Shen Yun nalazi se u državi New York, na brežuljcima otprilike dva sata udaljenima od New Yorka. Čini se da se oživljavanje tradicionalne kineske kulture može dogoditi samo izvan Kine.
U Kini je Komunistička partija pokušala sustavno izbrisati tradicionalnu kulturu. Kampanje poput Kulturne revolucije 1960-ih i 70-ih godina ostavile su tradicionalnu kinesku kulturu, posebice njezino duhovno nasljeđe, na rubu izumiranja.
But in 2006, a group of classically-trained Chinese artists from around the world came together in New York united by a shared mission—to revive traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts. Many of them had well-established careers or were at the top of the performing arts scene in China, but they discovered that true traditional culture could not be revived there—not under a regime that has spent decades trying to destroy it. And so, they created Shen Yun in New York, where they have the freedom to create and perform, to rediscover their lost heritage and share it with the world.
