Performance imagery and political timing
The halted segment featured a dance titled The Long Night Ends in Ashes. The program incorporated Hanfu attire, traditional cultural motifs, and imagery described by some viewers as divinely inspired.
A line associated with the performance — “The long night ends in ashes, mountains and rivers bathed in moonlight” — circulated widely online. Some commentators interpreted the phrase as metaphorical. In those readings, “long night” referred to a period of political strain, while “ends in ashes” suggested rupture or conclusion.
The broadcast took place weeks after authorities announced on Jan. 24 that Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, was suspected of serious disciplinary and legal violations and was under investigation. The reported purge of senior military leadership drew sustained attention.
Against that backdrop, some online commentators linked the gala’s imagery to the broader political environment. References within the performance to generals “restoring our rivers and mountains” were cited as potentially sensitive. Others suggested the symbolism may have unsettled senior officials.
Symbolism and aesthetic choices
Online posts described the dance as incorporating national-style tactical armor, intangible cultural heritage elements, and settings drawn from the Northern Song capital of Bianjing, as depicted in the Tencent game Yan Yun Sixteen Voices. Lines such as “Calling on the generals to take action and restore our rivers and mountains” were highlighted in discussion threads.
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Some viewers characterized the imagery as reflecting “instability in military morale” or broader “political turbulence.” Others pointed to the inclusion of figures such as flying apsaras and horned deities, noting the absence of explicit references to Party leadership. Several posts described those aesthetic choices as diverging from the Party’s officially atheist orientation.
An X user identified as “kitty” referenced a segment beginning around the three-minute mark, quoting the line: “At first light, I will set out; meteors, white feathers tucked at my waist…” The user wrote that the passage appeared to signal the start of an organized undertaking.
Comparisons to Shen Yun
Discussions online frequently drew comparisons between the Henan program and Shen Yun Performing Arts, the New York-based classical Chinese dance company.
“Maybe it’s because it looks too much like Shen Yun,” one user wrote. Another comment stated: “Imitating Falun Gong’s Shen Yun violated a major taboo (of the Chinese Communist Party).” A separate post read: “In the future, only Dafa (Falun Dafa) can perform things of this style. Dafa is the representative of traditional Chinese culture.”
On Feb. 16, overseas pro-democracy activist and former June Fourth student leader Tang Baiqiao commented on the gala.
“First, the intention is good. Although it imitates a Shen Yun performance, good things should be learned by everyone, unless there is suspected intellectual property infringement; second, the AI production technology is not bad. But this is a post-produced television program, and it is not comparable to Shen Yun’s live stage performance. Third, it lacks spirit and benevolence. This cannot be blamed on the performers, but only on the Chinese Communist Party, which has completely destroyed the morality of the Chinese people!” Tang wrote.
Other online comments rejected the comparison, arguing that the Henan performance did not approach Shen Yun’s technical level. One user claimed dance instructors had traveled abroad to observe Shen Yun but found its demands beyond replication. Another alleged that Chinese consulates had distributed free tickets overseas as part of efforts to compete.
A user identified as “Spring Today” wrote that the broadcast may have been cut after the program introduced divinely inspired cultural elements. “What the Chinese Communist Party fears most,” the comment read, “is that Chinese people believe in the divine and no longer believe in them.”
Shen Yun’s stage design
Shen Yun describes itself as the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company and says it seeks to revive traditional Chinese culture from before the communist era.
According to material published on its official website, a defining feature of its productions is an original high-tech animated digital backdrop. Each backdrop is custom-designed for specific programs and coordinated with choreography, costumes, lighting, music, and narrative structure.
The company states that the technology expands the perceived spatial and temporal dimensions of the stage, creating transitions between historical periods and realms. It depicts celestial palaces amid clouds, Tang Dynasty courts, pastoral settings, wartime scenes, snow-covered western plateaus, coastal landscapes, loess highlands and Jiangnan gardens, reflecting different dynasties, regions and cultural traditions.
The reason for the Henan broadcast interruption remains unaddressed by authorities. Online speculation has continued in the absence of an official statement.
By Li Muzi
