A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State has condemned Beijing’s “acts of intimidation” against Shen Yun Performing Arts, the New York-based classical Chinese dance company founded by adherents of the persecuted Chinese spiritual discipline Falun Gong.
“We condemn such acts of intimidation and urge protection of the right to free expression,” the spokesperson said in comments made to The Epoch Times. The State Department also “urge[s] the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] to end its now 25-year campaign to eradicate Falun Gong” in mainland China and around the world.
Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa (法輪大法), is a Buddhist-school qigong practice that gained immense popularity in China during the 1990s. Fearing that Falun Gong’s teachings would threaten the CCP’s atheist Marxism, the Communist Party leadership launched an all-out campaign to eradicate the traditional faith group starting in July 1999.
Shen Yun, which tours on multiple continents and reaches about 1 million theatergoers annually, portrays the culture and values of ancient Chinese civilization, as well as the human rights abuses that the CCP has perpetrated against Falun Gong.
Its marketing slogan “China before communism” contrasts with the CCP’s campaigns to destroy or distort traditional Chinese culture and heritage.
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The Epoch Times notes that the CCP’s efforts to sabotage Shen Yun “has recently escalated in intensity, with suspected CCP operatives sending dozens of emails with bomb and assassination threats to theaters, Shen Yun itself, and to members of U.S. Congress who support Falun Gong.”
The State Department spokesperson’s comments follow a Feb. 5 speech by U.S. Vice President JD Vance pledging the Trump administration’s commitment to promoting international religious freedom.
