In the wake of the Five Constituencies Resignation and the protest against the high speed rail link to China, this incident has precipitated yet another wave of protests in Hong Kong. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and supporters of Shen Yun’s Hong Kong shows are joining forces to initiate marches and rallies. The hope is that the Hong Kong government will mend its ways, for obviously placating the CCP in China.
Denying a prestigious performance group the right to perform is an unprecedented incident in the cultural-communications history of Hong Kong. Each year, countless cultural and art venues visit Hong Kong: among them being Broadway musicals, such as Cats, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma. As far as I know, none of these were denied entrance to the country, because a company’s staff posed a threat to the job opportunities of its own “laborers” in Hong Kong.
It’s no wonder that since the visa refusal was made public, people have referred to the Hong Kong government as “dirty and shameless”. Many people have expressed their disappointment, anger and astonishment, while others felt it was no surprise at all that the Hong Kong government would stoop down to polish the Beijing’s shoes, because, as far as they are concerned, the “one country two systems” slogan is considered a downright lie.
The sorrow, indignation and realizations are all just normal responses to the injustice. For those who have to miss the show and suffer economic loss due to the Hong Kong government’s interference, it is natural for them to rebuke the action as “shameless.”
For those who grew up in the free world and who have watched Shen Yun, it is shocking that the Hong Kong government, labelled as free and law-abiding, would resort to such scandalous trickery.
But those who know the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) better—those who have been persecuted by the CCP—have already come up with a more rational conclusion: in the hands of the CCP, Hong Kong will experience anything but freedom and democracy.
The CCP fears and interferes with Shen Yun, because Shen Yun is the authentic expression of Chinese culture. The CCP, as the follower of foreign Marxist doctrine, has been ruling China with phoney patriotism and nationalism. It has fabricated fake “traditional culture” with movies such as Confucius, Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower, and events like the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games.
However, Shen Yun, as the ultimate, artistic representation of genuine Chinese culture, has exposed the true face of the CCP.
It’s not difficult to conjure up the abject fear and jealousy of the CCP. If the CCP’s suppression of Shen Yun out of fear is so tangible, what the Hong Kong government expects to gain from such demeaning subservience is hard to second-guess. Perhaps a few random praises from an official. But what it it stands to lose is far more substantial than hollow praise.
First, the government will lose the people’s support. By denying Shen Yun the right to perform, it is the people of Hong Kong that are really being hurt. The company’s Hong Kong tickets were sold out within a week— proof of how much the people of Hong Kong treasure Shen Yun. It is obviously against their will to bar Shen Yun from performing.
The incident is not just about cancelling a show; it’s about the CCP using the government of Hong Kong to deprive its people of their freedom.
By cancelling the Shen Yun performances, the Hong Kong government is only serving to remind people of its various modes of complying with the CCP, against Hong Kong’s freedom. Other examples include Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23, the delay of the general election and still other efforts against freedom.
