Australian migrant parents are pushing back against a new “aggressive form of foreign interference” aimed at suppressing one of the last vestiges of ancient morality, freedom, and tradition.
Xi’s orders also targeted entities started by Falun Gong practitioners, like Shen Yun and The Epoch Times, which have been integral in shining a global spotlight on the CCP’s persecution against the practice in China.
Mother Disputes CCP-Linked Narrative
One of those targets, Shen Yun Performing Arts, has been subjected to an ongoing investigative series (nine articles so far) by The New York Times portraying the group as deliberately abusing labour laws—a claim vehemently denied.Local Sydney resident Li Ying shared a different perspective, saying her three children had been awarded full scholarships under Shen Yun-linked colleges, which allows them to study without needing to consider food and accommodation costs.
“Reading thousands of books is not as good as travelling thousands of miles,” she told The Epoch Times’ sister media, NTD.
“They have the opportunity to go on tour with the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company, which is a very rare experience in their lives,” noting as well that her family saved about $185,000 each year.
A Global Media Takedown Campaign
The New York Times (NYT) campaign has been underway since August 2024 and features allegations from former members of the group.Yet the newspaper has failed to provide evidence to back those claims—besides their testimony—and has yet to disclose potential conflicts of interest or ties to the CCP.
Further, during Shen Yun’s tour down under earlier this year, The Sydney Morning Herald and New Zealand Herald ran their own stories leveraging the New York Times article.
On Feb. 25, The Sydney Morning Herald’s story, “Their Posters Are Everywhere, But Behind Shen Yun Lies A Darker Story,” was published on their front page just one day before Shen Yun’s opening night in Sydney.
During Shen Yun’s tour in Auckland, The New Zealand Herald even went further, publishing a story featuring an interview with an alleged former performer.
“The Times weaves together imprecise terms and conflated examples across categories of child labor, ‘young’ performers, and adult staff in an apparent attempt to bolster its overall narrative about alleged child labor law violations.
“For example, the primary evidence of a purportedly long work day is taken from the statement of an adult, although this is not made clear to the reader.”
‘The Kids Are So Happy’
Tracy Li, a Sydney business owner whose two children are professional musicians working full-time for Shen Yun, only had praise for what the organisation offered, pointing to the hands-on experience it offered students.“Ordinary schools don’t have this opportunity—letting students participate in a [performing] world tour and see things,” she told NTD.
“The kids are so happy. They can see a lot of things from different countries and learn a lot. I am happy for them.”
Li’s children received scholarships and spent 12 years at Shen Yun’s affiliated Fei Tian Academy, from high school through to post-graduate school.
The business owner noted that it was not easy to get admitted to the academy.
“There are very strict exams to get in. The school will only accept you if they think you can be trained,” she said.
A School That Values Morals and Etiquette
Peter Wu, a media professional in Sydney, also said his daughter had changed for the better after entering her rebellious teenage years.“When she was 14, she entered a rebellious period. I almost felt that I couldn’t control her,” Wu told NTD.
“I was very surprised and deeply touched. It was not because she became a dancer, nor because her stunning performance on stage won the audience’s warm applause, but because I found that my daughter had changed,” he said.
“On the stage, she was completely a graceful, pretty, and gentle girl. So this surprised me.”
Wu’s daughter was admitted to the academy when she was 14 after passing an examination. Over the past 10 years, she has completed high school, college and post-graduate studies, and is currently a dancer.
Tracy Li said the Academy’s educational philosophy was rooted in traditional culture, and emphasised the moral development of its students.
My Son Ended His Phone Addiction: Li
Echoing the sentiment, Li Ying said her three children also became more polite, mature, sensible, and grateful after attending the Academy.“My eldest daughter was in her second year of college, and she turned 18 the year after she was admitted. I asked her what kind of adult gift she wanted. She said, ‘Mom, I’m grown up. I have everything here, I don’t need it,’” she said.
“Then she sent me a long message, all in Chinese. She thanked me for raising and educating her, and encouraged her to keep working hard professionally so that she could be admitted to Fei Tian College.”
CCP’s Transnational Repression Felt Worldwide
Just two days before Xi’s official visit to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, authorities ordered the arrest of nearly 80 Falun Gong practitioners.The practitioners were gathering at a private venue to study Falun Gong texts when two dozen police officers arrived, forcibly removing and transporting them to police vehicles.
Among those arrested was a woman over 80 years old and a 10-year-old child. In addition, 47 were citizens, and the remaining 29 people were asylum seekers from China.
While the Malaysian citizens were released hours after Xi departed Kuala Lumpur, the Chinese nationals were only freed two weeks later.
“We call on the Chinese Communist Party to end its nearly 26-year campaign to eradicate Falun Gong and to cease its attempts to pressure other governments to repress the practice of Falun Gong,” a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department told The Epoch Times.
“We recognise the important role played by all partners, including civil society, academia and the private sector, in countering this threat.”
