Source: Blaze Media

By Matt Palumbo

For more than a century, the Chinese Communist Party has sought total ideological dominance in China and has never hesitated to persecute those who step out of line — even those outside the mainland. The CCP, an authoritarian force with no tolerance for dissent within its own ranks, has launched a ruthless campaign against Shen Yun, a New York-based dance and music company that portrays and celebrates 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture — before communism.

The CCP’s obsession with controlling the cultural narrative is rooted in its history and ideology — and is essential to its survival. Since seizing power in 1949, through Mao Zedong’s reign of terror that killed tens of millions and impoverished hundreds of millions, the CCP has worked systematically to dismantle traditional Chinese values that once defined the nation’s cultural fabric.

While the CCP claims to be the sole guardian of Chinese civilization, Shen Yun debunks this myth by showing the real China before communism.

The Chinese Communist Party embraced the concept of “Year Zero,” a radical idea first implemented by Mao’s Cambodian ally, Pol Pot. Under this doctrine, everything that existed before the communist revolution was considered corrupt and had to be erased. Acknowledging that prerevolutionary society had any merit threatened the very premise of the regime’s legitimacy.

This systematic rewriting of history and destruction of culture reached its peak during Mao’s Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. Communist authorities dismantled traditions, purged intellectuals, and turned families against each other. Universities became arenas for ideological warfare, where those labeled as enemies of the revolution faced public humiliation and violence. Chaos and brutality followed, leaving a society fractured in the name of ideological purity.

original article: https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/why-communist-china-is-terrified-of-a-new-york-based-dance-company