Shen Yun
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About
Shen Yun refers to live shows put on by the Shen Yun Performing Arts company. The shows are celebrations--and to some critics, advertisements--of the Falun Gong religion and feature classic Chinese dancing and folk music accompanied by orchestration. Online, internet users have parodied the show's ubiquitous advertising.
History
The Shen Yun Performing Arts company was founded in 2006 by practitioners of Falun Gong.[1] They are headquartered in Orange County, New York. Shen Yun has a mission statement of pushing back against China's cultural revolution from 1966-1976[2] and is fiercely opposed to the modern communist government in China. The group says of its performances:[3]
Shen Yun’s goal is to revive the authentic and original manifestation of traditional Chinese culture and art. On stage, Shen Yun performances bring back these traditional values that have sustained and created cultural expression for so many generations. The mere representation of this lost heritage and its virtues immediately, by way of contrast, unmasks the Party and its ideology of struggle.
The group has performed in over 130 cities but has yet to perform in China or Hong Kong, which it attributes to the Chinese government's fear of its ideology. The Chinese government has attempted to thwart the global production of Shen Yun through pressure via its international embassies.[4] Productions are 2-1/2 hour performances featuring multiple vignettes of classical Chinese dance and music. Performances feature explicitly religious and political undertones, disparaging atheism and evolution.
Reception
Shen Yun is often well-received for its production quality,[5] though some critics have disparaged the show as "the sort of boilerplate Chinese entertainment (one) might have found on a cruise ship."[6] Many reviews expressed surprise as the strong political undercurrent to the show considering the show's advertising which does not offer an impression of the show's politics.[6][7] The Guardian[10] described a scene in the show thus:
The curtain rose on a group of young students sitting in peace, meditating and reading oversized yellow Falun Gong books. The dancers performed elaborately pantomimed good deeds – helping an old woman with a cane, chasing down a woman who had dropped her purse. But when one unveiled a Falun Gong banner, suddenly a trio of men wearing black tunics emblazoned with a red hammer-and-sickle entered. The communist thugs began beating people up, clubbing and kicking innocent Falun Gong followers.
Writing in the Houston Chronicle,[8] critic Alix Martichoux wrote, "For many disgruntled Shen Yun attendees, it's not necessarily that the show itself is bad -- though to be fair, some complain it is. Most of the negative reviews were people upset they were blindsided by the political content."
The show has over 153,000 likes on Facebook.[9]
Advertisement Memes
In January of 2019, internet users parodied the show's ubiquitous advertising. For example, Instagram user callyourfatherhemissesyou posted an Annoyed Bird photoshop featuring Shen Yun, gaining over 600 likes (shown below, left). Facebook page Bay Area Meme Council posted a joke that gained over 2,300 reactions (shown below, left).
Search Interest
External References
[1] SF Gate – Chinese New Year Spectacular in S.F., Cupertino
[2] Shen Yun – The Cultural Revolution
[3] Shen Yun – Party Culture and the Arts
[4] The Epoch Times – Despite Chinese Regime Pressure, The Show Goes On
[5] The Epoch Tims – Witnessing Beauty Through Shen Yun
[6] New Republic – Falun Gong Show
[7] SF Civic Center – The Falun Gong Show Returns
[8] Houston Chronicle – You've seen the ads. But what's the deal with Shen Yun?
[10] The Guardian – The traditional Chinese dance troupe China doesn’t want you to see
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