The CCP’s Shadow in the Anti-Wealth Sentiment Against Shen Yun

(Minghui.org) Many people, including those in remote corners of the world, have heard about the American Dream, including the freedom and opportunity to succeed through hard work. I am disturbed to see that after successfully reviving traditional Chinese culture and putting on hundreds of top-level performances around the world every year, the New York-based Shen Yun is now being attacked by mainstream media through a series of distorted reports.

It is unfortunate that after being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for 25 years, Falun Gong practitioners involved in Shen Yun are now facing the same slander the CCP propagated a quarter century ago. Behind the latest article by The New York Times that focuses on Shen Yun’s $266 million in assets to imply some kind of financial misconduct, I see a shadow of the CCP’s anti-wealth sentiment.

The CCP’s Track Record of Confiscating Private Assets Through Brutality

Human societies throughout history recognized private ownership of property. John Locke, one of the most influential political philosophers, also believed that power cannot be privately owned, while property cannot be publicly owned; otherwise, mankind would head toward disaster.

But the CCP’s philosophy is the opposite. From confiscating land from landlords in its early days to seizing assets from business owners after taking power, the CCP left a track record of violence, brutality, and lies. This is consistent with what Karl Marx wrote in the Communist Manifesto, “Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.”

To put this philosophy into practice, communist regimes need to promote class struggle. With so-called exploitation theory, the CCP claimed that all the wealth of the landlords should go to those with no land, and all assets of the capitalists should go back to the workers. To achieve this goal, no violence is excessive. “Capital comes into the world dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt,” wrote Marx in Das Kapital.

The CCP continued its brutality after it took power in 1949. After its Ninth National Congress in 1969, “taking class struggle as the central task” was written into the Party Constitution. “We can start talking about classes and class struggle now. We must talk about it every year, every month, and every day,” said Mao Zedong. “Class struggle can be effective as soon as you grasp it.”

This type of struggle often extends beyond economic status into political ideology, and the consequences are serious. Through a series of political campaigns, not only did landlords lose their land and business owners lose their assets, but intellectuals also learned to stay silent or toe the Party line, while the Red Guards were mobilized to destroy faith systems and moral values by targeting people at will.

Over time, the CCP also redefines the “enemies” of class struggle as needed. They could be democracy advocates during the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 or Falun Gong practitioners in recent times. With the CCP-controlled media inundating the country with hate propaganda, the general public is mobilized to join the havoc.

It is worth noting that the CCP’s “reform and opening up” in the late 1970s was merely a revised version of its brutality. Through foreign investment and ordinary citizens’ hard work, top CCP officials could rake in more profits for themselves. Corruption has become the norm for government officials. The regime’s tactics also include ruthlessly suppressing private enterprises, fishing in oceans all over the world, and hunting down rich Chinese people around the globe.

Shen Yun’s Success and Traditional View of Wealth

In contrast to most other performing arts groups, Shen Yun has no corporate sponsorship, government support, or membership donations. It relies entirely on its world-class artistry and uplifting spiritual values to establish a unique entrepreneurial path for art groups in today’s world.

Traditional Chinese culture includes many stories of making money in a righteous way and without losing virtue. Guan Zhong, chancellor of the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period, was well known for guiding the state toward prosperity. Fan Li, from the same era of history, was known not only for his military strategy but also his legendary business achievements. His story demonstrated the traditional view of wealth: If you are rich, you will practice virtue; if you gather wealth, you will make the people rich.

As a non-profit organization, Shen Yun is committed to restoring traditional culture. After many years of hard work, it has created an international brand based on its own talent. At the same time, Shen Yun provides all-inclusive services on its campus and gives all Fei Tian students a full scholarship worth approximately $50,000 USD per year, including room and board. These are modern practices of the Chinese nation’s traditional view of wealth and are fully consistent with American law.

However, the miracle of Shen Yun’s success was distorted by The New York Times as some kind of exploitation and religious fanaticism. To me, this is no different from the CCP’s anti-wealth sentiment.

In its short history, Shen Yun has had to face many challenges, and this is why some Falun Gong practitioners voluntarily paid out of their pockets to support Shen Yun. These voluntary acts should be praised instead of denigrated. When Jesus preached, he not only accepted donations from rich people, but also received coins from the poor. Similarly, Confucius charged tuition fees for running schools. When he traveled around the country to give lectures, the expenses incurred were all earned by his disciple Zigong. I have not heard of anyone in the world or any believer accusing Jesus or Confucius of amassing money. On the contrary, Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and was nailed to history’s pillar of shame.

Those who follow the CCP’s atheist worldview cannot understand these traditional values. They only see money and power; they use money to seduce others and use power to attack dissidents.

Standing Up for Righteous Values

The media reports suggesting that the founder of Falun Gong made money improperly are following the same line used by the CCP at the start of its persecution of Falun Gong 25 years ago. However, if Master Li’s goal were to make money, there are far easier ways to do so. If the 100 million Falun Gong practitioners each donates ten dollars to Master Li, he would become a billionaire. However, he has has not accepted a penny from his disciples, even though he has improved the health and well-being of countless people.

When Master Li gave lectures in China, he charged the lowest admission fee among all qigong practices at the time, which led to dissatisfaction from the Chinese qigong association. But Master Li insisted on low fees in order to lessen the burden on his students and their families.

Shen Yun’s achievements and positive societal impact is unprecedented. Master Li and others who helped Shen Yun should be honored instead of attacked. Even though accepting donations would have been reasonable, Master Li did not do this. He lived on his own book royalties and taught his disciples to run schools and charity organizations to benefit the world. Why did this become “exploitation” in the eyes of The New York Times?

The CCP has always considered the United States to be its top enemy while suppressing Falun Gong practitioners domestically. Extending its persecution of Falun Gong to the U.S. is part of the CCP’s global strategy. It is unfortunate that The New York Times has become a tool for the CCP to target Shen Yun and Falun Gong practitioners.