Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 1, 2026, an unknown actor exploited a page on a Shen Yun Performing Arts website to blast out more than 200 violent threat messages, most involving bombs, mass shootings, and arson. The attackers hijacked the site’s infrastructure as a delivery mechanism, impersonating political leaders, Falun Gong’s founder, and other public figures in the messages themselves. The Falun Dafa Information Center says the campaign fits an escalating pattern of Chinese Communist Party transnational repression targeting the New York-based company during its 20th-anniversary world tour. Experts call the threats terrorism. All cases have been referred to law enforcement.
The Falun Dafa Information Center disclosed the campaign in a Feb. 25, 2026 update. Anonymous death threats targeting Falun Gong practitioners and supporters worldwide have surpassed 243 since March 2024, according to the center’s tracking data. The 200-plus messages sent through the Shen Yun website during the five-day window count as a single incident within that tally, center researcher Alex Zhang said.
Threats impersonated Taiwan’s president and Falun Gong’s founder
On Jan. 30, the center received a Chinese-language threat bearing the Shen Yun logo, sent under the false name of Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te. It claimed explosives had been placed at the White House and Mar-a-Lago, that the bombs would detonate if Shen Yun continued performing, and that vehicles would ram crowds while gunmen targeted fleeing people.
That message was one of more than 200 sent over five days. Most involved bomb threats and called for mass violence, using the condition “if Shen Yun continues to perform” as the trigger. Senders impersonated Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi, practitioners, politicians from multiple countries, and celebrities. A small number used English names, including that of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Targets spanned continents: Falun Gong supporters, government officials, cultural venues, and public infrastructure, including the White House and Taiwan’s Presidential Office. A recurring pattern was fictitious explosive devices placed in government buildings, airports, and public spaces, paired with demands to cancel Shen Yun.
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Messages targeted Taiwan and threatened graphic violence
Two additional examples illustrate the campaign’s scope.
One, sent under the name of former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, claimed explosives had been placed at Taiwan’s Presidential Office, five airports, the Taipei Arena, two universities, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, and the Taipei Police Department. It stated all devices would be detonated if Shen Yun continued and called for armed intrusion into the Presidential Office.
A second, sent under Mr. Li Hongzhi’s name, warned that all Falun Gong practitioners worldwide, along with supportive officials and public figures, would face “serious danger” over the following three months. It threatened arson, staged car accidents targeting family members, kidnapping, and murder.
All 200-plus messages used fabricated sender names, most impersonating Falun Gong-affiliated individuals, Taiwanese political leaders, or activists. The tactic matches previous incidents. Its purpose is confusion, reputational damage to the Falun Gong community, and public panic.
Experts call the campaign terrorism
Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, said the bomb threats have escalated throughout 2026, extending to federal offices and FBI headquarters. “Bomb threats are, by their nature, terrorism threats,” Browde stated. Taiwanese authorities have traced some threats to CCP-linked parties.
Sarah Cook, an independent researcher and former Freedom House China director, described the campaign as both transnational repression and transnational censorship. Even when threats are fake, she said, the consequences are real: silenced voices, heightened fear, and increased security costs for venues. Cook observed identical images reused across messages, indicating coordination.
Benedict Rogers, a British human rights activist, said Chinese nationals involved should be expelled or face diplomatic sanctions. Katrina Lantos Swett, former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said coordinated threats against theaters could constitute terrorism. She urged communications platforms to strengthen monitoring against exploitation for intimidation.
CCP strategy targets Falun Gong and Shen Yun overseas
The campaign is part of a years-long pattern including identity theft, platform abuse, harassment, and mass death threats. No physical harm has resulted, but the operations have disrupted lawful cultural events, consumed public safety resources, and damaged the targeted community’s reputation.
Threats against Shen Yun spike consistently during tour seasons, coinciding with major performances or politically sensitive dates. Since 2023, theaters, cultural partners, and Falun Gong-affiliated locations have received repeated bomb and shooting hoaxes via email, website forms, and customer service systems, triggering evacuations and police responses across North America, Europe, and Asia. Libraries, NGOs, universities, and public institutions have also been targeted.
Yuan Hongbing, a prominent legal scholar and former Peking University professor, has told media that at an expanded meeting of the CCP’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission before the 20th Party Congress in 2022, Xi Jinping laid out a new strategy against Falun Gong overseas. The strategy centers on the character assassination of Falun Gong’s founder, described internally as a “spiritual decapitation operation.” Two supporting prongs, “public opinion warfare” and “legal warfare,” target Shen Yun and the founder directly.
Shen Yun’s 20th anniversary tour sells out worldwide
CCP repression has failed to slow Shen Yun’s momentum. The 2026 season includes roughly 800 performances across five continents, more than 20 countries, and 200 cities. In North America, Shen Yun covers 36 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., plus Canadian cities including Toronto and Vancouver. All 33 Taiwan performances sold out; the president sent congratulations. In Europe, the tour spans more than a dozen countries; 99 France performances are scheduled, with tickets selling out months ahead. Legislators from multiple countries have issued anniversary commendations.
Shen Yun was founded in New York in 2006 by Falun Gong practitioners to revive authentic Chinese traditional culture and present the civilization that existed before communist rule. Mainstream cultural figures worldwide have praised the company for bringing hope in a turbulent era.
By Yin Hua
