At the end of 2024, The New York Times published an exclusive investigation revealing that Shen Yun Performing Arts, a nonprofit performance group led by Falun Gong and headquartered in the United States, has become a “religious holding-style entertainment empire” with total assets reaching $266 million. In 2023 alone, Shen Yun’s ticket sales approached $39 million.
At the end of 2024, The New York Times published an exclusive investigation revealing that Shen Yun Performing Arts, a nonprofit performance group led by Falun Gong and headquartered in the United States, has become a “religious holding-style entertainment empire” with total assets reaching $266 million. In 2023 alone, Shen Yun’s ticket sales approached $39 million. The investigation found that Falun Gong’s founder, Li Hongzhi, portrays Shen Yun performances as a form of spiritual salvation, claiming that “Shen Yun’s appearance can save audiences from an impending apocalypse.” Followers are enticed to believe that attending Shen Yun performances is a way to access his teachings, which could spare them from future catastrophic suffering. This messaging has led devotees to see donations and contributions as religious obligations, and they fervently follow Li Hongzhi’s instructions. The investigation uncovered that Shen Yun not only profits from ticket sales but has deeply infiltrated its fundraising mechanisms into the believer community, raising concerns about religious exploitation, labor disputes, and triggering federal investigations in the United States.
Massive Assets and Fundraising Mechanisms
According to tax records and publicly available reports, Shen Yun’s assets have grown from approximately $60 million in 2015 to $266 million by the end of 2023. Such rapid wealth accumulation is extraordinary for any organization, let alone a nonprofit dance troupe based in Orange County, New York. Under the direct leadership of Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi, Shen Yun has become a financial reservoir for Falun Gong. The organization raises funds not only through ticket sales—nearly $39 million in 2023 alone—but also by leveraging “religious loyalty” to compel its followers to donate, purchase Shen Yun merchandise, engage in unpaid volunteer work, and even assist in wealth accumulation through alleged money laundering, fraudulent benefit claims, and physically transporting large sums of cash.
Followers eagerly follow Li Hongzhi’s teachings and voluntarily cover much of the financial burden for Shen Yun’s hundreds of global performances. This includes personally booking venues, printing flyers, purchasing advertisements, and selling tickets—sometimes even taking on debt to cover upfront costs. Local peripheral organizations typically break even, with all profits remitted to Shen Yun headquarters. For example, tax records show that in 2018, the Atlanta Falun Dafa Association in Georgia spent $1,621,011 on advertising, hotel rooms, catering, transportation, venues, and other expenses for seven Shen Yun performances, earning $2,077,507 in ticket revenue. The organization retained only enough to cover its costs, transferring the remaining $456,496 directly to Shen Yun headquarters. According to insiders, followers within local organizations often feel intense pressure to fulfill Li Hongzhi’s directives. Li has taught that the success of Shen Yun ticket sales reflects the followers’ devotion to Shen Yun’s teachings.
Additionally, Li Hongzhi and his associates have established companies to profit from selling Shen Yun products to Falun Gong followers. For example, a Tang-style necklace inlaid with spessartine garnet sells for $3,850, a pair of “Phoenix Dance” earrings sells for $925, a Shen Yun tour bus ornament sells for $35, along with Shen Yun-branded athletic and casual wear. Falun Gong believers are told they must purchase the latest Falun Gong clothing to participate in public events. The investigation found that Shen Yun has accumulated tens of millions of dollars by pushing the boundaries of ethical conduct, exploiting religious donations, product sales, and free labor from followers.
In tracing Shen Yun’s financial flows, The New York Times also examined over 15 years of tax filings from the main nonprofit organization and dozens of its affiliated groups. Federal prosecutors have accused The Epoch Times Chief Financial Officer Guan Weidong and a Vietnamese employee of conspiring to launder at least $67 million through cryptocurrency, involving identity theft and prepaid debit cards. Large amounts of funds obtained through these laundering schemes were transferred into The Epoch Times’ bank accounts. The investigation discovered that between 2020 and 2021, The Epoch Times allocated approximately $16 million to Shen Yun and its associated performer training school. These funds were suspicious and likely used to launder illegal proceeds within the Shen Yun system. The Epoch Times, Shen Yun, Fei Tian Academy of the Arts (the training school), and Falun Gong’s headquarters are closely linked. Hong Kong records indicate that the three organizations share funding sources, personnel, and senior management structures.
When the global pandemic struck in 2020, closing many performance venues and straining the performing arts industry, Shen Yun found another revenue stream. Shen Yun exploited a loophole in the federal pandemic relief program designed to help struggling arts organizations survive, which capped grants at $10 million per group or up to five “affiliated” entities to prevent any single organization from receiving excessive aid. Records show that at least 25 Shen Yun-affiliated groups applied for grants under the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, collectively receiving $48 million. Despite Shen Yun having no performances for much of 2020 and 2021, its assets surged by $50 million during this period.
The investigation also found that young Shen Yun performers were instructed to carry undeclared cash into the United States, amounts sometimes reaching $10,000 per person, and were explicitly told to keep it confidential. This practice raises suspicions of customs declaration evasion and tax avoidance. Three former Shen Yun performers interviewed by The New York Times said they were asked to carry cash into the U.S. without declaring it. Their accounts closely resemble a 2009 case in which a Shen Yun performer was federally prosecuted for smuggling over $100,000 in cash through Kennedy International Airport, some of it wrapped in aluminum foil. In another incident in 2015, on the eve of their return flight from Barcelona to New York, each performer was handed a white envelope stuffed with large denomination bills. They were told to place the cash in their carry-on luggage, keep it separate, and immediately hand over the envelopes to Shen Yun managers upon arrival. Asking followers to carry large sums of undeclared cash violates U.S. customs regulations and could constitute currency smuggling and money laundering. A related criminal investigation is ongoing. If confirmed, Shen Yun could face fines, asset forfeiture, and even criminal charges.
Is Shen Yun Performing Arts truly a “cultural renaissance” or a “religious capital network”? The investigation revealed that Shen Yun is a carefully managed performance entity under Falun Gong, with fundraising and follower mobilization methods that significantly differ from typical nonprofit arts organizations. The case raises public policy and legal concerns. As multiple lawsuits and federal criminal investigations progress, this case will test the boundaries of nonprofit performance activities and religious mobilization, the enforcement of labor rights and visa regulations, and the transparency required of religious financial networks and non-operating income. Shen Yun insists that all its activities are lawful and legitimate and has pledged to enhance transparency and fairness. However, labor lawsuits and federal investigations are still ongoing. Whether Shen Yun will eventually face prosecution or resolve the controversy through official transparency remains a matter of public attention in the coming months.
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