On April 12, 2026, the performances of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada, came to a close. Jiang Jiawei, Hong Kong legislative speaker and a Christian pastor, attended the show for the first time and later gave an exclusive interview to Vision Times, sharing his deeply moved impressions.
He said that Shen Yun not only revives 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture, but also conveys hope through its theme of light overcoming darkness. At the same time, he strongly condemned recent incidents in which bomb threats in Toronto led to the cancellation of six performances, calling it a blatant violation of Canada’s core values such as freedom of speech and artistic freedom.
Vancouver also received bomb threats; police say they originated from mainland China
Although Shen Yun performances in Toronto were forced to be canceled due to false bomb threats, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver chose to proceed despite receiving similar threats. On April 2 and 6, the theatre received two emails claiming that a “large quantity” of explosives had been planted inside and demanding that all Shen Yun performances from April 8 to 12 be canceled, or the bombs would be detonated.
After receiving the report, Vancouver police immediately launched an investigation and deployed explosive-detection dogs to thoroughly search the theatre, but no explosives were found. Police clearly stated that the threat was “unfounded” and confirmed that the performances proceeded as scheduled. In addition to cooperating with the police, the organizers also increased security personnel and installed metal detectors to ensure the safety of the audience.
The police cybercrime unit tracked and found that the threatening email originated from a VPN address associated with the Asia region and was linked to a Chinese phone number, with the user located in mainland China. The organizing body stated that this method is similar to recent bomb threats received in Toronto and Seattle, and is considered a transnational false threat attributed to the Chinese Communist Party. Previous investigations by Taiwanese police also showed that similar threatening emails had originated from an area near the Huawei Research Institute in Xi’an, China.
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A battle between good and evil — light will ultimately overcome darkness
Jiang Jiawei said that when he learned about the bomb threats targeting Shen Yun performances in Toronto, he immediately decided to buy tickets to see the show in Vancouver.
“I once studied in mainland China, where the CCP invited Hong Kong students for exchange programs, and I saw Chinese dance performances there. But those performances were very ‘rigid’ and lacked emotion—everyone looked like robots, without their own expressions,” he said. In contrast, he noted that every Shen Yun performer has a unique, heartfelt smile filled with genuine emotion. “This is the most special aspect of Chinese dance I’ve ever seen—their performances have soul.”
Jiang added that Shen Yun’s program weaves together ancient legends and contemporary realities. For example, stories such as Emperor Kangxi traveling incognito to aid the people highlight benevolence and justice, while modern depictions of Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted and subjected to organ harvesting point directly to dark forces. The entire performance follows the theme of a struggle between light and darkness, with light ultimately prevailing.
“While watching Shen Yun, I felt that we are facing a dark era, but the performance reminds us that justice and light will ultimately succeed—this gives us hope,” he said.
As a Christian pastor, he paid particular attention to the portrayal of the “Creator” in the performance. In the opening piece, “Opening a New Era,” the Creator calls upon divine beings to descend to Earth and establish 5,000 years of civilization, laying the foundation for traditional values such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, and the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. In the final scene, when humanity faces great catastrophe, the Creator returns once again, bringing salvation.
“Anyone pursuing faith faces great difficulty—it requires letting go of the old self to achieve redemption. This is a long and sacred process,” Jiang said, noting that this aligns closely with Christian beliefs. “Through enduring hardships, practitioners ultimately attain salvation, and life gains eternal meaning.”
Deep analysis of why the CCP fears Shen Yun
He further analyzed that Shen Yun presents the idea that the Chinese people have historically been a nation that believes in the divine, which makes the atheist Chinese Communist Party fearful. “The Communist Party promotes atheism and persecutes all religions. They want to make themselves into a ‘god,’ so they are afraid that other faiths will awaken people to the truth. The devil can never become God. In the struggle between good and evil, people’s hearts are like a spring—the greater the pressure, the stronger the rebound.”
When deeply analyzing the CCP’s underlying fear of Shen Yun, Jiang Jiawei pointed out: “Traditional Chinese culture can truly integrate with the world, but CCP culture cannot. CCP performances always force in content praising the Communist Party and impose fabricated history as if it were factual.”
Jiang said Shen Yun presents authentic traditional Chinese culture without any political imposition. However, because of its large scale and genuine acceptance by global audiences, it makes the CCP extremely fearful. “If the world recognizes Shen Yun as a legitimate carrier of Chinese culture, the CCP will become increasingly isolated internationally. They have already lost ideologically. That is why they panic—they constantly produce fake news to smear Shen Yun and even use bomb threats, simply to prevent the world from seeing Shen Yun. But they will not succeed, because the world has already accepted Shen Yun.”
He emphasized that Shen Yun’s “divine charm”—the beauty of dance inspired by the divine—can transcend ethnicity and skin color and resonate deeply within people’s hearts, whereas CCP cultural exports are “from the devil and have no soul.” “That is what they fear most.”
Cancellation of Toronto performance
During the interview, Jiang also discussed the cancellation of Shen Yun performances in Toronto. On March 29, 2026, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto received a bomb threat email, forcing the scheduled performance to be interrupted, and the remaining five shows were subsequently canceled, totaling six performances. This marked the first time in Shen Yun’s 20-year global tour that performances were halted due to such threats. In contrast, other theaters continued performances after police confirmed there was no danger.
“The CCP’s transnational repression is not only a form of white terror, but also an attempt to alter Canada’s core values,” Jiang strongly criticized. “Canada has freedom of speech, press freedom, artistic freedom, and freedom of expression. Canceling performances is equivalent to depriving people of the freedom to choose whether to watch or not. This is very dangerous.”
He revealed that many friends advised him not to attend due to the bomb threats, but after seeing the news of the cancellation in Toronto, he immediately bought tickets. “I am not an important figure, but I must stand up for the core values of this country. If there is a bomb threat, we face it together rather than retreating.”
Jiang stressed that this is not merely a matter of safety, but a test of whether democratic countries can resist the CCP’s transnational repression. “The more the CCP suppresses us, the stronger we must become—just like during elections for the Hong Kong legislature, when they threatened lawmakers’ families, we became even more determined.”
Jiang Jiawei observed that Shen Yun’s development momentum is unstoppable, with around 800 performances annually across 200 cities on five continents, and audience feedback being overwhelmingly positive. He believes that the CCP’s suppression will only backfire.
“The human heart is like a spring—the harder it is pressed, the greater the rebound. Shen Yun is organized and driven by belief; the more the CCP suppresses it, the stronger it becomes,” he said.
Jiang believes that the universal values embodied by Shen Yun—kindness, justice, and faith—are especially precious in today’s society, particularly in mainland China. “Even when an elderly woman falls on the ground, no one dares to help, because people are afraid of being exploited. The sense of goodness has been obscured by darkness. This is the result of the Communist Party’s dehumanization—it causes people to lose their souls and become walking dead.”
He further lamented that the CCP not only seized power and engaged in organ harvesting, but more deeply has harmed spiritual growth and caused civilizational regression. “Human nature is originally good, but the Communist Party extinguishes that light. This is the greatest blow to human civilization.”
Looking to the future, Jiang expressed strong confidence. He believes that “Heaven will eliminate the CCP” and that one day it will collapse. At that time, performances like Shen Yun, which promote traditional culture, will play a major role in helping Chinese people rebuild morality and faith.
“People who are lost around the world can find meaning in life through it. This small beam of light can pierce through darkness,” he said.
He highly praised Shen Yun’s artists. “They persist in their faith despite heavy suppression and smear campaigns, showing resilience and courage—they are worthy of respect.” Jiang said he himself had also been smeared by the CCP: “From having 100 percent fighting spirit at the beginning, to becoming even stronger through the process.” He added, “Shen Yun artists live out their faith—they don’t just ‘hear the teachings,’ they ‘practice the teachings.’ Living the teachings requires courage, perseverance in darkness, and a spirit like martyrdom.”
He called on the artists to continue persisting: “Hong Kong people will stand with you until the Communist Party falls.”
