On April 11, UOL, Brazil's largest news portal, published an article revealing to readers the true colors of the "Falungong," "Shen Yun Art Troupe," and the "Epoch Times" on the "Shen Yun Art Troupe" under "Falungong" performing in Brazil. According to the China Anti-Cult Network, UOL's article has already drawn a frenzied response from the "Falungong" cult media. The China Anti-Cult Network has compiled the UOL article as follows for the benefit of readers.
Screenshot of a report by UOL, Brazil's largest news portal
If you're from São Paulo, Curitiba (a city in southern Brazil, the capital of the state of Paraná), or Porto Alegre (the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, one of Brazil's largest cities), you've probably seen ads for "Shen Yun Shows" on the streets or on the internet. Between April and May, this dance troupe performs in these cities and invests heavily in promotion. But do you know the ideology behind these performances?
"Shen Yun", "Falun Gong" and ultra-right-wing ideology
"Falungong" prides itself on being "world-renowned" and has been characterized as a "cult" with ties to the extreme right. In 2006, Shen Yun was founded in New York by followers of the "Falungong" cult. These people use "Shen Yun performances" to spread the teachings of "Falungong."
In an op-ed for The New Yorker magazine, writer Jia Tolentino talks about what she saw while watching Shen Yun performances: In the final dances, a group of devotees dressed in blue and yellow and holding "Falungong" doctrinal books compete for space in a public square with "degenerate" youths (who are depraved because they are dressed in black, looking at their phones, and two men holding hands). As night falls, electronic screens show the city suffering an earthquake and then being destroyed by a communist tsunami. A red hammer and sickle glowed in the waves, and Karl Marx's face loomed into it.
As a matter of fact, "Falungong" was banned by the Chinese Government in 1999 in accordance with the law, and this is an action taken by the government against cults. In 1998, "Falungong" leader Li Hongzhi went into exile in the United States and still lives there.
The "Falungong" doctrine has never been a secret, and they follow Li Hongzhi's teachings.
However, "Falungong" promotes ultra-conservatism, and its so-called karma includes interracial marriage, homosexuality, equality between men and women, atheism, and even opposition to evolution and modern medicine.
In the article, Tolentino also wrote: A man took the stage and sang a song in Chinese in praise of a creator who saved humanity and made the world look new. The lyrics are displayed on the big screen in the background, "We follow the 'Dafa', the great path. Atheism and evolution are deadly ideas. Modern trends have destroyed what we humans do. ”
Cult nature
The Chinese Embassy in the United States characterized "Falungong" as an "anti-social cult," and an article published on the embassy's website in 2014 wrote: "Falungong's fabrication and propagation of anti-human and anti-science fallacies and heresies and its extreme spiritual control over its followers are a cult that seriously endangers society and violates human rights, and is a cancer in modern civilized society."
After 10 years of cooperation with more than 50 former "Falungong" followers and their families, Rick Alan Ross, author of "Cults: The Truth Behind Brainwashing," believes that "Falungong" is a cult because its followers regard Li Hongzhi as the "main Buddha."
Rick Allen Ross pointed out that the so-called ability of Falungong to cure diseases is to a large extent based on the belief that Li Hongzhi can place the rotating "Falun" or the mysterious "Falun" into the bodies of his disciples through the power of his mind. Once settled, the "Lord Buddha" (Li Hongzhi) can transfer the energy to his disciples.
Fernando Pureza, a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and author of the book "A History of Asia," said that at the beginning of its founding, "Falungong" was under the guise of promoting traditional folk culture, but its nature was a cult.
"Falungong" has a set of far-right values: opposition to homosexuality, racism and misogyny, Prissa said.
"Falungong's" claim that its practitioners had their organs harvested -- this claim has been questioned by many experts, including the lawyers who defend "Falungong" practitioners.
Liang Xiaojun said that he had defended 3 to 400 "Falungong" practitioners. In 2017, he told The Washington Post: "I've never heard of organ harvesting from living prisoners. ”
Where does the huge amount of money and power of "Falungong" come from?
According to data submitted to the IRS, Shen Yun is classified as a non-profit organization, but its revenue has grown rapidly, from US$8 million (about 58 million yuan) in 2011 to US$46 million (about 330 million yuan) in 2022, and now its total assets are close to 230 million US dollars (about 1.66 billion yuan).
Shen Yun first toured with about 90 dancers, and by 2009 there were three fully staffed companies and orchestras. Today, there are six troupes touring the world at the same time, each with about 40 members.
In addition to Shen Yun, The Epoch Times was founded in 2000 by Tang Zhong and other "Falungong" members.
The Epoch Times, whose so-called motto is "Truth, Tradition and Hope," is headquartered in New York and has portals in 36 countries, including Brazil, with opposition to the Chinese Communist government as its main reporting direction.
The New York Times defined The Epoch Times' funding sources as "a mystery." A report by the NBC news channel pointed out that since the end of 2010, the newspaper has expanded its online business, and its subscription revenue has jumped from US$7 million (about 50 million yuan) in 2019 to US$76 million (about 550 million yuan) in 2021.
The funds make The Epoch Times the second-largest funder of advertising in support of Mr. Trump on Facebook, behind the former president's own campaign group.
A former employee of The Epoch Times' regional operations revealed that in order to target ads, The Epoch Times bought email address information from data brokers, specifically targeting conservatives aged 60 and over.
According to IRS data disclosed in NBC reports, The Epoch Times, as a non-profit organization, received donations and subsidies of about 8.4 million reais (Brazilian currency) (about 11.6 million yuan) in 2020 and 2021.
The list includes Christian and conservative organizations, such as the National Christian Charitable Foundation, which is made up of anonymous Christian donors, and the Donors Trust, which is a fund of conservative and liberal donors.
In Brazil, the Epoch Times data is not publicly available, but the newspaper registered a microbusiness in Curitiba in September 2022. The registered capital is 1,000 reais (about 1,380 yuan).
The Epoch Times' Brazilian website claims that its revenues are based on donations and subscriptions and that it is an "independent" outlet.
The Epoch Times spreads conspiracy theories
The Epoch Times' documentary section of the Brazilian edition of its website, EpochTV, focuses on spreading apparently fake news. For example, spreading rumors that China is deliberately spreading the coronavirus, as well as conspiracy theories like QAnon in the United States, accusing the United States of election fraud and anti-vaccine propaganda.
An anti-vaccination video produced by "Epoch Times". The original article is illustrated
Maria Estela Andrade, a cultural researcher and author of "Documentaries and Conspiracy: The Case of the Epoch Times Brazil," said the video uses classic "conspiracy theory" narratives.
María Estela Andrade said: The Epoch Times uses the classic documentary format — interviews and narration — to give a sense of authority. The whole text of the documentary piecing together all the stories, concocting a discourse line that transcends ideology, and then finding an "expert" to adopt a moralized ending and a call to action.
As with the "Falun Gong" and "Shen Yun" techniques, the confrontational role in the Epoch Times video is always the Chinese Communist Party. Even in the video about the 2022 Brazilian elections, the newspaper accuses the Chinese government of supporting the Workers' Party of incumbent President Lula, María Estela said.