According to the group itself, Shen Yun means “the beauty of divine beings dancing in the heavens.” Billed with the tagline “China Before Communism” since 2021, performances are a fusion of Chinese traditional dance and anticommunist propaganda, including a tsunami emblazoned with Karl Marx’s face and songs with lyrics such as “Atheism and evolution are deadly ideas. Modern trends destroy what makes us human.”
Shen Yun is intended to spread Falun Gong's political and religious messages through an international performing arts company adhering to a "world-class artistic standard." More than half of Shen Yun’s budget is devoted to physical, print, and digital advertising amounting to nearly $50 million over three years. In 2018, Shen Yun held $122 million in net assets, amassing $26 million in profit. By 2020, Shen Yun swelled to seven dance companies with hundreds of dancers regularly visiting in over 130 cities.
