My Comments

Random selection of comments and replies from social media posts

1.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19qLQv2DZ1/

It's so frustrating and upsetting to see and hear these targeted smear campaigns against your organization. The very fact that you have been banned from performing in China should raise alarm bells for journalists, reporters, and news agencies. Sadly, many media outlets have become more interested in getting clicks and likes through sensational headlines and divisive reporting designed to stir up emotion, controversy, and pit people against each other/coerce people to "gang up" on particular organizations, communities, and even individuals. Often, those who are targeted are the ones doing actual "good" in the world by promoting true unity through sharing cultures, traditions, stories, and other artistic expressions.
Your organization and your musical/dance/artistic performance is beautiful! What you do and share greatly enhances communication, encourages conversations and helps to break down barriers and beliefs that otherwise encourage/create segregation and separation of peoples.
I would be willing to bet that many of the news organizations and/or many of the reporters get "gifts" from China and Hong Kong (post CCP takeover), much like many of our universities and other institutions do. Easier to silence the dissidents and keep the narrative going in the favor of authoritarian regimes by doling out bribes to suppress the truth and confuse/misdirect people about where to "focus" their attention.
You certainly don't see a lot of news coverage about Tibet, the Uyghurs, or Falun Gong members who have been exploited for decades—forced sterilization, organ harvesting, slave labor, and so on. Better to give large sums of money to people and buy them off by dangling shiny things in their faces to keep them from reporting truth.
#StandWithShenYun #FreeTibet #FreeHongKong #FreeUyghur #KeepTaiwanFree #FalunGong #FalunDafa 🌺

2.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/167Fb3G9Qa/
I'm all foreign aid if it is going for initiatives thay are feasible and will actually provide necessary support and services to those who are truly in need; however, the recipients of these monies should have to clearly show and account for what they are building or doing with the funds and how it is going to benefit their citizens, their environment, their economies, and their community and international relationships.
I agree that there is often much ado about nothing when it comes to giving foreign aid under the current model that is used for funding and dispersement. Much of it simply goes to lavish "look at me" photo opportunities where there is much hand shaking, but no real assistance provided to the people who truly need it. Also, there is often a lack of infrastructure and monitoring to implement and assess progress and success with these large donations. Recipients need to be accountable and transparent with their donors, just like authentic and honest charitable organizations must be.
Furthermore, the "donors", or perhaps I should say the "decison makers" in this case, should be transparent about their intentions and motivations about where/who their funding is being allocated to and how/why they came to these decisions and conclusions about the "end user". Vetting the recipients/organizations appropriately is something that should be done with great care and consideration in all cases.

3.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGYNeZVMXMX/?igsh=ZGN4MWJ4anJzcXR6
My heart breaks for all that that your people have suffered and endured. Repatriation, burials, and memorials certainly don't erase the pain of loss, but they do let the survivors know that their loved ones have never be forgotten and their lives will forever be recognized and appreciated. Their spirits, their contributions to community, family, friends, the land; their love for this world, for the future, for the children, forever has a place in our hearts.
These ceremonies and spaces give us a place where we may take the time to gather and remember those who were lost or killed during times of war, in times of great tragedy, in times of great suffering. It must be a bittersweet feeling to have these ceremonies for your people... but I do hope that it brings some comfort to know that their personal stories and the shared experiences of your communities are being recognized. I wish for you all continue to heal and rebuild your lives, your families, your hearts, ans your unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, the water, the sky. ❤️

4.
http://youtube.com/post/UgkxBwRAoQOte84-qEY3e5MAgAGCtzBwqtRq?si=aJLCOHuoyBBIZjOf...
Poll from the Hoover Institution:
What is China's most effective method for influencing other countries' political systems?
▪︎Economic investments and infrastructure projects.
▪︎Media and propaganda influence,
▪︎Direct political partnership regimes
▪︎Cultural and academic exchanges to promote its governance model.

Watch a new episode of China Considered, "China, the US and the Future of Democracy" here: https://youtu.be/EvsCCaUCKto

My comment:
All of these methods are effective depending on how the country is governed—do they have fair elections? Do the citizens get to vote for not only a "governing party", but also for representatives? Are they a democratic country?

Are the voices of all citizens included by allowing them opportunities to provide their input/feedback on government legislation, decisions, programs, initiatives, and other investments/government expenditures or are only the voices of a "closed government", militia, monarchy, religious institution, or other authoritative power in charge consulted? Do citizens have the ability to have free and open discussions/dialogues amongst themselves, and with their representatives?

Other factors to consider:
How readily available and accessible is reliable and honest information to the "regular joes"?
How available and reliable is the internet (and how tightly controlled is it)?
What does the country and citizens require in terms of infrastructure, economic opportunities, goods and services, and other resources? And of course, what the ruling party wants out of the deal can supercede all of these factors. Maybe the citizens need clean water and food, but maybe their ruling party just want guns and liquor, ya know? Some countries are more easily influenced than others and are more willing to do deals that are not necessarily in the best interests of providing opportunities for their citizens, protecting the lives, health, and freedoms of their citizens, nor providing a solid foundation for the growth and prosperity of their nation as a whole.

Furthermore, we have to keep in mind that Xi and Putin are buddies and have much experience with propaganda, spying/surveillance, and influencing systems through intimidation and force. And remember how China brokered that Saudi/Iran deal? What a nice little photo opportunity that was, eh?

Oh, and many well-known and established educational institutions and other prominent and influential organizations in nations around the world—including democratic nations—receive large monetary gifts from China and their associates...