Comments
resonant_waves t1_j2611k3 wrote
The New Yorker published a good review of the bizarre experience of attending a Shen Yun performance.
They tend to to tailor their message to the political leanings of the local audience, so a performance in the Boston area is unlikely to include their stances on gay and interracial marriage, atheism, evolution, and medical science.
slouchingtoepiphany t1_j26a2kc wrote
>bizarre experience
That's a good summary of an SY performance, bizarre. I saw one a few years ago in Providence, RI. It included an Asian performer singing opera in Italian, a strange mix of traditional Chinese dance and modern electronics about the Monkey King, and political theater that amounted to a litany of cusses about the PRC. I don't know what this says about the residents of Providence (I live outside of Boston).
VeterinarianRich5986 t1_j28qv5j wrote
I haven’t seen Shen Yun, but the Falun Gong have become a darling of conservative America with their “pro-religion, anti-communist” stance. It’s most obvious in NYC that Falun Gong members are a larger part of the community in Flushing than in Manhattan Chinatown. In the former, not only do you see Shen Yun more heavily advertised, but the political ads ahead of the 2022 midterm election were overwhelmingly in favor of Lee Zeldin, whereas Manhattan Chinatown was much more in favor of Hochul.
bakrTheMan t1_j263tpl wrote
Propaganda from the Falun Gong cult, although I've heard that aspect is a little more toned down in larger markets. They publish the epoch times if you've ever been confused why that showed up at your house before
goose_juggler t1_j26w8ko wrote
I work in a public library, and the Epoch Times mysteriously shows up in our newspaper section quite frequently.
kazzin8 t1_j25vndy wrote
Well, they're funded by a weird anti-vaxx culty organization. Friends of mine have gone and wanted their money back because it was so bad and they get political during the show.
mrlolloran t1_j264bon wrote
I’ve never seen the show but I used to see their ads everywhere. They are overtly political and even the posters would give you reason to at least suspect it. Part of their pitch is about how they were banned under China’s communist party. Whether that’s true or a talking point I don’t know but again, nobody should be surprised it gets political.
Mt8045 t1_j265mfx wrote
They were in fact very banned after it became increasingly popular in China in the 1990s. Many were imprisoned, sometimes killed.
kazzin8 t1_j26m1cu wrote
They were banned in the late 90s I think because they didn't want to allow the Communist party to control them. Unfortunately some time after that they went to the weird anti-vaxx QAnon dark side.
aquila0altaire t1_j26h4x0 wrote
Oh, please don't spend your money or time on it. It's just political propaganda with heavy anti-china sentiment. They are very much banned in China, because their cult-like rhetoric of anti-vax, anti-modern medicine, and faux spiritualism/daoism have harmed many people. China is very against religious practices in general for this very reason - religions give birth to zealots, so it's unsurprising they got banned.
And the touting of traditional Chinese dances and culture as "China before Communism" is complete utter crap. China still values many aspects of artistic expression from old cultural values - traditional dance, music, art, etc. They're not showing you ANYTHING new or groundbreaking.
As someone who lost family members to this cult, I ask people to please stop supporting them in the name of "open-mindedness and democracy".
aquila0altaire t1_j291vhc wrote
https://thegrayzone.com/2019/09/30/reports-china-organ-harvesting-cult-falun-gong/
The user below needs to stop spreading this fake news of organ harvesting. It was spread by the cult from the beginning and they have a history of spreading misinformation to make themselves seem like perpetual victims.
Dogmeat411 t1_j28gxic wrote
They are also upset because China arrested many of their members and literally harvested their organs. Look it up. I watched a falun Gong member get arrested in Beijing in the early 2000s- one of the scariest things I've seen. 5 guys grabbed her, held her over their heads and literally threw her into the back of a waiting van. I'm not a supporter of the group, but they are not making up what they say about the chinese government.
Wizard_of_Rozz t1_j25tt8d wrote
Falun Gong
AdoltTwittler t1_j25v66n wrote
and it's nasty propaganda tool The Epoch Times. Granted they spread a ton of anti vaccine propaganda during covid so likely killed off a bunch of their supporters but I still could not financially support them in any way.
riski_click t1_j25z0dt wrote
best enjoyed after hits from the Falun Bong.
-Jedidude- t1_j268tdh wrote
Try to get a refund and go to anything else.
SouvenirOfTheYear t1_j27xo2i wrote
Like going to a QAnon rally in China. See 'Murica before the libs.
Darklighter10 t1_j27h49r wrote
You must have done something truly awful to your mother. I’m so sorry
Babooligan t1_j26ik7j wrote
The show itself is beautiful. If you can handle the underlying messages and propaganda, it is something you should check out if you're into live performances.
No_Historian718 t1_j26zki6 wrote
I’m Sorry
lotsacrudoutthere t1_j26d5t6 wrote
But can you enjoy the performance aspect of it (if you chose to put some of the background/political stuff on a shelf)?
No_Animator_8599 t1_j26ehbm wrote
They say it’s “China before Communism”, if you want to see the real thing, it would give you a headache. Their stuff is fake. https://youtu.be/HAo8Eyia420
Their stuff is a counter attack on Chinese Communist opera done under Mao. https://youtu.be/WVrsq0ZadJk
Seriously doubt anyone in China would still watch this nonsense.
Bostonosaurus t1_j28qc9o wrote
This guy goes on an 11min deep dive.
At 6:36 he goes into why they've gained so much traction in the west.
chasingpolaris t1_j29gy4h wrote
A couple of friends and I, all Chinese-Americans, went to see it a couple of a years ago. After it ended, we all decided it was going to be our first and final Shen Yun show. It was completely bizarre and we had no idea how politically charged it was. The dancing was fine and looked like what we grew up watching, but the rest of it was just a mishmash of religious and political performances. We could sense how cultish it was. It was cringey to watch.
If you can't get refunds, at least enjoy the pretty costumes, acrobats and dancing?
AJSopranosEyebrows t1_j29plnp wrote
I used to work at Symphony Hall and Shen Yun would send people to drop off brochures, which we used to let them do without question, until one day I noticed they had slipped in home-made brochures about human organ harvesting in with the professional-made Shen Yun brochures.
h2g2Ben t1_j25uk31 wrote
Dancing, mostly.
bananacasanova t1_j28yaof wrote
Propaganda
Emperor-Awesome t1_j2adzu5 wrote
I guess it's a bunch of dancing. Also, Boston's Wang is huge.
br41nLESS t1_j25qxio wrote
China before communism.
Conan776 t1_j25vd3v wrote
Crime, poverty and opium the Musical!!
bakrTheMan t1_j263kqj wrote
Their crime was taking control of their country away from Japan and western empires, warlords, and the like. At least in the eyes of FG and others
CapeAnnimal t1_j265dt8 wrote
Don't forget my favorite number "foot binding"
shr2016 t1_j26xefh wrote
Bullshit
josephkambourakis t1_j25uccd wrote
it’s a cult