A three-word slogan deemed too “political” to be advertised in one of Australia’s largest shopping chains.
“China Before Communism” is the slogan of the New York-based classical Chinese dance company Shen Yun Performing Arts, which tours around the world, offering a glimpse into China before the communist takeover in 1949.
But it has proven too much for shopping centre giant Westfield, which has told marketers of the troupe that the phrase goes against its policy of being non-political.
“I totally agree with [the Westfield owner’s] policy of not being political. The problem is how they interpret ‘being political,’” says Lucy Zhao, spokesperson for Falun Dafa Association of Australia, the local organiser for Shen Yun, in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“‘China Before Communism’ is introducing what Shen Yun is about. It’s just a fact, not even political,” Zhao said.
Shen Yun adopted the “China Before Communism” slogan in 2022 and has used it in advertising campaigns worldwide.
The company was founded by dancers and musicians from China who were forced to flee their homeland due to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.
Scentre Group’s Complaint
Local organisers were notified of concerns around the slogan when they tried to hire a promotional stall within Sydney Westfield’s Burwood store—located in a significant Chinese-speaking area.Shen Yun is due to perform at the Sydney Lyric Theatre located within the Star Casino from April 27 to May 7.
“To reiterate from our meeting, we have strict political guidelines that all clients must follow,” a manager from the Scentre Group (Westfield’s owner) told organisers in an email seen by The Epoch Times.
“I understand this is not your purpose of the messaging. However, our business policy states that any political message includes any advertising or marketing communications about a political party, representative or candidate, union or lobby group, or issues of public interest, whether overtly controversial or not.
“This guideline intends to ensure that our centres are perceived as a welcoming social hub within the community and are not used as a platform for, or seen to be aligned to, a specific group or political position.”
Zhao says the manager was quite responsive to inquiries about the issue.
“I told him [the manager] that we are very willing to meet and talk with the operations team or have an online meeting, and he said he could pass the message to them,” she said.
The Epoch Times was informed that the ban applies across the Westfield portfolio, impacting Shen Yun’s promotional efforts in Canberra and Adelaide as well.
Westfield is owned by the Scentre Group, which operates 37 Westfields in Australia and five in New Zealand. The founding Lowy family sold its last remaining stake in the business in 2019 to UBS.
But Scentre is not the only group with concerns over the slogan.
Sydney City Council, which presides over the Chinatown District, was also reluctant to allow the group to advertise “China Before Communism” on street light banners.
“I don’t want to blame anyone. It’s natural that people want to make everyone happy and don’t want to offend anyone,” said William Wei, a colleague of Zhao’s.
Scentre Group said it is negotiating with the local organisers.
“We are in direct contact with the organisers of Shen Yun, with whom we’ve had a longstanding relationship,” a spokesperson for the Group told The Epoch Times in an email on March. 10.
Difficult to Find Clear Answers
The office for the New South Wales multicultural minister, Mark Coure, said inquiries should be sent to “federal ministers” because the ban applied across Westfields nationwide.The Epoch Times was later told by the federal Home Affairs Department, which runs the Australian Multicultural Council, that the issue did not fall within the department’s remit.
Meanwhile, Greens Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury for the Australian Capital Territory said the Scentre Group was best placed to comment on the matter.
“There are a range of considerations that private companies may take into account when determining what advertising they allow on their platforms, and each company is best placed to speak to and explain their own policies,” he said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
“I am aware from our own campaigning activity, for example, that many companies do not allow political advertising in their facilities, a policy that is applied equally across all political parties.”
Rattenbury has previously attended Shen Yun in 2022 in Canberra.
Meanwhile, Queensland Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick said he was “torn” on the issue.
“I can understand why Westfield doesn’t want to be political as they aren’t equipped to deal with political events,” he told The Epoch Times via email. “It’s not unusual for shopping centres to ban any sort of political event, so it’s not necessarily a question of not standing up to the Chinese.
“They should be consistent, however.”
Former Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz said that while property owners had the right to determine who rented or advertised on their spaces, he cautioned against certain viewpoints being preferred over others.
“When Westfield tells the world it has a company culture based on belonging with values of ‘boldness’ and ‘ethics’ amongst others, one cannot help but reflect on the double standards and timidity displayed by the refusal to advertise a dance company’s tour,” he told The Epoch Times via email.
Political, Business Leaders Face Stark Choice on Beijing: ASIO Warns
The mixed responses highlight the ongoing confusion among Australian political and business leaders on how to confront threats from China’s ruling communist party (CCP).Mike Burgess, chief of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said the domestic spy agency faced pressure to curb its investigations into foreign interference efforts in Australia—with Beijing being the major culprit.
In a February address, Burgess said “senior” people in the country believed espionage and foreign interference should be “tolerated or ignored or somehow safely managed.”
“Individuals in business, academia, and the bureaucracy have told me ASIO should ease up its operational responses to avoid upsetting foreign regimes,” he said.
“Of course, they are entitled to their views, but the reasons they offer for them are flimsy, such as: ‘all countries spy on each other’; ‘we were going to make the information public anyway’; ‘it’s no different to lobbying or networking’; ’the foreign government might make things difficult for us’; and so on.
“In my opinion, anyone saying these things should reflect on their commitment to Australia’s democracy, sovereignty, and values—because espionage and foreign interference is deliberately calculated to undermine Australia’s democracy, sovereignty, and values.”
China is Australia’s largest trading partner accounting for 32.2 percent of trade. Australia has also welcomed many Chinese immigrants, many of whom prefer studying or living in the country due to issues rooted in the oppressive rule under the communist party’s totalitarian rule.
For example, Australia’s number of Chinese immigrants significantly increased after 1989 following the CCP’s deadly Tiananmen Square Massacre, when the Chinese military opened fire on students who peacefully gathered in Beijing to rally for democratic change.
Pressure Continues to Silence Tradition
Former Defence Minister Kevin Andrews said he had experienced pressure from “supporters of the [CCP], businesspeople with investments in or trade with China, and even agents of the regime” not to talk about human rights issues in China.“While most Chinese immigrants to Australia came here to escape the authoritarian government and give their families a better future, the influence of the regime’s United Work Department and other agents of influence cannot be ignored,” he wrote in The Epoch Times.
Meanwhile, the latest pushback from Scentre Group could add to Shen Yun’s challenges in trying to revive 5,000 years of civilisation.
Incidents include placing pressure on local political figures, pushing venues to tear up contracts, and mobilising local pro-CCP Chinese to interfere with the show.
“Despite employing these multiple tactics, the CCP has been unable to stop the performances. Shen Yun now tours the world, performing in over 150 cities every year; most shows are sold-out.”
