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The Real Story of Shen Yun
Attacks on U.S. Soil:
How Far Will The CCP Go?
Lawfare, Disinformation, and Violent Threats.
The Show Beijing Doesn't Want You
to See
Spies. Sabotage.
Threats. Slander.
The CCP has long engaged in transnational repression targeting Falun Gong and Shen Yun Performing Arts. However, the aggressiveness, frequency, and violent nature of incidents has increased dramatically over the past year. Moreover, the tactics being deployed are more sophisticated and subtle, often operating via proxies or even unwitting amplifiers in the United States.
This shift is not accidental.
According to internal party sources, in 2022, CCP head Xi Jinping complained that efforts to silence Falun Gong to date had not been “creative enough” and called on the regime’s security and secret police apparatus to intensify its efforts. The result has been a new and reinvigorated campaign to smear the reputation of Falun Gong and Shen Yun globally, while trying to manipulate U.S. government agencies to launch investigations, all with the aim of dealing a “final blow” to Falun Gong.
Since June, multiple internal party sources have leaked details and instructions that reinforce Xi’s directives and outline specific tactics that the regime plans to deploy. These are now manifesting in real-world events.
The Falun Dafa Information Center’s researchers are documenting these new incidents, law enforcement responses, internal CCP leaks, and other pertinent information as they come to light.
Beijing’s New Playbook
Targeting Falun Gong & Shen Yun
Beijing’s New Playbook
Targeting Falun Gong & Shen Yun
DEATH THREATS
Fake bomb threats sent to theaters. Threats of mass shooting and sexual violence targeting Shen Yun performers and families. Threats of burning down houses, car accidents, physical assault, and tire slashing.
LAWFARE
People with ties to China file series of lawsuits that drain resources and generate negative press about Shen Yun and Falun Gong. A New York judge ruled one such lawsuit “vague,” “illogical,” and an “oxymoron,” when dismissing it.
MEDIA MANIPULATION
Mainstream media publish misleading “investigations” about Shen Yun and Falun Gong. Articles distort Falun Gong beliefs and omit essential context, such as key sources’ ties to the Chinese government.
CO-OPTING GOVERNMENT
Chinese agents sentenced in IRS bribery scheme targeting Shen Yun. Malicious complaints to US agencies of environmental and labor violations spark unfounded inquiries.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Beijing-backed influencers produce vilifying content and instigate followers to mobilize against Falun Gong and Shen Yun.
IMPERSONATION
Emails impersonating Falun Gong practitioners send threats or damaging allegations to government officials or venues. X profiles impersonate
Shen Yun performers.
How are these tactics playing out in real-world examples?
What may at first glance seem like isolated events or incidents unconnected to the CCP, upon closer examination, often have common links and patterns pointing back to a coordinated campaign and the regime’s indirect influence.
Death threats: To date, over 70 death threats, bomb threats, and mass killing threats were made towards Shen Yun headquarters, theaters, and employees. In several cities, theaters where Shen Yun was about to perform had to be evacuated by local police. No bombs were ever found.
But it doesn’t stop there. These threats have also targeted various political leaders in the United States, Taiwan, and globally. They are often written in Chinese and warn of kidnappings, bombings, and killings targeting U.S. and other elected officials.
“Politicians and Congressmen from all countries who support Falun Gong will become targets of attack, and even shooting Trump and driving a vehicle loaded with explosives into the White House are not ruled out.” In the United States, threatening government officials is a felony under federal law punishable by imprisonment.
Examples of death threats:
“You will meet God. You, …
as well as family members, all will be killed.”
—Threat emailed to Falun Dafa Information Center staff along with photos of a shotgun
“The U.S. State Department would be the first target. If the U.S. State Department dares to support Falun Gong, it is possible that [we] would drive a car loaded with bombs, ram the main entrance of the State Department and then detonate the bomb!”
—Threat emailed to Falun Dafa website
“We secretly purchased remote control bombs… as well as automatic rifles, pistols and other weapons… we will detonate explosives, then break into [Shen Yun’s training center] and shoot all survivors.”
—Threat sent to Shen Yun headquarters
Lawfare: Multiple individuals or organizations with links to China have filed frivolous lawsuits claiming environmental damage or labor rights violations. Separately, CCP agents tried to bribe the IRS to investigate Shen Yun and remove its tax-exempt status; they were caught by the FBI and convicted. Several lawsuits were thrown out by New York judges. The most recent lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. Unfortunately, these lawfare efforts still produce bad press for Shen Yun.
Disinformation: Mainstream media—especially the New York Times—have engaged in biased and misleading reporting based on questionable sources with ties to Beijing-backed YouTubers and a party-state entity. We go in depth on this topic on the following spread.
This emerging lawfare, disinformation, and transnational repression campaign eerily matches the CCP-stated plans, demonstrating a new, more sophisticated playbook.
CCP Attacks on U.S. Soil: How it Works
Xi Jinping
According to internal party sources, in 2022, CCP head Xi Jinping complained that efforts to silence Falun Gong to date had not been “creative enough.” He then gave directives to employ two tactics: lawfare (strategic filing of typically baseless lawsuits to burden targets and smear their reputation) and disinformation. He called on the regime’s security and secret police apparatus to lead these efforts.
Ministries of Public Security
and State Security
China’s Ministry of State Security and Public Security are leading a new global campaign to “eliminate Falun Gong,” under Xi Jinping’s directives. Using disinformation through social media influencers and Western media, lawfare, and transnational repression, they aim to discredit and ultimately bankrupt Shen Yun.
John Chen
John Chen was convicted of being a CCP spy after an FBI sting operation caught him trying to bribe the IRS to open an investigation of Shen Yun. Previously he had engaged in anti-Falun Gong activities for over two decades, including surveilling practitioners and pushing CCP propaganda against Falun Gong.
Chinese agents
and proxies in the U.S.
For over a decade, a network of Chinese spies across the U.S. has been actively targeting Shen Yun Performing Arts and the Falun Gong community, seeking to sabotage their activities. Since 2020, U.S. authorities have made several high-profile arrests of Chinese agents caught attempting to orchestrate smear campaigns or bribe U.S. officials to undermine Shen Yun’s legal standing, spy on Falun Gong, and generate negative media coverage.
Beijing Dance
Academy
The Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) is led by 10 CCP members and receives Chinese government funding. BDA-linked individuals have filed lawsuits against and maligned Shen Yun. BDA obscures its CCP ties in English materials. This reveals a deliberate effort to hide its political connections from global audiences and international partners.
CCP-supported
social media influencers
The CCP supports social media influencers as a primary weapon for seeding disinformation about Shen Yun in the West. Some influencers have admitted to being offered payment from the CCP. Others are named specifically in Chinese government directives to receive “full support” for their attacks on Shen Yun.
Recorded Methods of Attacks and Results:
Lawsuits Against
Shen Yun Headquarters
Shortly after a convicted Chinese spy admitted to U.S. authorities that he had surveilled Shen Yun’s headquarters and worked to formulate ways to file lawsuits against Shen Yun, a series of environmental lawsuits were filed against its headquarters by individuals with public China ties. A total of five legal actions were filed in the span of four years, each generating negative media and fomenting distrust within the local community.
IRS: Government Investigations
On May 26, 2023, a federal court charged, and later convicted, two Chinese agents for attempting to bribe a purported Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official to “topple Falun Gong.” Specifically, their goal was to strip Shen Yun of its nonprofit status. The pair also admitted to traveling to New York “to surveil Falun Gong residents in Orange County, New York,” where Shen Yun has its headquarters.
Bomb and
Death Threats
This 2025 tour, over 20 theaters where Shen Yun was performing received emails threatening to blow up the theater or enter and shoot everyone if Shen Yun is allowed to perform. Shen Yun’s headquarters in New York has received dozens more death threats targeting performers, their family, and even supportive members of Congress, “whose bodies will be dumped on the streets of Washington.”
Disinformation
and Lawsuits
As the twin pillars outlined by Xi Jinping for the attack on Shen Yun, since at least 2022 Chinese agents and proxies have been galvanized to formulate disturbing narratives against Shen Yun that would bait mainstream media, trigger government inquiries, and drive a wedge between Shen Yun and the American people.
Dismissed
with Prejudice
Two Chinese men were sentenced for attempting to bribe the IRS. At least three additional Chinese spies were arrested since 2022 related to their activities to silence and malign Falun Gong or Shen Yun.
Spies
Sentenced
On May 26, 2023, a federal court charged, and later convicted, two Chinese agents for attempting to bribe a purported Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official to “topple Falun Gong.” Specifically, their goal was to strip Shen Yun of its nonprofit status. The pair also admitted to traveling to New York “to surveil Falun Gong residents in Orange County, New York,” where Shen Yun has its headquarters.
White House, State
Condemn Threats
The White House Press Secretary and State Department have condemned the bomb threats linked to the CCP following repeated bomb threats to theaters hosting Shen Yun across the U.S.
Influencers, Platforms Defy Disinformation Campaign
The Chinese YouTuber who says he collaborated with the Times was charged with illegal weapons possession after making threats to Shen Yun. X took down thousands of Chinese accounts used to amplify recent Times reports on Shen Yun. Meanwhile, podcasters in Taiwan and America say CCP agents offered them money to disparage Shen Yun, but they refused.
Lawsuits Against
Shen Yun Headquarters
Shortly after a convicted Chinese spy admitted to U.S. authorities that he had surveilled Shen Yun’s headquarters and worked to formulate ways to file lawsuits against Shen Yun, a series of environmental lawsuits were filed against its headquarters by individuals with public China ties. A total of five legal actions were filed in the span of four years, each generating negative media and fomenting distrust within the local community.
Dismissed
with Prejudice
Two Chinese men were sentenced for attempting to bribe the IRS. At least three additional Chinese spies were arrested since 2022 related to their activities to silence and malign Falun Gong or Shen Yun.
IRS: Government Investigations
On May 26, 2023, a federal court charged, and later convicted, two Chinese agents for attempting to bribe a purported Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official to “topple Falun Gong.” Specifically, their goal was to strip Shen Yun of its nonprofit status. The pair also admitted to traveling to New York “to surveil Falun Gong residents in Orange County, New York,” where Shen Yun has its headquarters.
Spies
Sentenced
On May 26, 2023, a federal court charged, and later convicted, two Chinese agents for attempting to bribe a purported Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official to “topple Falun Gong.” Specifically, their goal was to strip Shen Yun of its nonprofit status. The pair also admitted to traveling to New York “to surveil Falun Gong residents in Orange County, New York,” where Shen Yun has its headquarters.
Bomb and
Death Threats
This 2025 tour, over 20 theaters where Shen Yun was performing received emails threatening to blow up the theater or enter and shoot everyone if Shen Yun is allowed to perform. Shen Yun’s headquarters in New York has received dozens more death threats targeting performers, their family, and even supportive members of Congress, “whose bodies will be dumped on the streets of Washington.”
White House, State
Condemn Threats
The White House Press Secretary and State Department have condemned the bomb threats linked to the CCP following repeated bomb threats to theaters hosting Shen Yun across the U.S.
Disinformation
and Lawsuits
As the twin pillars outlined by Xi Jinping for the attack on Shen Yun, since at least 2022 Chinese agents and proxies have been galvanized to formulate disturbing narratives against Shen Yun that would bait mainstream media, trigger government inquiries, and drive a wedge between Shen Yun and the American people.
Influencers, Platforms Defy Disinformation Campaign
The Chinese YouTuber who says he collaborated with the Times was charged with illegal weapons possession after making threats to Shen Yun. X took down thousands of Chinese accounts used to amplify recent Times reports on Shen Yun. Meanwhile, podcasters in Taiwan and America say CCP agents offered them money to disparage Shen Yun, but they refused.
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