Tickets
    Menu
Language
English
  • 中文正體
  • 中文简体
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • Česky
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français
  • Italiano
  • Nederlands
  • Svenska
  • Việt
  • עברית
  • Indonesia
  • Polski
  • Pусский
  • Shen Yun Performing Arts
  • Home
  • About
    About Us
    About Shen Yun
    Performing Arts
    About Shen Yun
    Symphony Orchestra
    Challenges We Face
    9 Characteristics of Shen Yun
    The Artists
    Press Releases
    FAQ
  • News & Reviews
    Featured
    News
    Reviews
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Learn
    Chinese Dance
    Music
    Vocal Music
    Shen Yun Costumes
    Digital Projection
    Shen Yun Props
    Stories and History
    Shen Yun and Traditional Chinese Culture
  • Support
  • Employment
  • English
  • 中文正體
  • 中文简体
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • Česky
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français
  • Italiano
  • Nederlands
  • Svenska
  • Việt
  • עברית
  • Indonesia
  • Polski
  • Pусский
  • Shop Search
    Tickets
      News
      Back News > Beyond the Dance: Real Persecution in China

    Beyond the Dance: Real Persecution in China

    Since leaving China and becoming a principal dancer with Shen Yun in New York in 2008, Steven Wang has played many roles on stages around the world: the tiger-defeating hero Wu Song, the noble and tragic Song Dynasty general Yue Fei, and the lead in many of Shen Yun’s enchanting and technically difficult ethnic dances.

    But no role has held as much significance for him as the Falun Dafa practitioner facing persecution in modern day China. The young man is meditating in the park when he is suddenly surrounded by police under the orders of the Chinese Communist Party to wipe out Falun Dafa. He peacefully stands up for his faith, and is fatally struck down. But all is not lost as his soul is later greeted by the gods in a spectacular celestial scene.

    For Mr. Wang and many other Shen Yun performers who practice Falun Dafa and have come from China, this is more than an artistic depiction on stage—it’s a look into a real human rights crisis that has defined their personal lives.

    Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a meditation discipline that includes gentle exercises and the guiding principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. But in 1999, the Chinese Communist Party, which feared Falun Dafa’s popularity, launched a persecution campaign against those who practice the discipline. The persecution continues today.

    Every member of Mr. Wang’s family has been affected by it. His father was arrested for practicing Falun Dafa in 2000 and had his health destroyed by the torture he was subjected to, leading to his death in 2009. Mr. Wang’s sister, Shan Shan, was divorced by her husband because she practiced Falun Dafa and it endangered his government career. She fled to New York in 2012. Mr. Wang went to America himself since he could expect his promising career as a dancer to be crippled, if not violently ended, if he didn’t leave China.

    And it hasn’t ended. Right now, Mr. Wang’s mother, Aihua Liu, is imprisoned in China solely because of practicing Falun Dafa. She is being held at the Second Detention Center of Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, after being arrested in August 2017.

    While she faces sentencing, Mr. Wang has found himself in a new role offstage—trying to rescue his mother. He is appealing to the U.S. government to aid in protecting her. While touring with Shen Yun, he wrote in a letter to New York Senator Charles Schumer, “I appeal to you to take action and call my mother’s detention center to request her immediate release from illegitimate captivity and the issue of her passport so that she can reunite with my family in the United States.”

    “I wish for her to experience the same freedom I am enjoying,” added Mr. Wang.

    Falun Dafa practitioners’ lifestyle of meditation and mindfulness were hallmarks of traditional Chinese culture before the Chinese Communist Party seized power in 1949. Shen Yun Performing Arts was established by Falun Dafa practitioners in New York in 2006. The company’s mission is to use performing arts to revive the essence of Chinese culture.

    Currently, Shen Yun performs in countries across five continents and has received worldwide acclaim, but is barred from performing in China.

    “I wish that one day, Shen Yun will be allowed to perform in mainland China as well so that all Chinese people are able to learn about their history and traditional values,” Mr. Wang said. “It is totally different from what the Chinese Communist Party wants people to believe.”

    RELATED CONTENT
    • Leading Category Divineculture
      An Introduction to Traditional Chinese Culture

    Older

    What are Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dances?

    Newer

    Shen Yun Tour Stops in Rome and Tel Aviv for First Time
    Most Recent
    • Photos from Tour: April 2–14
    • Feature Article: Lead Dancer Linjie Huang
    • What Are China’s Four Great Classical Novels?
    • Shen Yun Debuts in Israel!
    • Star Survey — What in the World?
    • Photos from Tour: March 19–April 1
    • Leaps, Twirls, and Flips
    • Shen Yun Tour Stops in Rome and Tel Aviv for First Time
    • Beyond the Dance: Real Persecution in China
    • What are Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dances?
    Most Popular
    • All
    • News
    • Blog
  • 1 The Mogao Caves of Dunhuang
  • 2 Where Is Shen Yun Based?
  • 3 What’s the Inspiration Behind Shen Yun’s Story Dances?
  • 4 New Year Dumplings: A Tradition Born from Kindness
  • 5 What are Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dances?
  • 6 Video Blog Flashback: Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra Visits Asia
  • 7 The Cold Cave: A Tale of Devotion
  • 8 Feature Article: Principal Dancer Melody Qin
  • 9 Beyond the Dance: Real Persecution in China
  • 10 Photos from Tour: Shen Yun Visits Five North American Cities and Sunny Australia!
  • Show More
  • 1 Where Is Shen Yun Based?
  • 2 What’s the Inspiration Behind Shen Yun’s Story Dances?
  • 3 What are Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dances?
  • 4 Feature Article: Principal Dancer Melody Qin
  • 5 Beyond the Dance: Real Persecution in China
  • 6 Photos from Tour: Shen Yun Visits Five North American Cities and Sunny Australia!
  • 7 Will Non-Chinese Speakers Understand the Show?
  • 8 Feature Article: Principal Dancer Susan Zhou
  • 9 Photos from Tour: Feb. 19–March 4
  • 10 Leaps, Twirls, and Flips
  • Show More
  • 1 New Year Dumplings: A Tradition Born from Kindness
  • 2 Video Blog Flashback: Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra Visits Asia
  • 3 On Teamwork
  • Show More

    Interact with Shen Yun:

    Guestbook Newsletter What’s New
      About
    • Shen Yun Performing Arts
    • Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra
    • Challenges We Face
    • Shen Yun & Spirituality
    • Meet the Artists
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Press Releases
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Videos
    • Latest & Featured
    • About Shen Yun
    • Meet the Artists
    • Reviews
    • News & Blog
    • News & Reviews
    • Featured
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Learn
    • Chinese Dance
    • Music
    • Vocal Music
    • Shen Yun Costumes
    • Digital Projection
    • Shen Yun Props
    • Stories and History
    • Traditional Chinese Culture
    • Shen Yun Shop
      Friends of Shen Yun
      Tian Yin Music Store
      Guestbook
    • Support
    • Subscribe
    Shen Yun Performing Arts Official Website Friends of Shen Yun Shen Yun Shop Copyright ©2018 Shen Yun Performing Arts. All Rights Reserved.
    Contact us Terms Privacy Site map