Petition Chinese embassy pressures top London theatre to cancel show

The Chinese Embassy is attempting to block Shen Yun from performing at the London Coliseum in April.

“The Chinese regime is terrified of Shen Yun because it is reviving the true culture and values that the communist party all but destroyed in campaigns like the Cultural Revolution. The Chinese communist Party truly cannot bear for anything that does not fit their own ideology.” said Rosemary Byfield of the UK promoters.

The New York-based company presents a large-scale production featuring 90 dancers, singers and solo musicians. The show seeks to revive traditional Chinese culture, weaving together stories of heavenly realms with ancient heroic legends and modern courageous tales. In America this year, shows sold out in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and in New York's Lincoln Centre.

No British venue should be subject to this kind of political pressure in an artistic matter. We call on the Culture Minister to tell the Chinese Ambassador to stop interfering.