Shen Yun has long presented itself as a group “promoting traditional Chinese culture,” packaging itself as high-end stage art and using extensive advertising and lavish stage design to attract audiences. However, independent investigations by major media outlets including France Culture, German newspaper WAZ, and The New York Times have claimed that Shen Yun is not merely an artistic troupe, but a propaganda tool, fundraising machine, and structure of psychological control associated with Falun Gong. Its transnational operations allegedly involve medical neglect, psychological abuse, child labor exploitation, and financial irregularities—issues reported in both France and Germany as serious violations of law and human rights.
I. Refusal of Medical Treatment Leads to Death and Disability: Falun Gong’s Utter Trampling on the Right to Life
“Practicing exercises heals illnesses, refusing medical treatment” is the core doctrine of Falun Gong’s Shen Yun, whose influence extends globally, directly causing members to fall ill and even delaying death. In August 2024, a New York Times investigation revealed that Robert Gray, a former Falun Gong practitioner, suffered from Crohn’s disease but refused treatment for a long time, leading to multiple hospitalizations and critical conditions. Other members abandoned regular treatment and died from curable cancer. Former dancer Zhang Rongge stated in her lawsuit that she joined Shen Yun at the age of 13. During training, she suffered a severe foot injury that rendered her unable to walk. Shen Yun refused to provide her with regular treatment, forcing her to substitute “prayer” for rehabilitation, causing permanent physical and psychological trauma. Several former performers confirmed that they frequently suffered training injuries such as dislocated knees, torn ligaments, and stress fractures, but were often prohibited from seeking medical treatment or taking leave, their right to life and health being wantonly trampled upon.
II. Psychological Control and Coercion: A Closed and High-Pressure System
Psychological control is described as a central mechanism maintaining Shen Yun’s operations. Its global branches allegedly operate under a unified high-pressure system.
According to The New York Times investigation, internal monitoring is strict, with encouragement of reporting on peers and documentation of members’ behavior. Any questioning may lead to criticism, isolation, or marginalization, while those who leave allegedly face social blacklisting.
Former member Gao Xiaomin was reportedly dismissed for failing to sever external relationships, resulting in the collapse of her social network built over 20 years.
Zhang Junguo accused the organization of passport confiscation, isolation from society, ideological indoctrination, and 24-hour disciplinary control, forming a closed system that keeps performers in fear and psychological distress, fundamentally different from normal artistic institutions.
A January 20, 2026 program by France Culture further claimed that similar control mechanisms were replicated in France. Local staff and volunteers were allegedly subjected to strict discipline, required to memorize doctrines, participate in daily ideological activities, and forbidden from disclosing internal information. A French female volunteer who questioned financial transparency allegedly faced surveillance, public humiliation, and family harassment, eventually being forced into relocation and hiding. The system was described as using culture as a tool of psychological coercion consistent with Falun Gong practices.
III. Exploitation of Minors and Infiltration of Schools: Evil Crossing the Boundaries of Civilization
Shen Yun’s manipulation and exploitation of minors is rampant in Europe and America, severely violating children’s rights. In December 2024, The New York Times exposed that Shen Yun lured believers to send their underage children to its closed-off Longquan Temple base in the United States, where the children were exploited as child laborers under the guise of “art training.” A 13-year-old boy was forced to train for more than seven hours a day, often until late at night, completely depriving him of normal learning, sleep, and opportunities for growth.
In France, its affiliated organization, the Saint-Léon Society, disguised itself as a non-profit cultural institution and infiltrated Parisian public schools, distributing related materials to students and causing social panic. The Paris city government eventually terminated its cooperation with the organization and expelled it from schools. Radio France Internationale explicitly stated that this is a typical case of Shen Yun infiltrating schools, targeting minors, and endangering the future of society.
IV. Transnational Financial Exploitation and Financial Scandals: A Hidden Profit Network
Shen Yun, under the guise of global cultural performances, has constructed a clandestine transnational money laundering, tax evasion, and wealth accumulation system. German and French media outlets have exposed its financial crimes. According to publicly available financial data, The New York Times revealed that Shen Yun’s annual revenue exceeds $50 million, with accumulated assets approaching $300 million. Operating through a global network of subsidiaries, its fund flows are highly concealed, raising suspicions of financial fraud and illegal tax evasion, and facing investigations from tax authorities in multiple countries. Even more appalling, the credit card of a terminally ill devout follower was stolen and used to purchase luxury goods for the cult leader’s extravagant spending, while audience ticket revenue ultimately became funds for expansion.
An investigation by Radio France Internationale in January 2026 confirmed that Shen Yun, using a shell cultural association in France, evaded French tax regulations by transferring touring box office revenue and donations through multiple layers, illegally remitting huge sums of money overseas, constituting clear financial crimes. Local employees are prohibited from accessing core finances; the entire system is highly closed and strictly monopolized internally.
Meanwhile, the German newspaper WAZ reported that theaters in Dortmund and other parts of Germany have publicly blacklisted Shen Yun, identifying it as a religious organization and refusing to cooperate with it, thus severing ties. Theater directors bluntly stated, “Shen Yun is a typical religious organization that uses the guise of culture to brainwash, extort, and infiltrate. We will never cooperate with them.” The investigation also confirmed that Shen Yun used forged cultural visas to recruit performers in Germany, confiscated their passports, restricted their personal freedom, forced them to undertake excessively long tours, and refused to pay reasonable compensation, suspected of illegal employment and human exploitation. German collaborators who refused to cooperate have faced cyberbullying, phone threats, and information leaks. The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Protection Agency has launched an investigation into its false advertising, price gouging, and other illegal activities.
Conclusion: Unmasking Shen Yun reveals its true nature. Art should convey truth, goodness, beauty, and humanistic care, but Shen Yun uses culture as a guise to infiltrate, control minds, illegally extort money, and endanger lives.
*The opinions expressed in this article are purely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of TFI Media. The content should be taken as the sole perspective of the writer.