LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In a few weeks, Shen Yun Performing Arts returns to the Smith Center in Las Vegas with a ticket price that can run you upwards of $100 to $250.
Those paying that price to witness what's billed as "an extraordinary journey through China's 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture" may want to understand the allegations of what goes on behind the curtain.
Since 2006, Shen Yun has been the subject of both international acclaim and controversy — criticism of the performance group most recently taking shape in a class-action lawsuit obtained by Channel 13.
Known for their vibrant displays of ancient Chinese dance and music, the dance troupe has entertained masses across the globe, describing their performances as a "revival of the beauty and goodness of China before communism."
However, critics have put forth stark allegations of a forced labor culture behind the scenes for their performers.
Allegations of forced labor
The class action lawsuit, filed in November 2024 by a former Shen Yun dancer, alleges the registered nonprofit is engaged in "an enterprise that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars via forced child labor of vulnerable minors" and depicts a system of coercion and controlled lifestyles at the group's 400-acre compound called Dragon Springs, about two hours northwest of New York City.
The allegations of malfeasance by Shen Yun have prompted questions about whether or not their performance venues are aware. Channel 13 reached out to the Smith Center, where the troupe performs in Las Vegas, and they sent us this statement:
Shen Yun rents performance spaces around the country for its tours. Local venues are not involved whatsoever in the production, operations or tour logistics of Shen Yun. They simply rent them their facility for a limited engagement.
Shen Yun places and pays for all its own advertising and is responsible for all aspects of its company and its tour.
Perhaps you have seen the extensive marketing campaign referenced by the Smith Center. Shen Yun billboards and posters dot the globe, accompanied by social media and television ad campaigns.
Behind it all is Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa), a spiritual practice based on Buddhist traditions that arose in China during the 1990s.
The lawsuit alleges commercial gain for Falun Gong is the primary objective of its leaders and affiliates — and more specifically for the group's founder, Li Hongzhi.
Court documents state children are sent to the Dragon Springs compound on the promise of protection and education under Li's teachings. Once minors are separated from their families, the lawsuit claims, a system of coercion and control takes hold, with performers being told great harm will come to them and their families if they do not comply with a rigorous workload.
These claims remain allegations and have not been proven in court.
There is a notable focus on Li in the lawsuit, a man shrouded in different perspectives. A 2020 investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation depicts Li as a revered god by his followers. In a 1999 interview with TIME magazine, Li alluded to Falun Gong practitioners being able to gain supernatural powers like levitation — and claimed aliens are manipulating geopolitical dynamics with the "ultimate purpose" of replacing humans.
The controversies surrounding his teachings feature prominently in the lawsuit, which describes them as strict practices that may cross ethical boundaries.
These claims are not new. They were the focus of a New York Times multi-part investigation in 2024 that examined many of the allegations around Falun Gong — including limited access to medical care, unfair compensation, long and physically exhaustive hours, prohibiting access to certain media sources and more allegations of breached ethical lines.
Rise to wealth
Both the Times investigation and the lawsuit rouse suspicion of Shen Yun's financial holdings.
Their rise to wealth is documented in 501(c)3 filings with the IRS. In 2016, the group listed just over $22 million in revenue and $75 million in total assets. By 2019, those numbers had increased to $33 million and $144 million, respectively.
According to the lawsuit, their 2023 filings listed revenues of $51.5 million and over $265 million in total assets, with cash making up the bulk majority.
Critics allege Shen Yun amassed wealth through financial and emotional manipulation of its performers. The lawsuit points to similar claims of unfair compensation and "strikingly" low overhead costs to cover tours with an average ticket price of $220 with millions sold across five continents. Shen Yun says their amassed wealth isn't complicated, arguing it shouldn't be hard for critics to see their success came through hard work and perseverance of their beliefs.
"As a nonprofit organization, every dollar we make is put back into the company to further our mission to run our operations, which is a sizable responsibility given the all-inclusive approach we offer our people," Shen Yun stated in a December 2024 press release.
The International Bank of Chicago is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims the bank has ties to Falun Gong and is complicit in the alleged forced labor scheme. According to the court filing, Shen Yun requires new dancers to open bank accounts — and the bank overlooks whether these performers meet the requirements. Shen Yun then deposits "unlawfully low wages" into the dancers' accounts, which it tightly controls, the lawsuit states. These claims have not been proven.
The lawsuit also alleges student performers are lured into enrollment with scholarships that can reach up to $50,000. But if they try to leave Shen Yun, they are contractually obligated to repay the money, which lawyers argue essentially traps them into Shen Yun's service.
Shen Yun refutes these claims, countering that 85% of their performers are adults. The organization states its curriculum for students is approved by the State, and students willingly opt into the Falun Gong rigor taught in Shen Yun — drawing comparisons to Olympic gymnastics training for young athletes.
Eugene Liu, a former violinist with Shen Yun, was interviewed by The New York Times and said he received no more than $300 a month for performing in more than 200 shows across two years as a student. (In a later interview with The Epoch Times — which has ties to Falun Gong — Liu said he was "setting the record straight" and compared his Shen Yun stipend to that of a collegiate student-athlete.)
Cause for concern, or political ploy?
As for the lifestyle of a Shen Yun performer, accounts differ greatly. Critics depict it as an abusive environment that violates ethical and legal practices (usually through accounts from former Shen Yun staff), while advocates depict it as an uplifting and rewarding environment driven by artistic passion.
This has been an ongoing battle.
For nearly three decades, Falun Gong have countered the allegations against them as baseless and politically motivated, claiming they are evidence of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.
For instance, Falun Gong said the former dancer who filed the lawsuit continued to express her admiration for Shen Yun two years after she left, made several attempts to rejoin the dance company, and tried to open her own dance studio to train Shen Yun performers. It was only after she moved back to Taiwan and married a man, whom they claim has close ties to the Chinese government, that she rescinded her support of Shen Yun, according to a release from the dance troupe in response to the lawsuit.
In an email to Channel 13, a Shen Yun spokesperson said The New York Times' investigation carried "distortions and omissions." The Falun Dafa Information Center — another nonprofit run by Falun Gong affiliates — published a report in response to the Times, claiming they cherry-picked accounts from disgruntled ex-performers, omitted the interviewees' ties to the Chinese Communist Party and misrepresented the beliefs behind Falun Gong.
But above all, Falun Gong says the attacks against them are transnational efforts by the Chinese government to eliminate them across the globe. The movement has been banned by the People's Republic of China since 1999.
Efforts by the Chinese government to undermine Falun Gong and its affiliates are not unheard of. In China, it's a core objective of their Ministry of State Security to eliminate Falun Gong adherents as one of the "Five Poisons" that pose a threat to Party leadership.
Here at home, the U.S. Department of Justice sentenced two U.S.-born men to prison for acting as illegal agents for China in November 2024. A case in Florida found a man guilty of sending China's Ministry of State Security sensitive information of a person affiliated with Falun Gong in St. Petersburg, Florida. Another case found a California man guilty of bribing an IRS agent in an effort to target Falun Gong's tax-exempt status. In July 2024, two New York men pleaded guilty to bribery and acting as illegal agents for the Chinese government against the Falun Gong.
Since the beginning of their persecution in 1999, the Chinese government has systematically tortured, imprisoned and subjected adherents of Falun Gong to psychiatric abuse as part of efforts for them to renounce their beliefs, according to several human rights groups like Amnesty International. Investigations by legal experts and journalists in the early 2000s also put forth claims that the Chinese government forcefully harvested organs from executed Falun Gong prisoners in secret to feed a transplant industry, but critics have called the evidence circumstantial. Falun Gong says this story lacks significant coverage by international media, though it has caught the attention of lawmakers and human rights groups.
Falun Gong also claims the Chinese government has weaponized Western and state media to work against them through propaganda campaigns, accusing the Times of such ties. They also claim the class action lawsuit filed in November is a result of lawfare campaigns backed by Chinese influences. Many of these reports and counterclaims from Falun Gong are released to the public through channels they control or have heavy influence over, which critics point to as a self-disseminating publicity engine protected by the First Amendment.
In a congressional hearing last year, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party outlined ways the People's Republic of China has been engaged in frivolous lawsuits to attack Western entities — but they did not make specific mention of attacks against Falun Gong.
"Over the last year, the Select Committee has noticed an alarming trend. Researchers, business owners and academics who expose the truth about a Chinese company — whether it be the theft of the Party’s genomic data, forced labor or malign trade practices — have suddenly found themselves slapped with frivolous lawsuits," committee Chairman John Moolenar said.
Many of these claims by the Select Committee are also central arguments for the ban on TikTok — which is owned by ByteDance Ltd., a Chinese-based company — and affiliated applications in the United States.
"Every company in China is subject to control by the [Chinese Communist Party] and the Party’s 'national security' laws. That means that any company operating in China has to do the bidding of the CCP when asked," Moolenar said.
The show goes on
The broader battle over influence, narratives and control is a continuing story reflected by the legal challenges and allegations against Shen Yun and its Falun Gong affiliates, the Chinese Communist Party, governments, human rights groups and media outlets.
Despite it all, Shen Yun is preparing for its 2025 Las Vegas shows this February at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, where audiences will be left to decide for themselves whether to view the troupe's work as an extraordinary artistic endeavor or as part of a broader, contested story.