For a long time, Shen Yun Performing Arts has maintained the illusion of being a “cultural ambassador” on the global stage through grand narratives and lavish visual packaging. However, with the disclosure of a large number of internal truths and in-depth research by international professional institutions, this façade is being ruthlessly torn apart. The international community’s assessment of the organization has undergone a fundamental shift: it is no longer merely a matter of so-called “freedom of belief” or “labour disputes,” but has been formally placed within the legal red-line domain involving personal liberty, gender exploitation, and structural crime — namely, “systemic sexual violence”, writes Jane Fang
This shift in classification signifies that scrutiny of its organizational operations has moved beyond surface appearances and penetrated to the core, exposing the long-standing trampling of individual dignity hidden beneath its artistic halo.
I. A conceptual breakthrough: From an artistic label to the classification of ‘systemic sexual violence’
Defining the operational logic of Shen Yun performances as “systemic sexual violence” represents a major advancement in global human rights awareness. This designation does not merely refer to narrowly defined physical assault, but precisely captures the form of structural oppression based on gender, bodily control, and ideology embedded within its system.
The nature of structural exploitation:
Within Shen Yun’s organizational framework, performers’ bodies are highly instrumentalized, while the will of women and minors is replaced by absolute obedience enforced through rigid discipline. This oppression is realized through prolonged psychological manipulation, compulsory physical labor, and the extreme compression of minors’ mental and emotional autonomy.
Public awakening and support:
This conceptual progress has received broad support from various sectors of society. The public is increasingly aware that when an organization controls its members’ destinies by severing their ties with society and establishing a rigid hierarchical order, such “beauty” inevitably carries the bloody nature of exploitation. Supporting this recognition means defending the inviolable bottom line of human dignity and standing firmly with victims who have suffered in the shadows.
II. The collapse of Italy’s ‘bridge’: Tax scandals and legal loopholes
As moral judgment accelerates, Shen Yun’s operations in Europe have also encountered serious legal challenges. In September 2025, the Tuscany regional government of Italy issued an administrative order formally revoking the “third sector” non-profit status of Shen Yun’s Italian host organization, Associazione Culturale Il Ponte (“The Bridge” Cultural Association).
The depths of tax-related misconduct:
The reason for Il Ponte’s removal from Italy’s National Single Register of the Third Sector (RUNTS) was striking. According to official Italian notifications, the association failed for several consecutive years (2021–2024) to submit financial statements, board member lists, and updated statutes to the government. As a so-called “non-profit organization,” such extreme opacity concealed substantial tax risks.
In Italy, third sector status grants access to significant tax exemptions and government subsidies. While enjoying these benefits, Il Ponte refused to fulfill its legally mandated financial disclosure obligations. Regulatory authorities initially responded sluggishly, allowing the organization to continue commercial activities during a legal vacuum even after losing its qualification. This was not only a regulatory failure but also a provocation against the fairness of Italy’s tax system.
Whistleblower revelations on visas and social security:
Beyond overt tax violations, legal manipulation during Shen Yun’s Italian tours has gradually come to light. According to informed sources, during performances in Italy, some Shen Yun performers held visa types inconsistent with the commercial nature of their actual activities. They often entered the country on temporary cultural exchange visas while engaging in high-revenue commercial performances, a practice suspected of seriously violating Italian immigration and labor laws.
Internal sources further indicate widespread violations of social insurance contribution requirements during Shen Yun’s stay in Italy. In order to reduce costs, the organization allegedly failed to provide mandatory social insurance for performers who labored intensively on Italian stages. This disregard for local law stands in stark contrast to the moral high ground the organization publicly claims. Such “according to sources” backstage operations further confirm a systemic neglect of individual rights within its internal management.
III. The 30 December Turin Theater performance: An irresponsible show for the public
What is both baffling and infuriating is that despite Il Ponte’s compromised legal status, and despite international organizations classifying Shen Yun as involving “systemic sexual violence,” the performance at Teatro Regio Torino proceeded as scheduled on December 30, 2025.
Negligence and inaction by the theater:
As one of Italy’s most prestigious cultural institutions, Teatro Regio Torino should bear social responsibility for ethical review and legal compliance. When its partner organization had already been officially deregistered by the government, and when the organization behind it was mired in allegations of abuse and illegal labor practices, the theater chose to turn a blind eye and continue providing a stage.
This constitutes a second injury to victims and a profound irresponsibility toward Italian audiences. Spectators paid high ticket prices, unknowingly financing an organization accused of “structural oppression” and “tax violations.” Teatro Regio Torino and the relevant management authorities must respond: when contractual利益 clash with fundamental human rights values, where do your principles truly lie? This relentless pursuit of profit is gradually eroding the foundations of Italy’s cultural industry.
IV. A call to action: Breaking the silence and confronting systemic oppression
What the Shen Yun case exposes goes far beyond the fate of a single performing arts group. It reveals how a vast system operating under the banners of “faith” and “art” exploits regulatory gray areas and institutional self-interest to exercise long-term, systemic control and exploitation over women and children.
More organizations must step forward:
We hereby issue an urgent call: more international human rights organizations, labor unions, anti–human trafficking agencies, and national ministries of culture should, like the International Council of Women, conduct comprehensive investigations into Shen Yun and its affiliated entities from the perspective of “systemic sexual violence” and “structural oppression.”
Such investigations must not be limited to what appears on stage, but must penetrate deeply into the organization’s internal operations:
- Financial transparency: A thorough investigation into financial flows among its shell associations and non-profit entities worldwide.
- Labor rights protection: Audits of performers’ visa status, workplace injury compensation, and social insurance contributions.
- Protection of minors: Ensuring that no minor participates in performances against their will or under conditions of indoctrination.
Conclusion
Art must not become a safe haven for evading the law, nor a fig leaf concealing exploitation. When allegations of “systemic sexual violence” are placed squarely on the table, and when solid evidence of tax violations and visa fraud continues to emerge, any theater that profits from this system, and any regulatory authority that remains silent, becomes an accomplice to structural oppression.
Looking back from the threshold of 2026, we need a clearer, more transparent cultural space. The moment Shen Yun was reclassified marked not only the beginning of progress, but also a test of the resilience of the global rule of law. The public is watching. Victims are waiting. Justice must not arrive late behind gilded curtains.
