By Jin Yan, Vision Times
After a six-week delay, a disturbing pattern has come into focus: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has launched a renewed campaign of cross-border intimidation targeting Shen Yun Performing Arts, according to multiple overseas democracy activists. The campaign allegedly involves impersonating prominent international leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, to send bomb threats, death threats, and malicious emails to Shen Yun venues and affiliated organizations worldwide.
Veteran democracy advocate Sheng Xue, vice chair of the Global Alliance for Democracy and a Canada-based writer, told Vision Times that she received nearly 20 threatening emails in January alone. The messages contained bomb threats, violent language, and extreme insults, some absurdly sent under the names of President Trump, President Lai, and Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi.
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“This is exactly the CCP’s long-standing overseas playbook — threats, forgery, and transnational suppression,” Sheng said. “It’s malicious and stupid. These attacks will not intimidate anyone. They only expose the CCP’s deep fear of Shen Yun.”
Activists targeted through identity theft
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Sheng revealed that she herself has become a victim of impersonation. Her name and email address were allegedly used to send bomb threats to Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Taoyuan International Airport, Songshan Airport, and Taipei 101, causing serious disruption.
“They used my name and my email in Canada to send bomb threats to Shen Yun performances,” she said. “I’ve received dozens of replies. They even sent threats in my name to Taiwanese airports, police, and government agencies. I’m seriously considering traveling to Taiwan to report this in person.”
Impersonation-based threats are not new. Internal CCP documents exposed in 2024, reportedly from the Ministry of Public Security and state think tanks, show Beijing explicitly ordered an escalation of global efforts to suppress Falun Gong and Shen Yun.
Data compiled by the Falun Dafa Information Center indicates that since March 2024, there have been 168 bomb and death threats worldwide, 132 directly targeting Shen Yun.
Why Shen Yun is a target
Sheng argues that Shen Yun is targeted because it directly undermines the CCP’s cultural propaganda abroad. “Before Shen Yun, nearly all overseas ‘Chinese culture’ performances were CCP-led and saturated with Party ideology,” she said. “Shen Yun shattered that monopoly. It shows the world authentic Chinese civilization, untouched by Communist distortion. That is an intolerable defeat for the CCP.”
Jie Lijian, vice chairman of the Chinese Democratic Party’s Joint Headquarters and head of its youth wing, also said his name was used to send threats to the Falun Dafa Information Center. Having attended Shen Yun, he described audience members openly weeping when performances depicted the persecution of faith in China.
“Shen Yun allows the world to see China’s reality,” Jie said. “More people now understand that the CCP does not represent China, and China is not the CCP. That truth terrifies Beijing.”
A pattern of repression
Beyond fake bomb threats, activists say the CCP’s overseas repression includes physical assaults, legal harassment, family intimidation, disinformation campaigns, and media manipulation. Former Hong Kong legislator Kevin Yam told Vision Times that the CCP’s relentless targeting of Shen Yun actually highlights its strength.
“Shen Yun is reviving authentic Chinese culture at a level the CCP cannot replicate,” Yam said. “The regime claims to represent Chinese civilization, but Shen Yun exposes that lie by presenting 5,000 years of culture beyond politics. That breaks the CCP’s cultural monopoly.”
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Yam, who has been imprisoned twice and arrested nine times in Hong Kong, said he has received death threats and kidnapping extortion letters at residences in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Canada. He urged victims to report such threats to authorities and treat them as national security matters. “Protecting those under threat is defending democracy itself,” he said.
Shen Yun’s global impact
Despite escalating threats, Shen Yun’s global presence continues to expand. 2026 marks the company’s 20th anniversary, with eight touring companies performing simultaneously across Europe, North America, and Asia. In France, organizers have already opened ticket sales for 2027 performances in 10 cities due to overwhelming demand.
Performances in France, Austria, Italy, the UK, Switzerland, the U.S., and Taiwan are frequently sold out. Scientists, artists, medical professionals, business leaders, and elected officials have praised Shen Yun for reviving traditional values, spirituality, and moral clarity in an increasingly turbulent world.
In Taiwan, Shen Yun performances in Miaoli, Changhua, Chiayi, and Taipei in January were sold out. Premier Cho Jung-tai attended privately on Jan. 31, later remarking that the performance delivered “a powerful visual and emotional impact.”
Sheng concluded that the CCP’s intimidation campaign has backfired. “When more people realize that China is not the CCP, and Chinese culture does not belong to the CCP, its panic and aggression become understandable,” she said. “These threats are not signs of strength. They are proof of failure.”
Political commentator Lao Deng echoed that sentiment, urging audiences worldwide to support Shen Yun simply by attending performances. “The best response to intimidation,” he said, “is to fill the theater.”
