In brief
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was temporarily evacuated from his official residence at The Lodge in Canberra on Tuesday night.
- The Chinese embassy in Australia condemned any form of violent acts but also reiterated longstanding criticism of Shen Yun.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was temporarily evacuated from his official residence at The Lodge in Canberra on Tuesday night after a bomb threat referenced the classical Chinese dance troupe Shen Yun.
The threatening email to the group’s Australian organisers falsely claimed that explosives had been planted around The Lodge and would be detonated if Shen Yun’s upcoming performances in Australia went ahead.
“If you insist on proceeding with the performance, then the prime minister’s Lodge will be blown into ruins and blood will flow like a river,” the message read.
Police investigated the claim, found no explosive devices, and confirmed there was no ongoing threat to public safety before Albanese returned to the residence later that evening.
The Chinese embassy in Australia said it condemns any form of violent acts, but also reiterated longstanding criticism of both Shen Yun and its affiliated spiritual movement, Falun Gong, describing them as vehicles for “anti-China and cult ideology”.
The Chinese government bans both Falun Gong and Shen Yun from operating inside mainland China.
There is no suggestion that the Chinese government, its embassy or consulates had any involvement with the threat.
The threat was the latest in a series of politically motivated threats against parliamentarians, the Australian Federal Police confirmed, with 950 incidents investigated in the 2024/25 financial year.
The number of threats made against MPs in 2024/25 was 63 per cent higher than the previous four financial years combined.
Canberra isn’t the only area receiving mysterious threats tied to the group.
In February 2025, the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the United States, now named the Trump Kennedy Center, was evacuated due to a bomb threat targeting Shen Yun.
What is Shen Yun?
Shen Yun Performing Arts is a classical Chinese dance and music company founded in New York in 2006 by observers of the Falun Gong movement.
The group’s repertoire often incorporates depictions of modern political themes, highlighting the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
The company tours globally and includes several different dance ensembles that perform worldwide.
Shen Yun describes itself as a “brilliant artistic revival and celebration of China’s rich cultural heritage” which, after many years of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule, has been lost.
Ahead of this year’s shows, Melbourne’s Chinese consulate in January accused it of spreading “fallacies and heresies”, and that Shen Yun performances “contain hidden political elements and maliciously slander the Chinese government”.
What is Falun Gong?
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement that originated in China in the early 1990s.
The movement’s popularity surged in China during the 1990s, but it was met with severe repression beginning in 1999 when the Chinese government banned it and launched a nationwide campaign to suppress its followers.
The movement has long accused Chinese authorities of illegally harvesting organs from its members, allegations China denies.
Since then, Falun Gong has become a transnational dissident movement with a vocal international presence, protesting human rights abuses and campaigning for religious freedom.
Criticisms from China
The Chinese government has been highly critical of both Shen Yun and Falun Gong.
The CCP has labelled Falun Gong an “evil cult” that threatens its national stability and has imprisoned some of its members.
China’s criticism stems partly from Falun Gong’s history as a dissident movement and the group’s ongoing international campaigns denouncing the CCP’s human rights record.
Shen Yun shows often include dramatic portrayals of persecution and warnings about what they describe as the moral decay under Communist rule — messaging that sharply contrasts with China’s official cultural diplomacy and soft power initiatives.
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