Two former Shen Yun dancers allege forced child labor, brutal conditions in lawsuit

Shen Yun creation troupe connected a billboard advertizing an upcoming show successful Leavenworth, Kansas. Michael Siluk/Universal Images Group/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Siluk/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Shen Yun, a performing arts radical that tours worldwide and is known for its contentious narration with the Chinese government, has been accused of forced kid labour successful a suit brought distant by 2 erstwhile dancers.

The suit was filed past period successful a national territory tribunal successful New York connected behalf of Sun Zan, 32, and Cheng Qing Ling, 28. In a caller interrogation with NPR, Sun and Cheng said they felt isolated from their families, excessively acrophobic to talk up and endured some carnal and intelligence harm. To this day, they said they are recovering from the carnal and affectional toll of their childhood.

The ailment itself alleges that children arsenic young arsenic 13 years aged worked grueling 15-hour grooming schedules astatine slightest six days a week, successful speech for small wage and inadequate education. The suit besides claims that workers lived nether a civilization of fearfulness and routinely performed portion injured.

A akin suit accusing the creation institution of maltreatment was filed by different erstwhile dancer backmost successful November 2024. Both lawsuits came after a New York Times investigation past summertime that looked into the Shen Yun endeavor and its attraction of young performers. Both Sun and Cheng were interviewed successful the Times' story.

Shen Yun has vehemently denied the allegations elaborate successful the Times' probe and lawsuits that person followed. In a connection to NPR, the radical firmly rejected that dancers were mistreated oregon denied aesculapian care, adding that it operates "with integrity" and "committed to upholding the highest creator and ethical standards."

When asked wherefore helium felt compelled to prosecute ineligible action, Sun told NPR, " I conscionable privation to beryllium the idiosyncratic that should person been determination erstwhile I was a kid."

"In our view, this suit offers a accidental to clasp the almighty accountable for exploiting that benignant of vulnerability," said lawyer Carol Merchasin, who is representing Sun and Cheng.

What is Shen Yun?

Shen Yun was formed successful New York successful 2006 by a radical of classical Chinese artists looking to revive accepted Chinese civilization — or, arsenic the institution advertises, "China earlier communism" — done dance, euphony and storytelling.

Shen Yun is profoundly intertwined with the Chinese spiritual question Falun Gong, which centers connected self-improvement and meditation. The question was founded successful the aboriginal '90s by Li Hongzhi, who was besides named a suspect successful Cheng and Sun's lawsuit, arsenic good arsenic the 1 filed successful November.

The Chinese authorities has banned the signifier of Falun Gong, accusing the question of being a cult. As a result, practitioners of Falun Gong person faced persecution successful China, with thousands imprisoned oregon sent to labour camps, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Shen Yun performances are besides not allowed successful China.

Since its inception, the creation radical has toured successful 36 countries and reached implicit a cardinal radical annually, according to the company. Shen Yun has performed successful immoderate of the world's astir prestigious theaters including the Lincoln Center successful New York and the Kennedy Center successful Washington, D.C.

What the suit says

At astir property 13, Cheng near her household and location successful New Zealand successful 2010 to articulation the Shen Yun creation institution successful the U.S. Her determination to articulation was driven by a tendency to marque her parent — a devoted Falun Gong follower — proud, she told NPR. But implicit the adjacent 5 years, the suit claims, Cheng lived successful fear, particularly of making mistakes oregon underperforming astatine creation rehearsals.

" I was successful specified a endurance mode," she told NPR. " 'Oh, convey God astatine slightest I'm not the 1 that's being deed this time. Oh, convey God I'm not being verbally abused this time.' That was the lone happening you could absorption connected and not really, 'Hm, could I person been treated better?'"

Sun, who is besides from New Zealand, joined successful 2008 astatine property 15. According to the suit, Sun was invited to New York for a three-month proceedings play astatine the group's compound successful New York. The suit alleges that, astatine 1 point, the instructors forced Sun into a broadside split, causing interior bleeding and respective tears to his limb muscles, which resulted successful "extreme symptom for respective weeks."

After the proceedings period, Sun became a full-time pupil astatine Shen Yun's affiliated spiritual schoolhouse Fei Tian Academy, wherever his agelong workdays were chiefly devoted to creation training, the suit claims.  

"Back past I didn't consciousness similar I truly had a choice," helium told NPR. "I was benignant of conscionable led determination — each these adults telling maine this is the champion happening you tin do."

The suit alleges that Shen Yun leaders warned Cheng that "complaining oregon speaking up would beryllium harmful," portion Sun was told his beingness would beryllium meaningless if helium left. After astir 7 years, Sun was terminated from Shen Yun successful 2015 due to the fact that helium was "caught interacting with girls," according to the suit. That year, Cheng was besides fto spell aft doing a stint astatine the costume factory.

Years aft parting from Shen Yun, some Sun and Cheng, who are present joined to each other, said they are inactive successful the process of healing emotionally and physically.

"You deliberation you tin benignant of tally distant from this, but you really can't, you know?" Sun said. "You're truthful wounded and truthful damaged."

For Cheng, 1 of the toughest challenges has been forgiving her parents, who she said did not support her from years of hardship.

"At the aforesaid time, I bash consciousness similar I can't truly blasted my parents arsenic well," she said. "Because astatine immoderate constituent successful their beingness they thought Falun Gong was the close happening for them and hence the close happening for me."

Shen Yun's response

In a connection to NPR, Shen Yun argued that its occurrence depends connected steadfast dancers, and that they guarantee their performers person entree to aesculapian care, including carnal therapy and rehabilitation, some during rehearsals and connected tour.

The institution added that it takes its young dancers' acquisition seriously, arguing that students astatine Fei Tian Academy consistently execute good connected standardized tests.

Shen Yun besides argued that the creation institution and much broadly, Falun Gong, person been nether onslaught by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for decades done harassment and disinformation. In February, the Kennedy Center had to beryllium evacuated pursuing a weaponry menace targeting Shen Yun. The root of the menace remains unclear.

Shen Yun besides pointed to a petition made past year, signed by implicit 1,550 individuals, including existent and erstwhile performers arsenic good arsenic household members, successful enactment of the creation group. The petition called for the U.S. Justice Department to "investigate sources of this overseas malign power run and bring to justness those down it."

"While a tiny fig of individuals who were performers with Shen Yun galore years agone are present helping to dispersed the CCP's narrative, we are grateful for the ample fig of our performers who are publically lasting up for america contempt CCP pressure," Shen Yun said successful a connection to NPR.