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Shen Yun Performing Arts (Dance company)

Sirona

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
I came across an advertizing video for Shen Yun Performing Arts, a seemingly superb Chinese dance company. At first I thought it was a project of the Chinese State serving as an image campaign but then I read the title of the show which is "China before Communism" and I felt like o_O. I was surprised to learn that Shen Yun is a project by Falun Gong.

Official Company Site

If I were a Chinese party bigwig, I would certainly be less than pleased, because in my opinion it implies that China has gone down the drain because of Communism. In addition, the organizers interviewed some viewers about how they liked the show, with the viewers' professions being superimposed. They were all members of the "elite." Mr. X, businessman, Mrs. Y, politician, etc. Somehow I was waiting for Mr. Nobody, welfare recipient, who probably could not afford a ticket for the show. Maybe the emphasis on "elite" is a peculiarity of Chinese culture, but I think that if the show is very expensive, there is no need to rub "disadvantaged" people's noses in it. I know that things like luxury perfume are advertised according to the same logic, but I still find it silly to signalize to a large part of society that they're not part of the club if you want people to come and watch your show.

Ticket prices were between 50 and 150 € for Berlin, if anyone wants to know.
 
exchemist

exchemist

Veteran Member
Sirona said:
I came across an advertizing video for Shen Yun Performing Arts, a seemingly superb Chinese dance company. At first I thought it was a project of the Chinese State serving as an image campaign but then I read the title of the show which is "China before Communism" and I felt like o_O. I was surprised to learn that Shen Yun is a project by Falun Gong.

Official Company Site

If I were a Chinese party bigwig, I would certainly be less than pleased, because in my opinion it implies that China has gone down the drain because of Communism. In addition, the organizers interviewed some viewers about how they liked the show, with the viewers' professions being superimposed. They were all members of the "elite." Mr. X, businessman, Mrs. Y, politician, etc. Somehow I was waiting for Mr. Nobody, welfare recipient, who probably could not afford a ticket for the show. Maybe the emphasis on "elite" is a peculiarity of Chinese culture, but I think that if the show is very expensive, there is no need to rub "disadvantaged" people's noses in it. I know that things like luxury perfume are advertised according to the same logic, but I still find it silly to signalize to a large part of society that they're not part of the club if you want people to come and watch your show.

Ticket prices were between 50 and 150 € for Berlin, if anyone wants to know.
Click to expand...
Yes I agree the ghastly ads, which I see on the Underground - and, annoyingly, on YouTube when I'm looking at music - have a distinctly totalitarian look: massed dancers in formation, with a garish backdrop: the sort of thing that would appeal to Hitler or Stalin - or Mao. It also seems grotesquely heavily promoted.

But I see you are right that it is sponsored by Falun Gong, rather than the Chinese Communist Party. I'm afraid all that does is to make me more suspicious of Falun Gong, frankly.

If you google reviews of the show, the individual reviews are mostly negative. I found an sort of explanation-cum-review from Time Out, here: What’s the deal with… Shen Yun? Reading between the lines, it's pretty crap. Suffice it to say it is not going to be on my London Theatreland list;).
 
P

pearl

Well-Known Member
exchemist said:
But I see you are right that it is sponsored by Falun Gong, rather than the Chinese Communist Party. I'm afraid all that does is to make me more suspicious of Falun Gong, frankly.
Click to expand...

It is currently playing here. I wondered the same thing, was Falun Gong supposed to be back to a more humane time before the Communist Party?
 
exchemist

exchemist

Veteran Member
pearl said:
It is currently playing here. I wondered the same thing, was Falun Gong supposed to be back to a more humane time before the Communist Party?
Click to expand...
Supposedly yes, but it seems to have still a bit of a nationalistic streak. Certainly those ads have a whiff of totalitarianism about them, to my mind.

@Audie may have an opinion on it.
 
Audie

Audie

Veteran Member
exchemist said:
Supposedly yes, but it seems to have still a bit of a nationalistic streak. Certainly those ads have a whiff of totalitarianism about them, to my mind.

@Audie may have an opinion on it.
Click to expand...
Nope, I didn't know this was even a thing
till I saw it here.

But Falun gong has done secret
activist organizations in the past,
which is highly intolerable.
Consequently they are to ne most closely watched for any attempts with a subversion.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Sirona said:
I came across an advertizing video for Shen Yun Performing Arts, a seemingly superb Chinese dance company. At first I thought it was a project of the Chinese State serving as an image campaign but then I read the title of the show which is "China before Communism" and I felt like o_O. I was surprised to learn that Shen Yun is a project by Falun Gong.

Official Company Site

If I were a Chinese party bigwig, I would certainly be less than pleased, because in my opinion it implies that China has gone down the drain because of Communism. In addition, the organizers interviewed some viewers about how they liked the show, with the viewers' professions being superimposed. They were all members of the "elite." Mr. X, businessman, Mrs. Y, politician, etc. Somehow I was waiting for Mr. Nobody, welfare recipient, who probably could not afford a ticket for the show. Maybe the emphasis on "elite" is a peculiarity of Chinese culture, but I think that if the show is very expensive, there is no need to rub "disadvantaged" people's noses in it. I know that things like luxury perfume are advertised according to the same logic, but I still find it silly to signalize to a large part of society that they're not part of the club if you want people to come and watch your show.

Ticket prices were between 50 and 150 € for Berlin, if anyone wants to know.
Click to expand...
I don't understand your criticism. Are you criticizing it because it's anti-communist? I don't see what the problem is there. And because they interviewed wealthy people? Those wealthy people probably were donors, so of course they're going to be focused on, it's like being a VIP at a concert.
 
Sirona

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
Well I think it's okay and likely justified to say "I hate the Chinese government" but I think it's odd to say that with a shiny happy face and to produce a merry show about it. Most people who attend it probably aren't aware or do not care that it is sponsored by Falun Gong. Yet Falun Gong can use them as "supporters", especially that unlucky Austrian politician. It's a war of opinions. People outside China are fed the Falun Gong opinion which is merely about "freedom of religion". People inside China are fed the propaganda that Falun Gong is "dangerous". I think it might be possible that both is true, that they are a persecuted minority and yet have dangerous parts in their teaching. Spreading hate with a happy face is what many cults do to uphold an "us versus them" mentality,
 
Sirona

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
Saint Frankenstein said:
Those wealthy people probably were donors, so of course they're going to be focused on, it's like being a VIP at a concert.
Click to expand...

I think being poor doesn't necessarily mean being unable to judge the quality of a show. I know many, even "successful" academics who are poor because many people study as they are not interested in doing manual labor.
 
ronki23

ronki23

Well-Known Member
Can someone explain to me why Falun Gong is so controversial? I didn't get an answer on the main thread.
 
Twilight Hue

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
exchemist said:
Yes I agree the ghastly ads, which I see on the Underground - and, annoyingly, on YouTube when I'm looking at music - have a distinctly totalitarian look: massed dancers in formation, with a garish backdrop: the sort of thing that would appeal to Hitler or Stalin - or Mao. It also seems grotesquely heavily promoted.

But I see you are right that it is sponsored by Falun Gong, rather than the Chinese Communist Party. I'm afraid all that does is to make me more suspicious of Falun Gong, frankly.

If you google reviews of the show, the individual reviews are mostly negative. I found an sort of explanation-cum-review from Time Out, here: What’s the deal with… Shen Yun? Reading between the lines, it's pretty crap. Suffice it to say it is not going to be on my London Theatreland list;).
Click to expand...
It's the same bastardization as the Communist party did with the Shaolin Monks, when they invaded the temples and ruthlessly wiped them out with the Communist takeover subsequently turning Shaolin into nothing but a cheap tourist attraction serving the Communist party you see today.

I'm fairly sure this version of Falun Gong is really Communists dressed in drag.
 
Wu Wei

Wu Wei

ursus senum severiorum and ex-Bisy Backson
Saint Frankenstein said:
I don't understand your criticism. Are you criticizing it because it's anti-communist? I don't see what the problem is there. And because they interviewed wealthy people? Those wealthy people probably were donors, so of course they're going to be focused on, it's like being a VIP at a concert.
Click to expand...

A bit about falun gong background. First I do on occasion read the Epoch times. But Falun Gong did not start out as Anti-Communism, it started out as more of a cult

Mrs Wu is from Beijing and was there for the early days of Falun Gong, which she is not a part of. The founder wanted Falun Gong to be declared the state religion. To which they were told no, get lost and quit bothering us. So they then decided to block one of the major road ways near the center of Beijing, near Tiananmen Square which got them arrested. The families of those that were contacted to come get them. Most did not since they had left the families long ago and not contacted them since. However most were released. So they went out and did another public protest. At this point the government had enough and arrested ll of them and went looking for the founder to arrest him too. However they could not find him since he was already on a flight to the USA, with all the organizations money, to get political asylum in the US.

Another thing they were doing here. If you were (probably still the same now) a member of Falun Gong you were not allowed to return to China. And the Chinese government did their best to track all members. But if you were a Chinese person here in the US and bought a ticket to a Falun Gong event, including Shen Yun, or subscribed to the Epoch Times, they would list you as a member. Thereby potentially making it impossible to return to China to visit.

Note: to protests in China, at least about 20 years ago, The government really did not care if you protested, just as long as you stayed out of, and away from, Tiananmen square, And don't do something that made them have to do something, in other words don't publicly threaten their authority in a big way. One of the quickest ways to get arrested in Beijing was to go into Tiananmen square, even handing out flyers there could get you arrested. Ever since the protests it has been like that and everyone in Beijing knows it.

Also note, I watched a western religious group walking through Tiantian park carrying signs and no one seemed to care or even take notice. In Tiananmen they would have been rather quickly arrested and taken away

But as for now, under Xi, all bets are off, no idea how they react these days, but my guess it is more totalitarian now than it was then
 
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exchemist

exchemist

Veteran Member
Twilight Hue said:
It's the same bastardization as the Communist party did with the Shaolin Monks, when they invaded the temples and ruthlessly wiped them out with the Communist takeover subsequently turning Shaolin into nothing but a cheap tourist attraction serving the Communist party you see today.

I'm fairly sure this version of Falun Gong is really Communists dressed in drag.
Click to expand...
Eh? Falun Gong is anti-communist and subject to persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.
 
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