(Minghui.org) As a Falun Gong practitioner who knows Shen Yun well, I am disturbed to see a major Western news outlet publish articles that seek to discredit Shen Yun and Falun Gong’s founder, Master Li. To some degree, the content and logic of these articles echo the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) defamation of Falun Gong over the past few decades: They cherry-pick facts and statistics to mislead readers. Except these articles are now packaged differently.
In my view, everything Shen Yun and Falun Gong practitioners do conform to societal norms.
No One Seeking a Fortune Would Take Shen Yun’s Path
Many associations, religious or otherwise, charge membership fees. Since Falun Dafa Associations have been registered in many states in the U.S., Master Li could simply charge membership fees or ask for donations from followers if his goal were to make a profit. Instead, he worked hard to revive traditional Chinese culture through performing arts—a noble act that carries high financial risk. Not only that, Shen Yun also provides full scholarships as well as room and board (equal to about $50,000 a year) to all Fei Tian students and Shen Yun performers.
If these resources were invested elsewhere, say, in real estate, since 2007 (when Shen Yun started and accounting for the 2008 recession), the return would have been easier, quicker, and safer.
But Shen Yun did not do that. In fact, they achieved their goal—reviving traditional Chinese culture through top-level performing arts that benefit millions around the world every year. It would seem that Shen Yun and Master Li have a big—and noble—dream, and know how to turn it into a reality. Isn’t this an American value, something we should embrace?
Nonprofits Need to Make Money
One article claimed that when the Falun Dafa Association in Atlanta hosted Shen Yun performances in a past season, the revenue was $2.08 million and the costs totalled $1.62 million, so the surplus of $0.46 million went to Shen Yun—implying this was unusual for a nonprofit organization.
I would say this is the way it should be. It is common sense that nonprofits can, and often do, make quite a bit of money. Nonprofits need money to survive and carry out their charitable missions.
In the Atlanta example, Shen Yun had a hundred people (including dancers and musicians) perform seven shows over five days and made $456,000, or an average of $65,000 per show. This is extremely low figure. In fact, world-class soloists and musicians could charge this amount or an order of magnitude more per show as an individual, and it still would not be out of the ordinary compared to peers in the entertainment industry. From this perspective, Shen Yun has sacrificed tremendously to fulfill its mission of reviving traditional culture.
These articles also claim it is “unusual” that Shen Yun does not invest its $266 million in assets. On a practical level, Shen Yun performs for only four and a half months each year, but it has to cover a full year of living and facility expenses, along with education, training, and preparations for each upcoming season. It also needs reserves to support a thousand people through potential disruptions, such as another pandemic.
Volunteering for a Good Cause
Considering the benefits Shen Yun provides to its audience and society at large, Shen Yun’s success is a good thing. I would like to see Shen Yun perform in China, too, but it cannot, because the CCP cannot tolerate independent thinking, let alone the traditional values displayed by Shen Yun. In fact, the regime has squandered its resources to target Shen Yun and Falun Gong over the past 25 years.
It is because of this persecution that Falun Gong practitioners have to work harder to help bring Shen Yun to Western society. These volunteer efforts should be praised too, but they are instead portrayed as “exploitation” by Shen Yun. Come to think of it, if major Western media also objectively reported on Shen Yun’s success and the benefits it brings to society instead of attacking the group, Falun Gong practitioners would not have to work so hard.
A Society with Freedom of Belief
The articles mentioned above also repeatedly denounce the belief of Falun Gong practitioners, which makes me question if they were written by the CCP’s propaganda department or a major U.S. media outlet. After all, America was founded on the freedom of belief.
In an era of diversity, many different ideologies have entered school clubs and even state legislatures. Why would a belief system consistent with traditional views of morality face such discrimination?
Prejudice and defamation aside, the bigger issue is that this kind of reporting serves to propagate the CCP’s atheist ideology and help the communist regime carry out its persecution outside China. By helping the CCP attack faith groups and freedom of belief in the U.S., these media reports endanger the most fundamental values and freedoms on which our society is built.
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Category: News Commentary
