beijing censorship, chinese communist party, chinese performing arts, chinese propaganda, shen yun, shen yun performing arts, traditional chinese culture

Shen Yun Under Siege: Unmasking Beijing’s War on Traditional Chinese Arts

You may have already watched or heard of a Shen Yun performance, especially given it’s been touring the world for over a decade. But for those unfamiliar with Shen Yun Performing Arts — it’s a non-profit traditional Chinese dance and music performance backed by a symphony orchestra that blends Western and Chinese instruments. Multiple Shen ...

James Burke

Traditional Chinese dancers during a Shen Yun Performing Arts performance.

The Superstitious Side of Mao Zedong: A Glimpse Into the Mystical Practices of China’s Former Leader

Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, is often remembered for his communist ideologies and revolutionary practices. However, a lesser-known aspect of Mao’s life might surprise many, particularly those familiar with the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Let’s delve into Mao’s intriguing relationship with superstition and the mystical events surrounding ...

Max Lu

Mao Zedong.

Experiences in Shanghai Shatter Zhang Yuxuan’s Chinese Dream (Part 1)

One evening, around 9 o’clock, a young Taiwanese man named Zhang Yuxuan was scrolling through his mobile phone in his rented apartment in Shanghai when suddenly, he heard a crashing bang, and the front door was smashed open. Several public security officers of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) barged in, grabbed a hold of him, ...

Michael Segarty

Zhang Yuxuan, a young Taiwanese man who was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party.

Lu Hongen: Heroic Conductor Silenced by the Cultural Revolution (Part 2)

According to the Chinese Cultural Revolution Library (third edition), on April 20, 1968, Lu Hongen and 14 other detainees in the cell were called to the guidance room and they sat on the floor. Behind the desk sat the guiding officer, the interrogator, and another government agent sent by the higher authorities. The guiding officer ridiculed ...

Michael Segarty

Lu Hongen conducting an orchestra.

Lu Hongen: Heroic Conductor Silenced by the Cultural Revolution (Part 1)

Lu Hongen, conductor of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, was the first high-profile intellectual to be publicly executed during the Cultural Revolution. The day after he was killed, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Public Security Bureau went to his wife and said: “You have to pay 20 cents; this is the cost of the bullet that ...

Michael Segarty

Chinese conductor Lu Hongen.