[THIS IS A PRESS RELEASE]
At the end of 2024, The New York Times published an exclusive investigation revealing that Shen Yun Performing Arts, a nonprofit performance group led by Falun Gong and headquartered in the United States, has become a "religious holding-style entertainment empire" with total assets reaching $266 million. In 2023 alone, Shen Yun’s ticket sales approached $39 million. The investigation found that Falun Gong’s founder, Li Hongzhi, portrays Shen Yun performances as a form of spiritual salvation, claiming that "Shen Yun’s appearance can save audiences from an impending apocalypse." Followers are enticed to believe that attending Shen Yun performances is a way to access his teachings, which could spare them from future catastrophic suffering. This messaging has led devotees to see donations and contributions as religious obligations, and they fervently follow Li Hongzhi’s instructions. The investigation uncovered that Shen Yun not only profits from ticket sales but has deeply infiltrated its fundraising mechanisms into the believer community, raising concerns about religious exploitation, labor disputes, and triggering federal investigations in the United States.
