[{"id":"52594","idText":"","urlFriendlyName":"moon-festival-mid-autumn-festival","parentId":"0","userId":"44","sectionId":"25","contentTypeId":"6","langId":"1","timeCreated":"2025-10-04 12:28:42","timePublished":"2025-10-04 12:20:38","timePublishedDisplay":"0","timeUpdated":"2025-10-06 10:37:03","orderByTime":"2025-10-04 12:20:38","ip":"72.43.130.26","title":"When the Moon is Brightest: Shen Yun Celebrates Mid-Autumn","lastRevisionId":"0","protectMode":"1","password":"","passwordHint":"","commentNum":"0","ratingNum":"0","ratingAvg":"0","adminRefTime":null,"recommend":"0","sourceType":null,"commentEnable":"1","commentDisplay":"1","commentNeedApproval":"1","showOnWhatsnewAllPost":"1","status":"1","metaDescription":"An inside look into how Shen Yun celebrates one of the world\u2019s biggest holidays - a time of reunion, whimsicality, and moon cakes.","metaKeywords":"","metaTitle":"Shen Yun Celebrates Mid-Autumn Moon Festival","userModified":"46","notes":"","contentTypeName":"news","totalCount":"1051","username":"leeshail","userUpdated":"jingx","sectionName":"(English) News","extra":{"id":"24763","subtitle":"One of the world\u2019s biggest holidays is a time of reunion, whimsicality, and cakes","location":"","contentId":"52594","importance":"3","isFeaturedNewsArticle":"1","isFeaturedNewsVideo":"1","isShortNews":"0","onCityPage":"0","introduction":"An inside look at a day unlike no other.","body":"

Once a year, in the middle of fall, our entire Shen Yun community puts a full stop on rehearsals and indulges in a day of food and fun. We join the nearly two billion people in East Asia and around the world in celebrating a traditional holiday that's been around for centuries: the Moon Festival.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

According to Chinese tradition, the moon is roundest and brightest in the middle of fall—to be exact, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. This year, the Harvest Moon falls on October 6. And at our Shen Yun headquarters in Dragon Springs, New York, it is a day like no other.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n     \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

The day begins without<\/strong> the usual structured schedule. Whether you are a professional Shen Yun dancer, musician, or production member, whether you are a student at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts or Fei Tian College, an administrator, costume designer, or web writer, you might spend the morning sauntering through the Buddhist-style temple grounds or enjoy the changing leaves on the opposite hill. Or, you might be putting the finishing touches on a comical costume for that evening’s performance…<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In the late afternoon<\/strong>, the entire Dragon Springs community gathers for a gargantuan feast. This is when the Mid-Autumn Festival most resembles an Asian Thanksgiving. It is a time of kinship and familial reunion.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

For many Shen Yun performers, Dragon Springs is not just a home away from home. <\/p>

\"My fellow dancers, they're like my sisters and best friends rolled into one,\" says Shen Yun dancer Shindy Cai. \"In the laughter, support, and quiet kindness of my friends, I discovered a second family.\"<\/p>

“As the bright moon rises over the sea, \r\n
At the ends of the earth people share this moment”<\/em>\r\n
- Seventh century Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Jiuling<\/p>\r\n\r\n

It is no exaggeration to say that for many in our community, Shen Yun is their new family. We conducted a survey and found that a staggering 92 of our artists<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>had been directly impacted by persecution in China. They lost fathers to torture, seen their mothers taken away and imprisoned for years, or fled China themselves as children. None of them can go back to China to see their family.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

From All of Us at Shen Yun

<\/strong><\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n

The first performance<\/strong> is the most anticipated—the Classical Chinese Dance Technique Showcase. Imagine a roster of All Stars in any sport, each performing their signature move—a slam dunk, a home run swing, a goalie’s save—in a fast-paced highlight reel. Now translate that to dance and that’s what you get. Or you could just watch the video<\/a><\/strong> from last year’s and see.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

After that, what follows<\/strong> is whimsical fun. Dancers try their hands in choreography. Musicians try their feet in dance. Stage managers sing, and a singer dresses as an astronaut. Our Moon Festival show has seen dances with dinosaurs, bunnies, and talking moon cakes. It is creative. It is ridiculous. It is cathartic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Mid-Autumn Celebration Behind the Scenes

<\/strong><\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n
\r\n     \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

The day begins without<\/strong> the usual structured schedule. Whether you are a professional Shen Yun dancer, musician, or production member, whether you are a student at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts or Fei Tian College, an administrator, costume designer, or web writer, you might spend the morning sauntering through the Buddhist-style temple grounds or enjoy the changing leaves on the opposite hill. Or, you might be putting the finishing touches on a comical costume for that evening’s performance…<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In the late afternoon<\/strong>, the entire Dragon Springs community gathers for a gargantuan feast. This is when the Mid-Autumn Festival most resembles an Asian Thanksgiving. It is a time of kinship and familial reunion.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

For many Shen Yun performers, Dragon Springs is not just a home away from home. <\/p>

\"My fellow dancers, they're like my sisters and best friends rolled into one,\" says Shen Yun dancer Shindy Cai. \"In the laughter, support, and quiet kindness of my friends, I discovered a second family.\"<\/p>

“As the bright moon rises over the sea, \r\n
At the ends of the earth people share this moment”<\/em>\r\n
- Seventh century Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Jiuling<\/p>\r\n\r\n

It is no exaggeration to say that for many in our community, Shen Yun is their new family. We conducted a survey and found that a staggering 92 of our artists<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>had been directly impacted by persecution in China. They lost fathers to torture, seen their mothers taken away and imprisoned for years, or fled China themselves as children. None of them can go back to China to see their family.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

From All of Us at Shen Yun

<\/strong><\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n

The first performance<\/strong> is the most anticipated—the Classical Chinese Dance Technique Showcase. Imagine a roster of All Stars in any sport, each performing their signature move—a slam dunk, a home run swing, a goalie’s save—in a fast-paced highlight reel. Now translate that to dance and that’s what you get. Or you could just watch the video<\/a><\/strong> from last year’s and see.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

After that, what follows<\/strong> is whimsical fun. Dancers try their hands in choreography. Musicians try their feet in dance. Stage managers sing, and a singer dresses as an astronaut. Our Moon Festival show has seen dances with dinosaurs, bunnies, and talking moon cakes. It is creative. It is ridiculous. It is cathartic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Mid-Autumn Celebration Behind the Scenes

<\/strong><\/div>\r\n\r\n
\r\n

These artists practice Falun Gong, a meditation discipline rooted in Buddhist tradition. Falun Gong was once extremely popular in China, with an estimated 70-100 million people practicing it in the late 90s. But on July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal campaign to eliminate the practice (read about why<\/a>). This persecution continues today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

For many of us in Shen Yun, this date is not just a historical milestone. It carries the added weight of our own families’ tragedies<\/a>. Nearly one hundred of Shen Yun’s current members have been directly impacted by this persecution (video<\/a>).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n     \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

Among those walking in the parade was Hungwei Sun, a Shen Yun principal dancer who was six years old when Chinese police raided his family’s home and arrested his mother for her belief in Falun Gong. Sun’s mother was later sentenced to seven years in prison, leaving his father to care for him and his brother alone. After she was released from prison, police continued to harass the family, trying to force Sun’s mother to sign a statement renouncing her faith. We remembered the countless stories<\/a> like Sun’s as we walked in the parade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In Chinatown, Shen Yun artists marched alongside other Falun Gong practitioners who held banners reading, “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China,” or “End 26 Years of Persecution.” Other parade participants handed out flyers with information about the persecution or lotus flowers as a symbol of maintaining purity and hope amidst turbulent times.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Over the years, the reaction in the Chinese community to this annual commemoration has been mixed. Those who have bought into the regime’s propaganda about Falun Gong have harassed or even assaulted<\/a> practitioners walking in such parades. However, more and more people in the Chinese diaspora have become supportive of Falun Gong after learning about the true nature of the spiritual practice and the persecution believers face in China.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A man watching the parade and who saw Falun Gong’s popularity in China before the persecution, told The Epoch Times<\/a><\/em>, “Look, after 26 years, there are more and more practitioners, and more young practitioners. People know what Falun Gong is about, no matter how much the CCP tries to slander them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n

As we prepare for our upcoming tour, this parade in New York City serves as a reminder of those in China who still face persecution and of our mission to revive the beauty of China before the horrors of communism.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

Many watch Shen Yun for the artistry––the choreography, the music, the costumes—and our entire artistic team works hard to make it world-class. But after seeing a performance, many audience members<\/a> also speak of having a clearer sense of why Shen Yun exists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

With each performance, we strive to preserve a culture nearly lost and give voice to those silenced. Just like the message of hope in the parade, it’s a vision for a future where the best of China’s past can live on––openly, and without fear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n

These artists practice Falun Gong, a meditation discipline rooted in Buddhist tradition. Falun Gong was once extremely popular in China, with an estimated 70-100 million people practicing it in the late 90s. But on July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal campaign to eliminate the practice (read about why<\/a>). This persecution continues today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

For many of us in Shen Yun, this date is not just a historical milestone. It carries the added weight of our own families’ tragedies<\/a>. Nearly one hundred of Shen Yun’s current members have been directly impacted by this persecution (video<\/a>).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n     \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

Among those walking in the parade was Hungwei Sun, a Shen Yun principal dancer who was six years old when Chinese police raided his family’s home and arrested his mother for her belief in Falun Gong. Sun’s mother was later sentenced to seven years in prison, leaving his father to care for him and his brother alone. After she was released from prison, police continued to harass the family, trying to force Sun’s mother to sign a statement renouncing her faith. We remembered the countless stories<\/a> like Sun’s as we walked in the parade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In Chinatown, Shen Yun artists marched alongside other Falun Gong practitioners who held banners reading, “Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong in China,” or “End 26 Years of Persecution.” Other parade participants handed out flyers with information about the persecution or lotus flowers as a symbol of maintaining purity and hope amidst turbulent times.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Over the years, the reaction in the Chinese community to this annual commemoration has been mixed. Those who have bought into the regime’s propaganda about Falun Gong have harassed or even assaulted<\/a> practitioners walking in such parades. However, more and more people in the Chinese diaspora have become supportive of Falun Gong after learning about the true nature of the spiritual practice and the persecution believers face in China.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A man watching the parade and who saw Falun Gong’s popularity in China before the persecution, told The Epoch Times<\/a><\/em>, “Look, after 26 years, there are more and more practitioners, and more young practitioners. People know what Falun Gong is about, no matter how much the CCP tries to slander them.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n

As we prepare for our upcoming tour, this parade in New York City serves as a reminder of those in China who still face persecution and of our mission to revive the beauty of China before the horrors of communism.<\/p> \r\n\r\n

Many watch Shen Yun for the artistry––the choreography, the music, the costumes—and our entire artistic team works hard to make it world-class. But after seeing a performance, many audience members<\/a> also speak of having a clearer sense of why Shen Yun exists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

With each performance, we strive to preserve a culture nearly lost and give voice to those silenced. Just like the message of hope in the parade, it’s a vision for a future where the best of China’s past can live on––openly, and without fear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n
\r\n \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Collage of a series of illustrations by Mo Lang (www.toutiao.com).<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n

When the Heavenly Queen Mother finds out that her beloved granddaughter has fallen in love with a mortal, she is furious and sends her celestial troops to capture the weaver girl and return her home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The sky darkens as the menacing celestial army descends upon the village, seizes the weaving girl, and tears the lovers apart. With one wave of her magical hairpin, the Heavenly Queen Mother creates a deep gorge that becomes a raging river preventing the cowherd from reaching his true love.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The young man is heartbroken, yet determined. Throwing all caution to the wind, he leaps into the churning waters, fighting until his last breath to reunite with his bride.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

But the force of the celestial storm is too great and the waters too violent. With one last terrible wave, the young man is overpowered, loses consciousness, and begins to sink… deep to the bottom… <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n     \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

All along the Heavenly Queen Mother has been watching from above. She must admit that the man’s sincere heart and determination are quite impressive. Touched, she sends a beam of light deep into the river, corralling the limp body of the young man, and lifting him back up to shore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

He awakes, coughs up some river, and stands back up, no worse for wear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Alas, the star-crossed lovers cannot live together as a married couple, but the Queen Mother feels for them and devises a compassionate solution.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the lovers are allowed to reunite. The cowherd is granted passage to the sky, ascending a bridge formed by a flock of magpies. There, between heaven and earth, he meets the weaver girl, who comes down to spend a day with her love.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

And once a year from that day forth, Chinese people have celebrated the couple with the Qixi Festival, a reminder of the power of true love, innocence, and devotion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

This fairy tale, commonly known as niu lang zhi nü, or the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, was part of Shen Yun’s 2025 production.<\/em><\/p>","contentRelated":"20540,47943,46575","usePhotoGalleryTemplate":"0","audioLink":"","tag":"","imageSquareId":"22449"},"ext":{"id":"2735","contentId":"52459","featured":"1","imageLeading":"22448","imageCaption":"The Cowherd And Weaving Maiden by Tang Peihua (Qing Dynasty), Taipei Palace Museum Collection","imageFeaturedArticle":"","imageTopHeader":{"fileId":"22455","fileName":"\u6e05\u5510\u57f9\u83ef\u7e6a\u725b\u90ce\u7e54\u5973 \u53f0\u5317\u570b\u7acb\u6545\u5bae\u535a\u7269\u9662\u85cf The Cowherd and Weaving Maiden by Tang, Peihua (Qing dynasty), Taipei Palace Museum Collection.jpg","title":"\u6e05\u5510\u57f9\u83ef\u7e6a\u725b\u90ce\u7e54\u5973 \u53f0\u5317\u570b\u7acb\u6545\u5bae\u535a\u7269\u9662\u85cf The Cowherd And Weaving Maiden By Tang Peihua (Qing Dynasty) Taipei Palace ","alt":"\u6e05\u5510\u57f9\u83ef\u7e6a\u725b\u90ce\u7e54\u5973 \u53f0\u5317\u570b\u7acb\u6545\u5bae\u535a\u7269\u9662\u85cf The Cowherd And Weaving Maiden By Tang Peihua (Qing Dynasty) Taipei Palace Museum Collection","timeCreated":"2025-08-20 10:59:13","mimeType":"image\/jpeg","original":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/original\/2025\/08\/20\/e5fb0b05fdfd999b0ccd29aec3b22627.jpg","thumb":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/thumb\/2025\/08\/20\/e5fb0b05fdfd999b0ccd29aec3b22627.jpg","small":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/small\/2025\/08\/20\/e5fb0b05fdfd999b0ccd29aec3b22627.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/medium\/2025\/08\/20\/e5fb0b05fdfd999b0ccd29aec3b22627.jpg","big":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/big\/2025\/08\/20\/e5fb0b05fdfd999b0ccd29aec3b22627.jpg"},"imageBackgroundLevel2":"0","imageGallery":"","imageGalleryCaption":"","introduction":"An ancient romance brought to life on stage in Shen Yun’s 2025 production.","body":"

An ancient romance brought to life on stage in Shen Yun’s 2025 production<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n

The traditional Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day takes place every year on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. Known as the Qixi Festival, this holiday celebrates the pure love between a young cowherd and a heavenly fairy, and their remarkable story.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

It’s one of China’s most famous folk tales, a dramatic unfolding of forbidden love. But who exactly were they, how did they meet, and what happened to them?<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The story begins high up in the heavens, where seven sisters are playing in their celestial palace. They are the granddaughters of the powerful Heavenly Queen Mother, and the youngest of them is the most adored of all. Her job in the palace is to weave magical silks from the clouds, and so she is simply known as the weaver girl.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

One day, the weaver girl and her sisters come up with an unusual idea—they want to visit the mortal realm. This is generally forbidden, but they go try their luck begging the Heavenly Queen Mother for permission. They plead and cajole, and their innocent charm softens the Queen Mother, who relents and allows them to go have fun. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

The fairies descend to Earth and play and swim in the waters of Emerald Lotus Pond. Just as they are bathing, their clothes resting on the rocks by the edge of the pond, a giant gray ox bounds out of the forest and heads toward the water. The other fairies quickly dress and fly off, but the weaver girl is too late—the mischievous ox has her clothes. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

A young man then suddenly appears, frantically chasing his ox. This humble cowherd tries retrieving the weaver girl’s clothing for her, as she covers herself, modestly hiding in the water behind a rock. The cowherd finally conquers his bovine beast, returns the fairy her dress, and looks away as she makes herself decent again. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

As the weaver girl emerges to thank him, she sees something different in his eyes. And so begins an unusual friendship between heaven and earth, as the weaver girl falls in love with the simple, yet genuine nature of the earnest cowherd. She decides to marry him and stay in his village in the mortal world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

There’s one problem, though: Heavenly decrees prohibit gods from marrying humans. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Collage of a series of illustrations by Mo Lang (www.toutiao.com).<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n

When the Heavenly Queen Mother finds out that her beloved granddaughter has fallen in love with a mortal, she is furious and sends her celestial troops to capture the weaver girl and return her home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The sky darkens as the menacing celestial army descends upon the village, seizes the weaving girl, and tears the lovers apart. With one wave of her magical hairpin, the Heavenly Queen Mother creates a deep gorge that becomes a raging river preventing the cowherd from reaching his true love.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The young man is heartbroken, yet determined. Throwing all caution to the wind, he leaps into the churning waters, fighting until his last breath to reunite with his bride.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

But the force of the celestial storm is too great and the waters too violent. With one last terrible wave, the young man is overpowered, loses consciousness, and begins to sink… deep to the bottom… <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n     \r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n

All along the Heavenly Queen Mother has been watching from above. She must admit that the man’s sincere heart and determination are quite impressive. Touched, she sends a beam of light deep into the river, corralling the limp body of the young man, and lifting him back up to shore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

He awakes, coughs up some river, and stands back up, no worse for wear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Alas, the star-crossed lovers cannot live together as a married couple, but the Queen Mother feels for them and devises a compassionate solution.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the lovers are allowed to reunite. The cowherd is granted passage to the sky, ascending a bridge formed by a flock of magpies. There, between heaven and earth, he meets the weaver girl, who comes down to spend a day with her love.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

And once a year from that day forth, Chinese people have celebrated the couple with the Qixi Festival, a reminder of the power of true love, innocence, and devotion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

This fairy tale, commonly known as niu lang zhi nü, or the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, was part of Shen Yun’s 2025 production.<\/em><\/p>","contentRelated":"20540,47943,46575","usePhotoGalleryTemplate":"0","audioLink":"","tag":"","imageSquareId":{"fileId":"22449","fileName":"SYWEB 308 - Village Boy & Fairy v4-Body-800w-0.jpg","title":"SYWEB 308 Village Boy & Fairy V4 Body 800w 0","alt":"SYWEB 308 Village Boy & Fairy V4 Body 800w 0","timeCreated":"2025-08-16 13:17:27","mimeType":"image\/jpeg","original":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/original\/2025\/08\/16\/b043669a0987b6823e450053158ab98b.jpg","thumb":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/thumb\/2025\/08\/16\/b043669a0987b6823e450053158ab98b.jpg","small":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/small\/2025\/08\/16\/b043669a0987b6823e450053158ab98b.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/medium\/2025\/08\/16\/b043669a0987b6823e450053158ab98b.jpg","big":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/big\/2025\/08\/16\/b043669a0987b6823e450053158ab98b.jpg"},"imageDataDisplay":{"fileId":"22448","fileName":"SYWEB 308 - Village Boy & Fairy v4-Thumb-800x450-0.jpg","title":"SYWEB 308 Village Boy & Fairy V4 Thumb 800x450 0","alt":"SYWEB 308 Village Boy & Fairy V4 Thumb 800x450 0","timeCreated":"2025-08-16 13:17:27","mimeType":"image\/jpeg","original":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/original\/2025\/08\/16\/13b27f9cc9ae10dd133add0570669d7c.jpg","thumb":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/thumb\/2025\/08\/16\/13b27f9cc9ae10dd133add0570669d7c.jpg","small":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/small\/2025\/08\/16\/13b27f9cc9ae10dd133add0570669d7c.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/medium\/2025\/08\/16\/13b27f9cc9ae10dd133add0570669d7c.jpg","big":"https:\/\/www.shenyunperformingarts.org\/data\/image\/big\/2025\/08\/16\/13b27f9cc9ae10dd133add0570669d7c.jpg"}},"eId":"iAZs54y4EnM","eid":"iAZs54y4EnM","sectionEId":"4Xf5v5e5JTU","contentTypeEId":"tw6mwQ-uYgE","timeDisplay":"August 27, 2025","seoUrl":"_iAZs54y4EnM\/qixi-festival-chinese-valentines-day-cowherd-and-weaver-girl-niulangzhinv.html","url":"\/explore\/view\/article\/e\/iAZs54y4EnM\/qixi-festival-chinese-valentines-day-cowherd-and-weaver-girl-niulangzhinv.html","contentTypeNameDisplay":"Explore"},{"id":"52441","idText":"","urlFriendlyName":"why-we-perform","parentId":"0","userId":"46","sectionId":"31","contentTypeId":"11","langId":"1","timeCreated":"2025-07-24 17:07:39","timePublished":"2025-07-24 16:49:16","timePublishedDisplay":"0","timeUpdated":"2025-08-18 12:27:10","orderByTime":"2025-07-24 16:49:16","ip":"72.43.130.26","title":"Why We Perform","lastRevisionId":"0","protectMode":"1","password":"","passwordHint":"","commentNum":"0","ratingNum":"0","ratingAvg":"0","adminRefTime":null,"recommend":"0","sourceType":null,"commentEnable":"0","commentDisplay":"0","commentNeedApproval":"1","showOnWhatsnewAllPost":"0","status":"1","metaDescription":"On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist regime launched a brutal campaign to wipe out Falun Gong\u2014a peaceful practice that brought us and millions around the world health, joy, and inner strength.\r\nOvernight, it was vilified. Our loved ones were forced into labor camps and tortured for refusing to abandon their faith.\r\nIt\u2019s been more than twenty years. But our belief remains unwavering.\r\nThrough our art, we continue to share light, beauty, and truth\u2014with the hope that one day, this injustice will end.","metaKeywords":"shenyun, falun gong, persecution, artists","metaTitle":"Why We Perform","userModified":"46","notes":"","contentTypeName":"video","totalCount":"65","username":"jingx","userUpdated":"jingx","sectionName":"(English) Videos","extra":{"id":"3968","contentId":"52441","typeId":"1","videoId":"0","imageIdForVideo":"22397","imageIdPreview":"22397","imageIdFeatured":"0","imageIdFeaturedDesktop":"0","imageIdFeaturedMobile":"0","imageFacebookShare":"0","videoLink":"","videoLink480":"","videoLink720":"","videoLink1080":"","embeddedVideoGJW":"1hqkhkcvukf14FQr0o6lopQ6s1rm1c","onDemandLink":"","length":"01:25","featured":"1","onCityPage":"0","description":"Many Shen Yun performers are not only artists\u2014they are also survivors. Some lost parents to religious persecution. 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