotá | April 7-9, 2017 | March 17, 2017 | Weeks ahead of Shen Yun's first-ever performance in Colombia, the PRC ambassador Li Nianping sent a letter to a radio show, which promptly read it on the air. In the letter, the ambassador argued that Shen Yun's four performances should be canceled. "I express my gratitude for your complete and objective coverage of my country, China." The ambassador's letter started. "At present, relations between China and Colombia are going extremely well. I hope that you, Mr. Director, can pay a lot of attention to this matter and based on the framework of friendly relations between both sides, refuse to offer the publicity platform to the above mentioned sect for their evil demagogy against China." The ambassador was then also interviewed on the show two days later. (full letter transcript available upon request) |
| Denmark, Copenhagen | Aug. 2017, Feb. 2018 | According to a reports in Danish media, especially Radio24syv, the Chinese Embassy in Copenhagen asked the Royal Danish Theater to again not allow Shen Yun to perform there. The theater has refused to rent to Shen Yun for ten years. In 2007, local presenters almost succeeded in booking the Royal Theater for Shen Yun before a last-minute cancellation. While the original explanation was logistical reasons, it was later reported in Danish media that the Chinese Embassy had complained about Shen Yun’s scheduled performance at a meeting with the Danish Foreign Ministry. The performances were canceled shortly after. A mail correspondence between two theater employees obtained by Danish radio revealed what had happened in 2017. This is what the theater employee wrote: “In August 2017 I met with the Chinese Embassy Cultural Department, as they are considering renting the theater to hold Chinese New Year in February 2018. They ended the meeting by asking if we were in dialogue with Shen Yun, and requested that we not allow them to rent our facilities.” Danish media report: |
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| United Nations, New York | Jan. 11-15, 2017 | Dec. 6, 2016 | The PRC’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations sent a letter addressed to “all Permanent and Observer Missions to the Union Nations.” This two-page letter (copy available upon request), bearing China’s UN Mission official stamp claimed that Shen Yun and Falun Gong “harms society and violates human rights.” This letter, sent about five weeks ahead of Shen Yun’s performances at Lincoln Center, told other countries’ UN missions to “remind their diplomats and staff not to support or attend the [Shen Yun] show.” |
| Thailand, Bangkok | Jan. 11-15, 2017 | Dec. 23, 2016 | With tickets already being sold for Shen Yun's debut in Thailand, the Aksra Theatre in Bangkok suddenly canceled the performances within days of opening night. The cancellation appears to be a direct result of pressure from the Thailand PRC Embassy, which sent a stamped and sealed letter to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dec. 23, 2016 threatening diplomatic fallout should the performances be allowed to take place. "In order to avoid affecting the well-developed relationship between China and Thailand," the letter read, "the Ministry is kindly requested to pay close attention to this issue and timely coordinate with relevant authorities to ban the above-mentioned performance." (copy of letter available upon request) |
| USA, England, Australia; New York, Washington, London, Melbourne, and many others | January 2017 | January 2017 | In a new form of propaganda, China Daily, the official English mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, inserts paid ads that look like normal articles in newspapers around the world. The article title calls Shen Yun “A Blasphemy That Masquerades as Art” and, most disturbingly, appears to the undiscerning eye as a regular article written by the newspaper. Therefore, while it gives the normal party line attacking Shen Yun and Falun Gong, it appears to be written by the esteemed Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, or London Telegraph, to name just a few of the papers who carried this paid insert. The scale of this blitz is still being uncovered, with media as far as Melbourne Australia and Nashville Tennessee reportedly carrying the identical ad. The insert is published under the heading China Watch; it appears like a special topic section of the newspaper, with only fine print identifying it as paid content. This media business practice has been called into question for being ethically problematic by publications from The Atlantic on the left to Life Site on the right. Russia (with the insert titled “Russia Now”) and China are the main sources of such content in an uptick in the production of propaganda for foreign consumption. According to Cliff Kincaid, director of Accuracy In Media‘s Center for Investigative Journalism, Washington Post owners and editors “are lending their logo to this foreign propaganda,” adding that “If you didn’t know where this comes from, it looks like a regular newspaper.” (quote source) More: The Atlantic: Official Chinese Propaganda: Now Online from the WaPo! The Washington Free Beacon: The China Shills The Epoch Times: Paid Insert in Wall Street Journal Carries Chinese Propaganda New Tang Dynasty TV news report (Chinese): 中共喉舌攻擊神韻 Daily Telegraph’s Links With Chinese Communist Party Run Deep Opinion: 'Advertising that's not worth the human cost' |
| Denmark, Aarhus | April 12-13, 2016 | 2016 | Shen Yun performed two sold-out shows at Aarhus’ Musikhuset. Prior to the performances, the Chinese embassy wrote to the theater and tried to get the performances canceled, claiming it was “extremely anti-Chinese.” The theater director, however, dismissed the pressure, saying: “We assessed the artistic content of the performance and decided it was sufficiently high enough that we should rent out to them. There is freedom of expression in Denmark, and we intend to uphold it.” |
| USA, Nashville | Jan. 6-8, 2016 | Jan. 5-6 | Prior to the Shen Yun performances at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, the tires of a car rented by staff members of Shen Yun’s hosting organization were slashed. The incident occurred between the evening of Jan. 5 and the morning of the 6. Several slashes were visible on two of the tires. Images and report (in Chinese) |
| South Korea, Seoul | May 6-8, 2016 | January - May 2016 | On May 4, two days before Shen Yun was to perform at KBS Hall in Seoul, a South Korean court issued an order canceling the upcoming four performances. The ruling cited threats from the Chinese embassy that Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), the owner of the theater, would incur financial losses in the Chinese market if the Shen Yun shows were allowed to go on. The Chinese embassy had sent at least two letters to KBS Hall telling them to cancel the Shen Yun performances, saying that the shows are “anti-China.” One month prior, in April, local organizers for the Shen Yun show had taken the issue to the district court of Southern Seoul, and the judge considered the case and decided that the arguments for canceling Shen Yun did not hold and that Shen Yun should be allowed to perform. However, two days before the shows, the same judge and same court overturned their decision and issued a reverse ruling saying that if the shows were canceled KBS would only need to compensate Shen Yun for the tickets, which number in the thousands. The court cited that if China retaliated by not allowing KBS to show their Korean dramas in China, KBS stands to lose a lot more money than Shen Yun ticket sales. Under pressure from the Chinese regime, South Korea’s act of artistic censorship puts doubts on its judicial independence, rule of law, and democracy. Video Report: Seoul Cancels Shen Yun Performance Shen Yun News: Chinese Embassy Forces Seoul’s KBS Hall to Cancel Shows The Diplomat: The Long Arm of Chinese Censorship Reaches South Korea The Korea Times: Korea shouldn't let China infringe on artistic freedom US Congresswomen, Other Officials Denounce Cancellation of Shen Yun in Seoul Over Chinese Embassy Threat |
| France, Marseille | 2016 | 2016 | Ahead of Shen Yun's performances in Marseille, a local TV talk show ran a morning segment about Shen Yun, interviewing the local presenter. Later that day, the Chinese Consul General in Marseille appeared on the same TV station, ostensibly to talk about the Chinese New Year. Instead, the Consul General disparaged Shen Yun on the air, urging the producer of the morning talk show to stay away from Shen Yun. |
| Ecuador, Quito | May 23-24, 2015 | May 2015 | Shen Yun’s production The Monkey King was scheduled to perform in Ecuador as part of its 2015 tour of South America. But a week before the performances, the Ecuadorian House of Culture officially cancelled the shows at the National Theatre. Local presenters cited month-long pressure from the Chinese Embassy to Ecuador as the cause for the sudden, last-minute cancelation. “We have tried telling them in every possible way that they are violating the freedom of expression of the Ecuadorian people, that they are censoring culture in a democratic country and are doing so through a foreign country,” said Alejandro Nadal, a representative of the Falun Dafa Association of Ecuador, the performance’s presenter in Quito. Read blog by Shen Yun dancer Gary Liu who had traveled to Ecuador with the production expecting to perform. Read More: "Dance performance canceled in Ecuador under pressure from Chinese embassy" |
| South Korea, Gunpo (軍浦市) | April 26, 2015 | 2015 | As part of its 2015 world tour, Shen Yun was scheduled to perform in South Korea for the ninth time. One stop on that tour was Gunpo, a city of 260,000 about half an hour outside Seoul. According to local presenters, shortly after the performances were booked with the Gunpo Culture and Arts Center, the theater manager received a phone call from the Chinese Embassy. The embassy’s representative tried to persuade the theater manager to cancel the Shen Yun performances. The theater manager, though, told the PRC representative: “You’re such a big country with big international affairs. Why don’t you deal with those be international issues, and not worry about a show in a small town like ours here.” The theater manager refused to cancel the performances, and they went on as planned. |
| USA, Chicago | March 6, 2015 | Feb. 19, 2015 | A Shen Yun promotional vehicle was dangerously sabotaged in Chicago. On Feb. 19, 2015, two weeks before Shen Yun’s performances in Chicago, a promotional truck sporting Shen Yun advertising was tampered with. Corrosive chemicals were poured under the car mat, over the brake and accelerator pedals, and the throttle cable underneath the truck had a 1-inch-long knife slash and was heavily corroded. These tactics are insidious, as they do not cause issues immediately, but over time - as the brake and accelerator corrode, the car may become uncontrollable in the middle of driving. Report in Chinese: 芝加哥神韵广告车被恶性破坏 疑为中领馆所为 |
| USA, Madison | 2015 | Feb. 3, 2015 | The house of the Shen Yun presenter in Wisconsin was broken into. The only things taken were her laptop and passport. On Feb. 3, 2015, a burglary took place at the residence of Lucy Guan, the president of the Wisconsin Falun Dafa Association that presents Shen Yun’s performances in Appleton and Milwaukee. The robbery took place in the evening when she was away from home. Police that arrived on the scene called it a "strange case." The items stolen were her new U.S. passport and three former Chinese passport. “It’s got everything about where I’ve traveled. It’s got my Chinese name, where I was born, my exact identity," Guan told The Epoch Times. She said she believed Chinese agents thought these were of value as the information could be used to threaten her family back home in an attempt to stop her from presenting Shen Yun performances in the U.S. Also stolen was her 5-year-old laptop with contact information of family in China and information regarding the Shen Yun performances. Her pearl necklaces and other valuables were not taken. Epoch Times Report (scroll down to"burglary," half-way down) |
| USA, St. Louis | Feb. 20-22, 2015 | Jan. 30, 2015 | On Jan. 30, officials from the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago met with a manager at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri. They demanded that the theater cancel Shen Yun’s booking from Feb 20-22, threatening that otherwise it would harm U.S.-China relations. The theater refused. How China is Trying to Disrupt a Chinese Dance Company in the Midwest 中共阻擾神韻美中演出 遭劇院拒絕 |
| USA and China | January 2015 | Jan. 7, 2015 | A large-scale cyber attack aimed at bringing down the Shen Yun website occurred during the first week of January, coinciding with Shen Yun’s first performances of the 2015 season. The DDoS attack from mainland China employed massive resources, believed to be from hackers backed by the Chinese Communist regime. See official Shen Yun press release |
| Spain, Barcelona | April 9-12, 2014 | 2014 | Ahead of Shen Yun's debut in Spain, the PRC consulate in Barcelona attempted to pressure both the national theater and the foreign ministry to cancel the performances. According to an article in El Mundo, the consulate threatened potential compromise to Spain-China relations and called Shen Yun's performers "illiterate and crazy." The Spain performances took place as scheduled and were mostly full. Several Spanish media reported the story. More: Chinese Consulate Promotes Shen Yun in Barcelona |
| Belgium, Brussels | April 2-6, 2014 | March 25-30, 2014 | A week before Shen Yun was scheduled to perform at Brussels' National Theatre, Chinese Communist Party chief Xi Jinping was to arrive at the European capital heading a 200-person delegation. The Chinese embassy at first demanded that the theater cancel the performances, claiming they put Xi Jinping in danger. This attempt was rebuffed, but soon the embassy faced a new problem. Two blocks from the theater was the Sheraton where Xi and the delegation were staying. Right outside the hotel were four Shen Yun banners, part of a advertising campaign run by BHS Promotion. One of them, in particular, was exactly opposite the hotel entrance. The embassy did not want Xi to see the Shen Yun banners. First, Belgian police notified local organizers that the banners, which had been paid for, had to be taken down because of Xi's visit. Following media reports and pressure from the European Parliament, the police backtracked. Next, a Sheraton security guard was caught trying to take down the banner near the entrance. But he stopped after being told the banner was not part of hotel property. Another group, saying they were from the mayor's office, tried removing the banner but left after being questioned further. Then, during Xi's visit, Chinese associated with the embassy, including overseas students, tried lifting PRC and Belgian flags in front of the banner, but could not lift them high enough to block it. On the second day of the visit, groups of 20-30 Chinese surrounded each of the four banners near the hotel. They used packaging tape to connect their flag sticks to the banner's pole, and then 10 other Chinese stood with flags in a circle around each banner, trying to block view of it whenever Xi's motorcade went by. Full story, including media reports: Red Flags Over Brussels |
| Germany, Berlin | March 23-26, 2014 | Feb 5, 2014 | Six weeks before Shen Yun performed at Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, the Chinese embassy held a meeting with the theater's manager of marketing and sales, Mr. Jörg Seefeld. According to Mr. Seefeld, the Chinese embassy tried various tactics, starting with promises of bringing Chinese companies to Berlin and ending with threats that he personally would not receive a visa to go to China. Mr. Seefeld, who had actually experienced persecution in East Germany, refused all their requests and would not disclose to the embassy specific information they were trying to obtain about the contract with the hosting organization. The performances were successfully held and well-attended. Full story, including media reports, see: Chinese Embassy Epic Fail in Berlin |
| USA, Costa Mesa, CA | March 11-16, 2014 | March 12, 2014 | Soon after arriving at Orange County's Costa Mesa ahead of a five-day run at the prestigious Segerstrom Center for the Arts, guards watching Shen Yun's buses and truck noticed suspicious activity around it. At 1:15 am on March 12, the four security guards noticed a man in his 20s quietly approaching the vehicles. When confronted by the guards, he ran away. Four hours later, around 5am, another man approached, but when a guard spotted him, he ran off as well. More: Chinese Dance Group On Guard Against Threats |
| France, Paris | 2014 | 2014 | A French national radio station was in a promotion partnership with Shen Yun ahead of the company's performances, when an individual close to the Chinese government contacted the radio's top management asking them to cancel their partnership, which the radio station subsequently did. |
| USA, Otisville, NY | 2014 | Aug 22, 2013 | Award-winning dancer and choreographer Chen Yungchia, one of Shen Yun's most prominent artists, returned home to discover it had been ransacked. But while his computers had been stolen, other valuables such as jewelry and his passport were not. Chen believes the daytime break-in was aimed at getting sensitive information about Shen Yun, as well as sending him a threatening message. The incident is reminiscent of another one that took place near Atlanta, when Dr. Peter Yuan Li was beaten in his home, but the robbers went only after his computers and left many other valuables behind. (Forbes article about the Atlanta incident) Full story |
| USA, Fort Worth, TX | Feb 20 and 22, 2013 | Feb 20, 2013 | The latest in a series of what appear to be attempts at tampering with Shen Yun vehicles, even as they are being watched. At 4am, a security guard watching Shen Yun’s vehicles saw a vehicle approach the Shen Yun Performing Arts prop truck. A man stepped out of the vehicle and went over to the Shen Yun truck’s gas tank and began inserting a hose into it. The security guard approached this man and challenged him: “What are you doing?” The man quickly hid whatever he was holding and said: “Nothing, just servicing the truck” (at 4am! No truck service had been requested). As the guard continued questioning him, the man stepped into his vehicle, where another person was waiting, and they quickly drove away, almost hitting the guard. The guard chased him in his own car and called the police. The guard, and later the police, chased this vehicle for several miles, before the two men abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot in a suburb called Irving. The police could not find them. |
| USA, Atlanta, GA | Jan 8-9, 2013 | Jan 8, 2013 | Outside of Fox Theater in Atlanta, where Shen Yun was performing, Shen Yun’s buses and truck were parked near the theater’s backstage entrance. Two men were spotted lingering closely behind Shen Yun’s truck. A security guard finally approached them and the men left. Later, upon inspection, a gash was found on the truck’s fuel tank, though no puncture had been made. |
| China, Hong Kong | August 18. 2012 (competition) | August 17, 2012 | Starting in 2007, the NY-based New Tang Dynasty Television has been holding the International Classical Chinese Dance Competition on a mostly annual basis. Shen Yun dancers figure prominently in these competitions and often win top prizes. Some contestants from China have been able to participate, but more often they have been blocked and even arrested. This year, for the first time, NTD held a preliminary round in Hong Kong. Twenty-six contestants from mainland China were blocked by Beijing. They were either harassed and intimidated in China, or blocked at the border with the semi-autonomous city. During the competition, a pro-Chinese Communist Party crowd surrounded the venue, shouting slogans and displaying banners. Witnesses described the scene as “totally crazy.” The Chinese Communist Party has not publicly explained why it is sabotaging a traditional Chinese dance competition. It might have to do with a combination of Shen Yun’s dominance at these competitions and a fear performers will try to defect to the U.S. to join the N.Y.-based company. For more, see: NTD Press Release The Epoch Times: "A Dance Competition Threatens a Regime" Dancers Banned from Celebrating China’s Heritage |
| USA, Denver, CO | Feb 22-24, 2013 | Winter 2013 | The Patron Manager at Denver’s Buell Theatre told local presenter Vivian Lam that the theater had been receiving emails from people posing as Falun Dafa practitioners and Shen Yun fans. At least one of Buell’s management personnel received these emails almost every day. In a repetition of a tactic used in 2010 (New Jersey, Rhode Island, and California), the content of these emails consisted of a misrepresentation of Falun Dafa’s beliefs. The apparent motivation was to scare the theater by portraying Falun Dafa practitioners and Shen Yun fans as zealots. No one in the Falun Dafa community is known to have sent them. The emails, though daily, were sent from different accounts each time. The local presenter responded to the theater as follows: "I am the only contact window between the Presenter and the Theater. All of our members know about this and they are not allowed to contact you directly without my written approval." |
| USA, Cincinnati, OH | Feb 7-8, 2013 | August 2012 | Staff at Cincinnati Theater received several rounds of emails similar (possibly identical, though this has not been tested as the theater did not provide copies) to the ones in received in Denver (see above). Local presenter Dr. Sunny Lu reported the incident to the FBI, who told her the emails originated in China. |
| USA, New York, NY | April 20-28, 2013 | June 11, 2012 | An email list used by people who volunteer to promote Shen Yun was attacked by a wave of virus-laden emails. They were sent from gmail accounts with the viruses were included as attachments. The emails were uncanny in using the tone and terms used by the volunteers. One example was titled: “Attention! Some adjustments for the delivering of SY Special Edition.” It included instructions such as: ”Do not put Special Edition at laundries of those top-grade apartment buildings which are normally guarded by doormen.” And: ”Once in an office-building, please deliver to the Manager Room, Law offices, Clinics and Accounting offices.” No one knew the people under whose names these emails were sent. |
| England, London | April 12-15, 2012 | Feb 2012 | Local presenter representative and University of Reading professor Li Shao reported that the Chinese Embassy in London dispatched staff to visit the London Coliseum, where Shen Yun was scheduled to perform, in attempt to convince the theater to renege on the contract. Local presenters also said the Embassy had visited the London Coliseum the previous year as well, both before and after the Shen Yun performances, asking the theater to stop renting the venue to Shen Yun. The Coliseum rented the venue anyway and held the performances. “I know the Chinese Communist Party tried to stop Shen Yun from performing in Romania last year," said Member of European Parliament Gerard Batten. "It’s an absolute disgrace that they are trying to use strong arm tactics here in the UK.” Shen Yun "is about presenting this moral point of view in a very elegant way," said London-based China author Ethan Gutmann, "with beautiful costumes and sculpted dances and bringing people through Chinese history in a fun way. The Chinese government envies that, they want that – they’ve been looking for soft power for a long time.” More: The Epoch Times: Beijing's Battle for Soft Power Playing Out in the West End |
| USA, Pittsburgh, PA | Feb 15-16, 2012 | Feb 2012 | Ahead of Shen Yun’s performances at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center, a package of 10 group tickets was sold to student at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music. A few days before the performance, a school representative called to cancel, reportedly after being pressured by the university’s Chinese student association. |
| USA, Seattle, WA | Feb 7-8, 2012 | Jan 2012 | The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco sent a letter to Seattle City Council Members. According to King5 News, the letter wrote that Shen Yun is, "an evil cult that preaches heretical fallacies and exercises extreme mental manipulation... and has for years engaged in anti-China activities in the United States." Copy of letter available upon request. |
| France | 2012 | 2012 | A Paris Chinese Embassy representative visited a theater trying to get it to cancel upcoming Shen Yun performances. The embassy argued that Shen Yun was a "cult." The theater pushed back, saying that was not the case and they are free to work with whomever they want. The performances went on as scheduled. |
| New Zealand, Auckland | Feb 3-5, 2011 | Dec 31, 2010 | Consular General Liao Juhua sends a letter to all 20 Auckland City Councilors, urging them not to attend the show (watch 3News video). Councilor Cathy Casey is enraged—she posts the letter on her Facebook page and files a formal complaint with the consulate corps. The letter is on file and available upon request. Parliament Member Keith Locke receives a similar letter from 29 Chinese organizations. In a press release posted on the Green Party’s website, MP Locke says he is “concerned that some Chinese organisations in Auckland may be acting in league with the Auckland consulate in this matter.” More: New Zealand Officials Outraged |
| Korea, Busan | Jan 19-20, 2011 | Nov 12, 2010 | Chinese consulate and embassy officials threatened Busan City Hall and the Busan Cultural Association that if they allow Shen Yun performances to take place, South Korea’s relationship with China will be damaged. According to the hosting organization, the consulate also phoned television stations and told them the performances had been cancelled, instructing them to stop playing Shen Yun advertisements. Shen Yun initially was locked out of the theater.But seven hours before the performance, a District Court adjudicated in favor of Shen Yun. The company was let in the theater, and after a breakneck setup completed in less than half the normal time, that night’s performance played to a sell-out crowd. PRC diplomats ended up advertising for Shen Yun, as the incident led to Korean media coverage of the affair and tickets for Shen Yun’s other Korea performances also sold quickly. Consular officials also contacted theaters and local government offices in Shen Yun’s next South Korean destination cities Goyang (Aram Nuri theater) and Daegu (Suseong Artpia theater). Consular representatives asked them to cancel the rental contracts, but in both cities, the requests were spurned as local officials explained that the city has no right to annul a private contract. More: Korean Chinese Consulate Promotes Shen Yun |
| USA, New Brunswick, NJ, Providence, RI, San Francisco, CA. | June and July 2010 | May and June 2010 | In what appears to be a new tactic, theater managers in three cities simultaneously receive bizarre emails from individuals posing as Falun Gong practitioners and Shen Yun enthusiasts. The emails seek to portray Falun Gong practitioners and the hosting Falun Dafa Association as zealots, for example by warning the theater that if it does not fully support the show they will incur misfortune. The aim appears to be causing the theater to question the integrity of the show and the hosting organization and ultimately canceling the show.According to Tom Liang of the New Brunswick hosting organization, the New Jersey Falun Dafa Association, these emails "took on a very odd tone, threatening and demanding the theater’s full support for the show. It tried to portray its author as a ‘mentally-disordered’ person." The email regarding Shen Yun’s performance in New Jersey's State Theater has been turned over to the FBI. San Francisco, CA War Memorial Opera House management reported receiving several such emails. In Rhode Island, the Providence Performing Arts Center reported receiving a similar email from a person pretending to be a Falun Gong practitioner warning the theater that if it does not promote the show, punishment will follow. Epoch Times article: New Wave of Harassment Targets Shen Yun |
| USA, New Brunswick, NJ | June 20, 2010 | June 2010 | The New York Chinese Consulate makes threatening phone calls to New Brunswick's State Theater, according to hosting organization representative Tom Liang.According to Mr. Liang, the director of Newark's New Jersey's Performing Arts, where Shen Yun performed in 2009, reported receiving daily calls from the New York Chinese Consulate trying to persuade him to cancel the show. |
| Italy, Torino | June 6-8, 2010 | June 6-8, 2010 | A letter sent to Torino’s Teatro Regio theater signed by “Local Chinese,” threatened the venue to cancel the show using as leverage Torino’s sister-city relationship with China’s Shenyang. |
| Greece, Athens | June 3-4, 2010 | May 20, 2010 | The Greek Falun Dafa Association was to present Shen Yun at Athens Music Hall, Greece's most prestigious venue. Tickets were to go on sale May 13 for shows on June 3 and 4. On May 31, eight days after ticket went on sale, and with 150 tickets sold over the first two days, a friend of the hosting organization tried purchasing tickets and was told that the show had been canceled and ticket sales halted. That night, after numerous phone calls and attempts by the hosting organization to obtain an explanation from the theater, the theater sent a fax to the hosting organization saying that the show will not take place due to unexpected technical reasons. One and a half hours after the fax, venue representative Ms. Kerasidou called the hosting organization to confirm that the show was canceled. The day that the theater stopped selling tickets, a big conference between the Chinese shipping company COSCO and high-ranking Greek officials, including ministers, was held at the theater. During the week of the cancellation, the president and CEO of COSCO met with the President of Greece and other top Greek officials over a recently negotiated commercial collaboration project. TVXS: Censorship at Athens Concert Hall due to COSCO? More on COSCO and Greece business and dates |
| Moldova, Chisinau | May 25-26, 2010 | May 25, 2010 | At 8 on the morning of the show scheduled at Chisinau’s Teatrul National de Opera si Balet, Shen Yun performers who arrived at the theater to set up were not allowed in. Within an hour, theater director Valeria Sircanu arrived at the theater, refused to allow the performers in or meet with them to explain what was going on. A government official revealed that:- the theater director said she received “daily” visits from the Chinese embassy. A Moldovan Foreign Ministry official met with the theater director and said it was the ministry’s position that the show be canceled.- the theater director was in possession of a letter from the Moldovan Ministry of Culture saying it recommended the show be canceled. On both days that the show was scheduled to perform, Moldovan television reported on the show’s cancellation and frustration of audience members, who protested outside the theater entrance. Some audience members had traveled from as far as Russia and Belarus, over 30 hours by train. The theater box office refused to refund tickets, and later put up a sign saying that the theater is not responsible for refunding tickets, and that audience members should actually contact the hosting organization – whose show was forcibly canceled - representative, Tatiana Chiriac, and displayed her phone number. Given that there was a signed contract with the theater, the hosting organization is now proceeding with legal measures for financial compensation. Both the Moldovan Minister of Culture, Boris Focsa, and theater director Ms. Seican said that the PRC ambassador told them Moldova would face financial repercussions if the show were not canceled. Last July, the PRC promised the Moldovan government a $1 billion dollar loan (see Reuters article). At the time of the show's cancellation, Moldova is still waiting for the money to come in. In March, Moldova’s parliament passed a new law on freedom of expression. More details and photos: Who locked us out of Moldova's theater? Letter from EU VP Edward McMillan-Scott to Moldova A collection of media reports about this incident, including Shen Yun TV appearances. |
| Canada, Calgary | March 31, 2010 | March 31, 2010 | On the morning of the performance, a person claiming to be one of the show’s hosts called the manager of Calgary’s Jubilee Auditorium saying that the hosting organization had decided to cancel the show. Following some clarification with the real hosting organization, the performance went on as planned. |
| Ukraine, Odessa | May 28, 2010 | May 2010 | A performance schedule to take place in Odessa was canceled when a government organization suspended the theater contract and visas previously granted to Shen Yun performers were annulled. The cancellation corresponded with PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jieqi’s visit to Kiev. Oblconcerteservice, an organization under the Odessa Regional Council sent a letter informing the hosting organization for Shen Yun’s Ukraine show that their contract with the Odessa Academic and Ballet Theater is suspended.The letter states that PRC officials have requested the Council to cancel Shen Yun’s performance. Copy of the cancellation letter from Oblconcerteservice Oblconcerteservice chief Dmitry Polunin told The Epoch Times that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry requested that show be canceled for political reasons. Odessa officials also informed The Epoch Times that the Ukrainian prime minister’s office, minister of culture, and the head of the national security service sent similar letters as well. Vice Prime Minister Vladimir Seminozhenko, however, denied any government involvement in the cancellation. The cancellation came immediately following an official visit to Kiev by PRC Foreign Minister Yang Jieqi. Evgeniy Zakharov, director of Ukraine’s Kharkv human rights group: “Ukraine should respond if it considers itself to be a European civilized country.” Zakharov added that PRC officials act the same as Soviet authorities, who destroyed art traditional culture. Two Shen Yun performances were canceled in Kiev last April under similar circumstanced. More: Beijing Leads Ukrainian Officials to Try to Cancel Cultural Performance Letter from EU VP to the Ukrainian PM |
| Romania, Bucharest | May 28-30, 2010 | Jan 2010 | In November 2009, the Romanian Association of Qigong Falun Dafa sent a letter of intent to the National Palace of Children in order to bring Shen Yun to Bucharest in 2010. The theater is under the Romanian Ministry of Education. Shortly afterwards, the local organizers called the Ministry of Education asking for an answer to the letter of intent. They were told that the request was forwarded to the Ministry of Cultures Foreign Affairs Department and to the Chinese embassy. On December 15, the hosting organization signed a contract with the theater. In January, the Ministry of Education notified the hosting organization that they are not allowed to lease the venue, without explanation. The hosting organization tried to meet with officials from the Ministry of Culture but these request were repeatedly denied. On March 8, European Parliament Member Renate Weber sent an open letter to the Romanian Minister of Education about the case. As a result, the following day Romania’s Prima TV featured a report on the story. The ministry publicly attributed to the denial to the fact that the show of traditional Chinese culture has nothing to do with education. Romanian Prima TV later mocked this justification by playing footage of various conferences that took place at the theater, including a gypsy summit. Romanian European Parliament Member Csaba Sogor said: “This is very troubling, because politics should never override human rights and culture.” In a March meeting, a ministry official privately admitted the decision was based on a recommendation from the Romanian Foreign Ministry due to pressure form the PRC embassy. |
| Austria, Vienna | April 2010 | Nov. 2009 | Shen Yun was set to perform in Vienna with the Austrian cultural association ArsCara and the Austrian Falun Dafa Association serving as local presenters. ArsCara was the contractual partner with the theater, Wiener Stadthalle. On Nov. 30, 2009, ArsCara received a letter from the management of Wiener Stadthalle. The letter stated that the theater has "increasingly intensified cooperation with Chinese contractual partners and strengthened cooperation with Chinese government representatives in Austria." The letter continued: "Since we believe your event has the aforementioned Chinese connection, we would like to ask you to send us a corresponding letter of patronage from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Austria in order to reflect our increased cooperation with our Chinese contractual partners and the representation of the Chinese government in Austria." In ensuing conversations with the theater management, the local presenters learned that there was significant economic pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Vienna on Wiener Stadthalle and its owner, Wien Holding, to cancel the performance. The request of a letter of endorsement from the embassy, which was clearly destined to fail, was simply meant to find an easy way to justify canceling the performance. According to the management of Wiener Stadthalle, the Embassy had already exerted pressure on the theater a year earlier, and so the Chinese Embassy's position on Shen Yun was well-known to them. Due to the support of politicians in Austria, however, Shen Yun was still able to perform as planned in Wiener Stadthalle. |
| Ireland, Dublin | Mar 28, 2010 | Mar 27, 2010 | The Chinese Embassy in Ireland circulates letters to all foreign diplomatic missions in Dublin to “kindly remind” them not to attend Shen Yun’s performance. Irish Times article |
| China, Shanghai | 2010 | Feb 18, 2010 | The husband of Shen Yun’s erhu virtuoso is abducted while getting ready to board a flight at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport. The couple had been separated by persecution for over a decade. The husband, Jiang Feng, was headed to Newark, NJ, to finally be reunited with his wife and erhu player, Mei Xuan. Jiang Feng was sent to 18 months in an Anhui province labor camp. Washington Times Op-ed: An empty seat, a broken heart Shen Yun erhu player's husband 'sentenced' to 18 months of forced labor Personal Encouragement at EU |
| USA, Los Angeles, CA | Feb 5-14, 2010 | Feb 12-14, 2010 | While Shen Yun was performing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Chinese state-sponsored Beijing Dance Academy performed during overlapping dates at the Ahmanson Theater right next door. This is a familiar tactic of setting up competing shows at nearby venues on the exact same dates, previously seen in other cities, such as the Hague in 2008. Beijing Dance Academy’s The Butterfly Lovers |
| Australia, Sydney | May 9-19, 2010 | Jan 2010 | A press release from the Sydney Consulate General announces that: “The so-called ‘Performing Arts’ is a tool of cult and anti-China agitprop,” and goes on with the usual Party-line rant about Falun Gong. Letter on file and available upon request. |
| China, Hong Kong | Jan 27-31, 2010 | Jan 22, 2010 | After delaying the visa processing for 93 Shen Yun artists, Hong Kong authorities refused to issue visas to seven (later six) key members of Shen Yun’s production crew, forcing Shen Yun to cancel the show. It was explained in written communication to Hong Kong Immigration Department that the show could not go on without these crew members, but the Hong Kong government insisted that these workers could be replaced by local labor, which is against common practice even in Hong Kong. Critics suspect pressure from Beijing. Early Shen Yun Media Advisory Press Release: SHEN YUN FORCED TO CANCEL HONG KONG SHOWS Wall Street Journal editorial BBC South China Morning Post Scotsman DC Human Rights Examiner R.E.A.L. Organization report Congressman Rohrabacher's statement Letter from Congressman Bilirakis to Hong Kong |
| Canada, Ottawa | Jan 16, 2010 | Jan 13,2010 | After performing in Ottawa and driving to Montreal, Shen Yun's bus driver noticed a strange cut mark on a front tire of the dancers' bus. Upon inspection, bus service personnel in Montreal said that the slashes were made by a blade. The tire was slashed in such a way that the tire would not go flat right away. Only several layers of rubber were cut, so that the tire would burst after it heated up and expanded while driving. The fact it was the front tire that was slashed is critical, because if the tire burst the bus would lose control - with 50 people on board. The case was reported to Canadian police. Three days later, a tire on the bus of one of Shen Yun’s other companies burst at 1am while traveling on I-40 West between Memphis and Little Rock. This was the first time in four years one of the company’s buses had a burst or flat tire. Two days later, while in Little Rock, the same company’s truck, during a pre-trip inspection, discovered slashes on one of its tires. Slashed Tire Posed Threat to Chinese Performers in Ottawa |
| China, Guangzhou | Jan 27-31, 2010 | Jan 8, 2010 | Chinese State Security officials have reportedly monitored Guangzhou residents who purchased tickets for the Shen Yun show in nearby Hong Kong.In one case, five police officers from three different districts (Panyu District police, Guangzhou city police, and Wuhan city police) harassed the family of Yang Fan and forced them to hand over four tickets to see Shen Yun in Hong Kong. The police presumably knew about the ticket purchase through phone-tapping. Three other family members had traveled from Wuhan city in Hubei province to Guangzhou in order to travel from there to Hong Kong together with the rest of the family to watch the show. The police were unable to find their tickets. |
| USA, Little Rock, AR | Jan 20, 2010 | May 2009 | In May 2009, the Houston Chinese consulate sent a 13-page letter to Little Rock’s Robinson Center Music Hall asking that the theater deny Shen Yun’s application for performance. Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau Chief of Operatinos Jim Rice said the letter was received in May. Rice said they had never received any letter like it before. It is not clear how the consulate knew that Shen Yun planned to perform in the theater again. Shen Yun had previously performed there in February 2009. Rice said: "No matter who gives us pressure or threats, we will do what we think is the right thing. I am proud to have Shen Yun perform here.” The theater then submitted the letter to the FBI. The letter said that Shen Yun “propagates lies saying that the Chinese government persecutes Falun Gong.” Chinese Consulate in Houston Tries to Block Shen Yun in Arkansas |
| France, Paris | 2010 | 2010 | During a VIP cocktail reception following a Shen Yun performance in Paris, the director of a national radio station was approached by several Chinese who came to dissuade him from working in partnership with Shen Yun. The director was reportedly offended and sent them away, expressing indignation that Chinese people close to the Embassy could come and interfere in the affairs of a French radio station in the middle of a cultural event. |
| The Netherlands, Amsterdam | April 21, 2009 | 2009 | An Amsterdam Chinese Embassy representative visited the RAI Theater, asking it to cancel two events: 1. The Dalai Lama’s speech, scheduled to take place at the conference center on June 4, 2009. 2. The Shen Yun Performing Arts show, scheduled to take place April 21, 2009. Theater management informed the Chinese embassy that the conference center is for everyone. |
| Scotland, Edinburgh | Apr 8, 2009 | Dec 2008 | A Shen Yun performance scheduled at the Edinburgh Playhouse was canceled after the theater’s owner, Live Nation, decided to call off the show. According to the Scotsman , “bosses at Live Nation's UK headquarters in Oxford were concerned the…show could potentially sour Live Nation's concert and venue interests in China.” Following protests, the show was reinstated and successfully took place as scheduled April 8, 2009. |
| South Korea, Seoul | Feb 2-8, 2009 | Jan 23, 2009 | Shen Yun was scheduled to perform at Universal Art Center, which is run by a religious foundation. But the Chinese Embassy in Seoul threatened the theater that if the show is not canceled, they will not issue visas for members of the Korean foundation who conduct business in China. The embassy also threatened that the foundation will risk economic loss of hundreds of millions of dollars that they invested in China if they allow the Shen Yun’s show to take place. The show was canceled, but the case was brought to court, the cancellation was overturned and the show successfully performed. |
| Germany, Frankfurt | Feb 21-22, 2009 | Jan 6, 2009 | The Frankfurt Chinese consulate sent official letters to the State of Hessen’s Chancellery, Consular Corps and foreign diplomatic missions on Jan. 6, “reminding” recipients to boycott Shen Yun’s shows. The letter, which was made public, was later credited with leading many people who were unaware of the show, to attend the performance. Official letter of the Chinese consulate available upon request. |
| South Korea, Seoul | Feb 21-24, 2008 | Jan 11, 2008 | Shen Yun shows, hosted by the Korean Epoch Times, and scheduled to be performed at Kyung Hee University’s Grand Peace Palace, are canceled. The reason given was an overlapping schedule with other university activities. But pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Seoul was evident and the case was brought to court. The hosting organization won the case and the show was performed. More on Korean incidents |
| South Korea, Busan | Feb 25-27, 2008 | Dec 17, 2007 | Shen Yun shows scheduled at the KBS Busan Hall (owned by the state-run KBS TV) to be hosted by the Sonata Planning Agent for Performing Arts were cancelled due to fear of diplomatic frictions with the Chinese regime. The case was brought to court, with the decision upholding the legitimacy of the show’s cancellation. More on Korean incidents |
| The Netherlands, Amsterdam | 2008 | 2008 | An Amsterdam Chinese Embassy official called the Asia desk of the Dutch foreign affairs office asking the Dutch government to stop the scheduled Shen Yun shows from being performed in Holland. The Dutch official reportedly replied that the Dutch government is in no power to do such a thing in a democratic country, and that hosting organizations are free to organize shows like these as they please. (Information relayed to a representative of the Holland Falun Dafa Association during a meeting with the Foreign Affairs office.) |
| Australia, Melbourne | March 28-30, 2008 | March 26, 2008 | Two days before Shen Yun’s performance, a letter signed by Liang Shugen, Consul General of the Melbourne Chinese Consulate was sent to several Melbourne officials. The letter states: “I learnt with regret that you sent a congratulatory message to this event.” The letter also claims that Falun Gong was banned in China “according to law” (see some reports about this funny statement) and accuses Falun Gong of “anti-society, anti-human, anti-science motives under the disguise of cultural activities…it is determined to sabotage the friendly relations between China and other countries.” Finally, “It is my sincere hope that you will not attend the performance.” (Letter available upon request) According to an article in The Age , four MPs canceled their attendance at the last minute without explanation. |
| Czech Republic, Prague | 2008 | March 2008 | The anchors of Czech Television’s “Good Morning” show received a letter form the Chinese Embassy ， and the station also received a phone call from the embassy. Both involved urging the TV station not to participate or report on the show. In response, on March 10, Czech TV, which had no intent to report on the Shen Yun initially, interviewed Shen Yun artists Liu Tianyi and Lin Jiaqi on their morning show. The anchor held the embassy’s letter up to the camera ， saying: “We are not Chinese television, neither state television. Our advantage is that we can invite whoever we want. In China ， maybe it’s a little different.”Jiri Liska, Vice Speaker of the Czech Republic's Senate, said that embassy’s “interference won't work here.” |
| Sweden, Stockholm | March 24-26, 2008 | 2008 | An article in the Swedish newspaper, Dagen Nyheter titled 'China Wants to Stop Show in Linköping' wrote : “The Chinese government attempts to stop a Chinese song and dance show in Linköping. The chairman of the Cultural Council has received a call from the Embassy. The message was clear - relations could be affected if the show is not stopped.” According to the BBC, “Diplomatic relations between Sweden and China are said to be threatened by a row over dance performances.”City officials in Stockholm and Linköping report receiving phone calls from the Chinese embassy. “They stepped way over the line. I think they really owe us an apology and an explanation,” AFP reported Madeleine Sjoestedt, Stockholm Vice-Mayor for Culture and Sports, as saying. |
| Malaysia | March 22-23, 2008 | 2008 | According to a March 24, 2008 Associated Press article, the Malaysian government canceled Shen Yun’s shows due to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party. The cancellation order was issued by Malaysia’s Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage in Kuala Lumpur. A ministry official reportedly stated that the cancellation was due to a complaint by the Chinese embassy. According to local organizer Wong Mei Yee, some 2,000 tickets had already been sold and the cancellation cost the organizers $31,800. Audiences Regret the Cancellation of 'Chinese Spectacular' Show in Malaysia |
| The Netherlands, The Hague | Feb 19- 20,2008 World Forum Theatre | Feb 19-20, 2008 | The Chinese Embassy in The Hague hosts a Chinese New Year Gala show on the exact two dates that the Shen Yun shows are held. Its theater is blocks away from Shen Yun’s venue. Show Disruption Thought to Originate From Chinese Embassy |
| Romania, Bucharest | April 7-8, 2008 | March 2008 | The Chinese embassy learned of the show a month before the performance and sent several delegation to the venue, the National Theater of Bucharest, to urge cancellation of the show. Both the venue administration and the director of the Department of Foreign Affairs within the Ministry of Culture, Bella Krisbay, called the hosting organization in for clarification. Following the meeting, they refused to cancel the show. Between Shen Yun’s first and second shows at the National Theater of Bucharest, a PRC embassy representative visited the theater and asked the theater manager to not allow Shen Yun to continue performing. The theater manager refused, saying: “I saw the show. It’s great.” But when the local organizers tried to lease the venue again for 2009, they were turned down without explanation. PRC consular official Zhou Jihe also made phone calls to Chinese community members in Bucharest, warning them not to attend the show. |
| Germany, Munich | April 18-19, 2008 | March 11, 2008 | The local Shen Yun promoter, the Tonicale Concert Agency in Munich, was threatened by the Munich Chinese consulate. Tonicale first received harassing phone calls roughly every 10 minutes and then a personal visit from the Chinese vice-consul Wang Yanmin on March 11. Tonicale’s managing director was threatened that, if the show were not canceled, he might never be able to enter China again and the agency would be blacklisted and not allowed to conduct business with Chinese partners. Despite the pressure, the German agency held its ground and the shows were successfully held according to schedule. Pictures of consulate visiting Munich's Tonicale |
| Denmark, Copenhagen | 2008 | March 2008 | Shen Yun’s performances scheduled to tale place at Det Kongelige Theatre in Copenhagen were abruptly cancelled. In its place - a mysterious invitation-only concert sponsored by the Chinese embassy. On March 18, 2008, Danish National Television broadcast a prime-time investigative report titled: “Theater Encounters Great Pressure from China” about this incident. |
| Sweden, Linköping | 2008 | Jan 25, 2008 | As reported by Swedish television channel SVT and the Swedish newspaper Corren, a Stockholm Chinese Embassy official threatened Johan Lundgren, Chair of the Cultural and Recreational Board, that relations between China and the City of Linköping would deteriorate if the Shen Yun show is not canceled.“ This demand is astonishing but it is valueless. It is completely unthinkable that we stop the show. It doesn’t matter who rings us, we shall not be influenced,” Municipal Chairman Paul Lindvall told the Swedish newspaper. Leo Wijkman, program manager of Arenabolaget, the company that operates the Konsert & Kongress, where Shen Yun was scheduled to perform, told Corren that he had booked Shen Yun based on the show’s artistic merit. Swedish Politicians Rebuff Chinese Embassy's Threats |
| Russia, St. Petersburg | 2008 | 2008 | Show had to be canceled due to pressure on the theater. Quote from Russian historian Oleg Mironenko: “I don’t know why these dances could provoke such a reaction from the Chinese Party leaders. Maybe the regime is not so strong if dances can make it fall.” Video Clip |
| Czech Republic, Prague | 2008 | 2008 | A newspaper circulated by the Chinese Embassy in Prague among diaspora Chinese printed a front-page announcement telling all Chinese not to go see the show. |
| Finland, Tampere | 2008 | 2008 | Tampere city officials were contacted by the Chinese Embassy in Helsinki about the show. The exact content of the communication is not currently known. Foreign Ministry official, Annikki Arponen, told Finish show organizer that the embassy had also contacted the venue Tampere-talo asking the theater to renege on its contract and cancel Shen Yun’s show. |
| USA, Los Angeles, CA | 2008 | 2008 | The L.A. Times reports on January 3 that the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate visited Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Chris Norby, asking that he not recognize the upcoming Shen Yun shows at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido and L.A.’s Nokia Theatre. Chairman Norby reportedly rebuked the consulate and said it amounted to “an attempt by a foreign government to dictate to American elected officials what organizations we should support, recognize or associate with.” LA Times: O.C. official 'insulted' by China letter |
| France, Paris | 2008 | 2008 | The Palais des Congrès de Paris theater director was approached in his office by a delegation from the Chinese Consulate who had come to put pressure on him to cancel a contract already signed for upcoming Shen Yun performances. The delegation reportedly came with a "suitcase," insinuating it contained a gift for the director. The director did not capitulate and the performances went on as scheduled. |
| USA, Fort Lauderdale, FL | Dec 27-28, 2007 | 2007 | Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle says he received a letter from Qiao Hong, the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Houston, threatening that his reputation as a mayor will be damaged if he sends a congratulatory message or attends Shen Yun’s show. Mayor Naugle responded by proclaiming the show’s date, December 27, 2007 as “Holiday Wonders Day” in Fort Lauderdale, and deciding to attend the show (see article). |
| USA, San Diego, CA | 2007 | Dec. 17, 2007 | An official letter from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles to San Diego City Council Member Donna Frye urged Frye to make sure: “no congratulations, no recognition letters, no attendance or no support in any form from you be given” to the show. The letter (with author, available upon request) claimed that the show’s “ulterior motive is to defame China’s image in the international community and undermine the development of China-US relations.” The letter also compared Falun Gong, known for its strict non-violence, “to the Branch Davidians, which engaged federal agents in a standoff over illegal weapons stockpiles that killed 82 members near Waco, Texas, in 1993; and to the Peoples Temple, of which more than 900 members committed mass suicide in Guyana in 1978.” (LA Times) Beijing has used this official line since 1999 to try to establish guilt-by-association, comparing the non-violent Falun Gong to destructive groups familiar in the west. (more on this) Congresswoman Susan Davis’ staff member indicated that the congresswoman had received such a letter as well. |
| USA, New York, NY | 2007 | Dec 11, 2007 | The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York sends an official letter to N.Y. State Assemblyman Michael Benjamin. The letter (available upon request) begins by thanking him for his “efforts in promoting China-US friendship and cooperation.” It continues to say that Falun Gong promotes anti-humanity fallacies, and that its show aims at “undermining the China-US relations.” [sic] Finally, the consulate states: “It is our hope and belief that you would not support in any form the so-called ‘Holiday Wonders’ and ‘Chinese New Year Spectacular’ organized by ‘Falun Gong’.” |
| Canada, Calgary | May 2007 | 2007 | The Epoch Times reported that Ms. Wang, 70, who had purchased roughly 30 tickets for her co-workers to attend the show, returned to the ticket office two days later saying she had been discouraged from attending the show. When asked by whom, she said: "I can't say, but you know who they are, everyone knows who they are." The article reports that another person said that “The consulate had invited several Chinese people over for tea," said the ticket purchaser. "One of my friends was included in this group." The consulate told the guests that the show “is super-terrifying, it shows live organ harvesting on the stage, very bloody, you should tell other Chinese people not to attend these performances." Not intimidated, the friend reportedly immediately purchased 40 tickets for friends and relatives. |
| Canada, Edmonton | May 2007 | 2007 | When Ms. Zhu Li, who is a member of a local Chinese association, tried to promote the show to other Chinese organizations, most told her that the Calgary Chinese consulate had warned them not to attend. |
| South Korea, Seoul | Apr. 23-26,2007 | March 16, 2007 | The Keox Auditorium Hall, which belongs to the Korean government organization Trade Center, was scheduled to hold Shen Yun’s show, hosted by NTDTV. On March 16, NTDTV was notified of the show’s cancellation. The case was brought to court under the allegation that the show was canceled due to Chinese embassy pressure. NTDTV won the case, but the theater refused to open the doors for the show, and it ended up being canceled. |
| USA, Washington, DC | Jan. 26-27, 2007 | Jan. 23, 2007 | Ahead of performances at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium, Dai Xi of the Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy sends emails to the performances’ sponsors. The letter states: “We suggest that you could think over your sponsorship and withdraw it.” The letter is replete with the rhetoric of China’s state-run media attacks on Falun Gong and the hosting organization, New Tang Dynasty Television.Following the show, the Washington DC ticket hotline service received multiple phone calls, sometimes only seconds apart from an unknown entity. The caller’s number – 8617911020000 – is from China. PDF copy of email and phone records with author and available upon request. |
| USA, Boston | Jan. 2007 | Jan. 2007 | While performing in Boston, a theater security staff member alerted us that he had spotted a briefcase left behind where an unknown Chinese individual had been sitting. The briefcase had a printout of Shen Yun’s entire itinerary, complete with train tickets from city to city. |