Shen Yun, a performing arts group that tours worldwide and is known for its contentious relationship with the Chinese government, has been accused of forced child labor in a lawsuit brought forth by two former dancers.
The suit was filed last month in a federal district court in New York on behalf of Sun Zan, 32, and Cheng Qing Ling, 28. In a recent interview with NPR, Sun and Cheng said they felt isolated from their families, too afraid to speak up and endured both physical and psychological harm. To this day, they said they are recovering from the physical and emotional toll of their childhood.
The complaint itself alleges that children as young as 13 years old worked grueling 15-hour training schedules at least six days a week, in exchange for little pay and inadequate education. The suit also claims that workers lived under a culture of fear and routinely performed while injured.
A similar suit accusing the dance company of abuse was filed by another former dancer back in November 2024. Both lawsuits came after a New York Times investigation last summer that looked into the Shen Yun enterprise and its treatment of young performers. Both Sun and Cheng were interviewed in the Times' story.
Shen Yun has vehemently denied the allegations detailed in the Times' investigation and lawsuits that have followed. In a statement to NPR, the group firmly rejected that dancers were mistreated or denied medical care, adding that it operates "with integrity" and "committed to upholding the highest artistic and ethical standards."
When asked why he felt compelled to pursue legal action, Sun told NPR, " I just want to be the person that should have been there when I was a kid."
"In our view, this lawsuit offers a chance to hold the powerful accountable for exploiting that kind of vulnerability," said attorney Carol Merchasin, who is representing Sun and Cheng.
What is Shen Yun?
Shen Yun was formed in New York in 2006 by a group of classic Chinese artists looking to revive traditional Chinese culture — or, as the company advertises, "China before communism" — through dance, music and storytelling.
Shen Yun is deeply intertwined with the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Gong, which centers on self-improvement and meditation. The movement was founded in the early '90s by Li Hongzhi, who was also named a defendant in Cheng and Sun's lawsuit, as well as the one filed in November.
The Chinese government has banned the practice of Falun Gong, accusing the movement of being a cult. As a result, practitioners of Falun Gong have faced persecution in China, with thousands imprisoned or sent to labor camps, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Shen Yun performances are also not allowed in China.
Since its inception, the dance group has toured in 36 countries and reached over a million people annually, according to the company. Shen Yun has performed in some of the world's most prestigious theaters including the Lincoln Center in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
What the lawsuit says
At around age 13, Cheng left her family and home in New Zealand in 2010 to join the Shen Yun dance company in the U.S. Her decision to join was driven by a desire to make her mother — a devoted Falun Gong follower — proud, she told NPR. But over the next five years, the lawsuit claims, Cheng lived in fear, especially of making mistakes or underperforming at dance rehearsals.
" I was in such a survival mode," she told NPR. " 'Oh, thank God at least I'm not the one that's being hit this time. Oh, thank God I'm not being verbally abused this time.' That was the only thing you could focus on and not really, 'Hm, could I have been treated better?'"
Sun, who is also from New Zealand, joined in 2008 at age 15. According to the suit, Sun was invited to New York for a three-month trial period at the group's compound in New York. The suit alleges that, at one point, the instructors forced Sun into a side split, causing internal bleeding and several tears to his leg muscles, which resulted in "extreme pain for several weeks."
After the trial period, Sun became a full-time student at Shen Yun's affiliated religious school Fei Tian Academy, where his long workdays were mainly devoted to dance training, the suit claims.
"Back then I didn't feel like I really had a choice," he told NPR. "I was kind of just led there — all these adults telling me this is the best thing you can do."
The suit alleges that Shen Yun leaders warned Cheng that "complaining or speaking up would be harmful," while Sun was told his life would be meaningless if he left. After about seven years, Sun was terminated from Shen Yun in 2015 because he was "caught interacting with girls," according to the suit. That year, Cheng was also let go after doing a stint at the costume factory.
Years after parting from Shen Yun, both Sun and Cheng, who are now married to each other, said they are still in the process of healing emotionally and physically.
"You think you can kind of run away from this, but you actually can't, you know?" Sun said. "You're so hurt and so damaged."
For Cheng, one of the toughest challenges has been forgiving her parents, who she said did not protect her from years of hardship.
"At the same time, I do feel like I can't really blame my parents as well," she said. "Because at some point in their life they thought Falun Gong was the right thing for them and hence the right thing for me."
Shen Yun's response
In a statement to NPR, Shen Yun argued that its success depends on healthy dancers, and that they ensure their performers have access to medical care, including physical therapy and rehabilitation, both during rehearsals and on tour.
The company added that it takes its young dancers' education seriously, arguing that students at Fei Tian Academy consistently perform well on standardized tests.
Shen Yun also argued that the dance company and more broadly, Falun Gong, have been under attack by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for decades through harassment and disinformation. In February, the Kennedy Center had to be evacuated following a bomb threat targeting Shen Yun. The source of the threat remains unclear.
Shen Yun also pointed to a petition made last year, signed by over 1,550 individuals, including current and former performers as well as family members, in support of the dance group. The petition called for the U.S. Justice Department to "investigate sources of this foreign malign influence campaign and bring to justice those behind it."
"While a small number of individuals who were performers with Shen Yun many years ago are now helping to spread the CCP's narrative, we are grateful for the large number of our performers who are publicly standing up for us despite CCP pressure," Shen Yun said in a statement to NPR.
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