SYDNEY, Australia—When the artists of Shen Yun perform ancient Chinese myths on global stages, the emcees inform theatergoers in between dance segments that they’re a New York-based company, and forbidden from telling their version of China’s story onstage in communist China.
On billboards, the company brands itself as “China before communism.”
It’s clear from the moment the curtains open on a cloud-bedecked heavenly paradise, that Shen Yun’s displays as part of Chinese spiritual culture, would cross the grain of the officially atheist Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Shen Yun’s dozens of dancers move in unison, wearing gorgeous costumes and using the ancient art form of classical Chinese dance to revive people’s connection with 5,000 years of Chinese civilization and culture.
Shen Yun was welcomed in Sydney by city councilors on Friday evening. Speaking with The Epoch Times at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Pyrmont, Mohit Kumar, councilor for Blacktown City, said he felt a connection with the opening scene.
“How we all came from the heavens” and “reincarnation” were elements that echoed his Indian ethnic background, he said. “It resonates with me in that regard, personally.”
For two decades, Shen Yun has launched a mission to revive an ancient culture that was “almost lost” during China’s devastating Cultural Revolution. That revival means more than awe-inspiring costumes and set design. Much of the magic of Shen Yun is in how they make ancient values, retold through stories, feel fresh and relatable in real time.
Kumar felt “immersed.”
“We need to go back to our traditional values where it’s all about family, from family unit to our neighbors, from our neighbors to our community,” he said. “We are the same. And that’s the message that you get from Shen Yun.”
Through tales of emperors, heroes, and the power of kindness, Shen Yun gets down to the roots of Chinese culture. There is lightness, humor, and sorrow. But above all, there’s a divine connection with everything.
Shen Yun ‘Tells a Rich Story about History’
“I am in awe, in awe, in absolute awe. What I’ve witnessed is so powerful,” said Tanya Raffoul, councilor for the City of Parramatta.
Tanya Raffoul, councilor for the City of Parramatta, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Pyrmont on March 20, 2026. NTD
“The messages transcend anything I thought I'd be able to hold on to,” she said. “It has captured my attention by invoking each of my senses—sight, sound, movement. It is just incredible. It tells a rich story about history, about Chinese culture, about struggle, but also about triumph.”
Raffoul mentioned the senses. And Shen Yun reaches most of them. Its state-of-the-art panoramas animate on a 3D digital backdrop, interacting seamlessly with the acrobatic actions of the colorful characters onstage. Shen Yun has a unique live orchestra with both Chinese and Western instruments that flows with each scene.
In their mission to revive traditional culture, designers behind the production pore over manuscripts to learn how the ancients portrayed the divine. They invoke time-honored motifs like the dragon, the phoenix, the cloud, and the peacock.
Shen Yun ‘Is Absolutely Mesmerizing’
“It is absolutely mesmerizing,” said Fiona Douska, member of Bayside Council. “The dancers are extremely talented, the costumes out of this world. I’m just so happy that it’s my first time seeing the concert.”
Fiona Douska, a member of the Bayside Council, watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Pyrmont on March 20, 2026. NTD
And, like many who have seen Shen Yun, Douska said she was enthralled by that mischievous hero of the ages: the story about Monkey King from the classic novel ‘Journey to the West.’
“That was very, very cute,” she said. “Adopting and utilizing CGI and different types of technology to make something really creative as well as engaging for the audience of all ages.”
Shen Yun ‘Changes Every Year’
Sydney has hosted Shen Yun for well over a dozen years, making the yearly performance a tradition. For Helen Hughes, a member of the Cumberland Council, Friday’s show was her second. “It’s lovely,” she said.
“I have enjoyed it each time,” Hughes added. Shen Yun’s production “changes every year” while its techniques and technology has “advanced over the 20-year cycle.”
Helen Hughes, a member of the Cumberland Council, attended the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Pyrmont to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on March 20, 2026. NTD
As a councilor, Hughes wrote a letter congratulating Shen Yun, which she was “happy to do” because it was “very well worth watching.” This, despite concerns of a bomb threat overshadowing tonight’s show, Shen Yun has faced pressure from agents of the CCP who oppose their anti-communist message.
Despite the threats, she noted the theater’s “98 percent” occupancy. Sydney theatergoers—council members and all—thronged to see the dancers and experience their idealized world without communism.
