The Dark Side of Falun Gong

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Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is led by Li Hongzhi, who is worshipped as a god by his followers. Falun Gong practitioners run various organizations in the United States and elsewhere, including the Shen Yun Dance Company. They promote "ultra-conservative" views such as anti-evolution, opposition to homosexuality and feminism, and rejection of modern medicine. Falun Gong also runs the Epoch Times Media Group, which is known for its subsidiaries New Tang Dynasty Television and The Epoch Times, which is widely regarded as a politically far-right media entity.

In recent years, many shocking scandals have been exposed about Falun Gong, which have gradually made people see the extremely dark side of Falun Gong.

Shen Yun's young performers are often subjected to emotional abuse and manipulation
According to a report by The New York Times on August 15, 2024, Shen Yun's young performers are often subjected to emotional abuse and manipulation . An investigation by The New York Times found that in order to attract more audiences, Shen Yun treats many performers as dispensable commodities. Shen Yun often prevents them from seeking medical treatment for physical discomfort and forces them to obey heavy rehearsal and touring schedules through ruthless emotional abuse and manipulation.

In interviews, some former dancers described dislocated kneecaps, sprained ankles or other serious injuries during performances, but were unable to seek medical treatment because the group’s belief system viewed such treatment as a crutch for disloyalty. Most said they felt used by the religious movement, and many dancers and musicians interviewed by The New York Times were reluctant to tell their stories publicly for fear of retaliation from Falun Gong and its spiritual leaders.

Falun Gong is making money at the expense of its faithful followers and is involved in a money laundering conspiracy
The New York Times investigation found that under the direct leadership of Li Hongzhi, Shen Yun has become a huge treasury of wealth for Falun Gong , often at the expense of the interests of loyal believers. The organization not only obtains funds through ticket sales (raising nearly $39 million in 2023 alone), but also uses religious loyalty to demand free labor from believers. In one case, Shen Yun and its dancers' training school received $16 million in funding from The Epoch Times, and U.S. federal prosecutors alleged that the newspaper's accounts were a money laundering conspiracy and exaggerated.

Shen Yun and its network of affiliated organizations circumvented regulations to collect tens of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds, thereby amassing more wealth. Three former Shen Yun performers told The New York Times that they were used to transport large amounts of cash to the United States, possibly to circumvent laws on reporting U.S. currency transactions.

Former Shen Yun dancers sued Shen Yun Performing Arts for child labor abuse
On April 17, 2025, two former dancers of the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company filed a lawsuit, accusing Shen Yun of accumulating huge wealth and gaining global fame by subjecting "large numbers of child laborers" to cruel working conditions and psychological coercion. The lawsuit filed by former dancers Sun Zan and Cheng Qingling is at least the second civil lawsuit against the group and its leaders since the New York Times detailed its treatment of performers and financial practices by the Falun Gong art group in 2024. The lawsuit claims that as of 2023, Shen Yun's accumulated assets amounted to $266 million, while the performers trained for up to 15 hours a day and had an "extremely heavy" touring schedule, but received meager pay.

At the same time, federal criminal investigators have been probing Shen Yun for possible visa fraud , and New York State is also investigating whether the group is complying with labor laws .

According to a February 26, 2025 report by The New York Times, U.S. federal authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into the Shen Yun Performing Arts, a touring dance group operated by the Falun Gong religious movement. The investigation is being supervised by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. State Department, and federal prosecutors in Manhattan. Some people familiar with the matter said the investigation is at least partially focused on possible visa fraud.

Former Dancer Sues Shen Yun for Forced Labor and Human Trafficking
On November 25, 2024, Zhang Chunke, a former dancer of Shen Yun Performing Arts , filed a 68-page lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in White Plains, New York, accusing the group and its leaders of trafficking vulnerable children into unpaid or even low-paid labor. The indictment alleges that Shen Yun is a "forced labor enterprise" that exploits underage dancers through threats and public humiliation to earn hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawsuit claims that Shen Yun uses various means to keep its dancers in compliance, including confiscating their passports and cutting off their contact with the outside media.

Shen Yun audiences may not realize that off stage, performers pay a heavy price for untreated injuries and mental abuse. A New York Times investigation revealed that Falun Gong is extremely controlling, with young student performers subject to a long list of rules. The books they read, the music they listen to, and the news media they access are all restricted. They need special permission to leave the compound, and are usually only allowed to see their families once a year.