The Briefing The strange politics behind Shen Yun + Liberals suppress explosive report
Feb 27, 2026
Professor Haiqing Yu, an RMIT academic in media and Chinese transnational politics, explains Shen Yun and its ties to Falun Gong. He outlines Shen Yun’s New York roots and hybrid cultural-political role. He discusses why Falun Gong was banned in China and how the state frames it. He places recent incidents in a wider US–China geopolitical context and flags future cultural flashpoints.
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Shen Yun Is More Than A Dance Troupe
- Shen Yun is a New York–based classical Chinese dance company closely linked to the Falun Gong movement and marketed as a revival of traditional Chinese culture.
- Professor Haiqing Yu describes it as a hybrid cultural-political formation that performs, mobilizes diasporic networks, and acts as an exile soft-power actor.
Why China Banned Falun Gong
- Falun Gong was banned in China after mobilizing large-scale protests in 1999 and was labeled a cult that threatened social stability.
- Haiqing Yu explains the ban stems from its mass mobilization, ideological challenge to the Communist Party, and perceived public-health concerns.
State Framing Made The Ban Widely Palatable
- The state's framing of Falun Gong as superstition and a public-health risk helped secure broad public acceptance of the ban.
- Haiqing Yu links that framing to China's security logic emphasizing social order and control over autonomous networks.