TORONTO, Canada — After months of disappointment, bomb threats, and canceled performances, former Hong Kong Muay Thai champion Kui Teng finally realized his long-awaited wish of seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts after the company returned to Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on June 25-28.
Leaving the theater, Kui said he was deeply moved by the performance, particularly the segments depicting faith under persecution. For him, Shen Yun’s return to Toronto carried a message far beyond the stage. “It shows that justice will ultimately triumph over evil,” he told reporters.
Founded in 2006, Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, showcasing the beauty and splendor of traditional Chinese culture and art prior to the ravages of communism. The New York-based company currently boasts eight equally sized troupes that tour and perform across the world simultaneously, putting on a brand new production each year.
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A long-awaited performance
“This performance truly didn’t come easily,” Kui said. He had originally purchased tickets for Shen Yun’s performances in early April, but the shows were canceled following false bomb threats that disrupted all six scheduled performances in Toronto, leaving thousands of ticket holders disappointed.
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A series of bomb threats led to the cancellation of the shows, even after police determined the venue was safe. On April 10, Shen Yun organizers in Canada released a statement revealing that the individual(s) behind the threats targeting the performances in Toronto sent two additional provocative emails on April 3 to the company’s ticketing office. The threats are linked back to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has previously tried to derail Shen Yun shows in other states.
But rather than giving up, Kui donated to Shen Yun, submitted a personal petition to the Four Seasons Centre urging the performances to return, and publicly voiced his support. When he learned Shen Yun would return to Toronto, he immediately bought another ticket. “The more the Chinese Communist Party suppresses us, the stronger our resistance becomes,” he said. “Freedom, democracy, and justice will ultimately prevail.”
He believes the campaign against Shen Yun has had the opposite of its intended effect. “The more the Chinese Communist Party suppresses us, the more united we become; and unity is strength.”
‘Such precision and fluidity’
As a professional Muay Thai fighter, Kui said he immediately recognized the extraordinary discipline behind Shen Yun’s performance and artistry. The seamless blend of traditional Chinese culture and Western orchestral music particularly impressed him.
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“I understand very well that for the performers to execute the show with such precision and fluidity is no easy task,” he said, adding, “It’s the result of years of relentless training. As the saying goes, ‘One minute on stage takes ten years of practice.’ None of this comes easily.”
He was also encouraged to see many Western audience members embracing Chinese culture, including women attending the performance wearing traditional Chinese qipaos. “I felt incredibly proud,” he said. “I saw them respecting our culture, and I saw our culture being appreciated.”
When art reflects reality
The performance’s portrayal of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, including scenes depicting forced organ harvesting, left the deepest impression on Kui. “I was both moved and saddened,” he said, adding, “Many people wouldn’t have believed these things in the past.”
Aside from showcasing stunning choreography, acrobatics, and a live orchestra that combines traditional Western and classical Chinese instruments, Shen Yun’s performances depict legends and historical stories from ancient China as well as modern tales of bravery and oppression taking place in China today.
Many of Shen Yun’s performers and staff are also practitioners of Falun Gong, a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline also known as Falun Dafa. The faith was immensely popular in China prior to being banned and subject to severe repression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) starting in 1999. Because of the persecution, Shen Yun is not currently able to perform in mainland China.
Standing up for justice
For Kui, the scenes reflected realities he believes he witnessed firsthand during Hong Kong’s 2019 anti-extradition movement. A veteran Muay Thai competitor, Kui won the Hong Kong Muay Thai Championship in 2019. Outside the ring, he founded a hair salon and an auto detailing business while also serving as a legal manager at a law firm.
During the 2019 protests, he publicly opposed the Hong Kong government’s crackdown on demonstrators and says he later became a target of political persecution. He eventually fled Hong Kong and sought refuge in Canada in 2025.
Kui describes himself as “a survivor” of that turbulent period. He recalled witnessing police officers beating young demonstrators and university students, breaking their arms and legs, tying them together with ropes, and dragging them into police stations.
“Many people simply disappeared,” he said. “That’s why I feel what Shen Yun presents is very close to today’s reality,” he said. “Presenting these truths through art allows politicians, community leaders, and people from all walks of life to understand what has happened. That is incredibly important.”
‘The CCP is evil’
A Christian himself, Kui did not hesitate when asked how he views the CCP. “I believe the Chinese Communist Party is a devil,” he said, noting that he respects all religions and beliefs, including Falun Gong’s principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” adding, “I fully support their perseverance.”
In his view, both Christians and Falun Gong practitioners have endured persecution under the CCP. “If we didn’t have faith, whether faith in Jesus or the faith practiced by Falun Gong, we simply wouldn’t have been able to endure the persecution,” he said. “Faith brings peace, and it also brings justice. Justice will prevail, and we will defeat the devil that is the Chinese Communist Party.” He added, “Without faith, I would never have been able to persevere and survive until today.”
Reflecting on the past month, from requesting refunds and making donations to signing petitions and purchasing another ticket, Kui said supporting Shen Yun’s return to the stage was about far more than attending a cultural performance. For him, it became an act of conviction, courage, and hope. “Supporting Shen Yun is supporting Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.”
