Beijing Dance Academy: A Chinese State-owned Art Institute Closely Intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party

Logo of the Beijing Dance Academy, edited by Faluninfo

In recent weeks, the Falun Dafa Information Center has conducted research into the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At first glance, this may appear unrelated to the regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. In fact, individuals with ties to BDA have emerged in recent months as the source of information aimed at maligning Falun Gong and Shen Yun Performing Arts, a classical Chinese dance company most of whose performers practice Falun Gong.

Notably, a small number of former Shen Yun performers, many who have developed subsequent links to BDA, were a primary source of misleading claims about the company that were published by the New York Times in August 2024.

As part of the Center’s ongoing analysis of inaccuracies and seemingly deliberate omissions in that reporting, we decided to look more deeply at BDA, discovering that in fact, the educational institution and its leadership are deeply embedded with the CCP, a reality that is obscured in its English-language website compared to its Chinese version. The following are the key findings of our investigation.

Key findings:

State-Subsidized: Beijing Dance Academy is a state-owned educational institution, operating under the Education Committee of the Beijing Municipal Government. According to a published budget, the academy received at least 28 million yuan ($3.9 million) in 2023 from government funds, comprising over 45 percent of its total budget of 61 million yuan ($8.5 million).

Dual Roles: The CCP is deeply embedded in BDA, with the institute’s leadership consisting almost entirely of CCP members (10 out of 11 individuals on the leadership team) who simultaneously hold positions in the academy’s Party Committee and educational departments. The academy’s head, Ba Tu, also heads its Party Committee. His background is primarily as a CCP official with involvement in religious and ethnic affairs and united front work.

Omitting CCP Ties: BDA’s English language-website largely whitewashes these links, omitting mention of four out of the 11 members of the school leadership, including individuals in charge of propaganda and the United Front Work Department at the academy.

Contrasting Websites: For the seven school leaders listed on the English website, only three mention their party committee position, while others are simply listed as “Vice President.” By contrast, the Chinese-language website provides both their Party Committee position and school role, as well as further details of their areas of responsibility in both domains.

Foreign Partners Beware: These findings have implications for any international actor engaging with BDA or individuals tied to the institution, be they foreign universities, dance programs, theaters, or journalists. Based on the above information, it is clear that BDA is deliberately concealing its close ties to the CCP in its English-language materials. Yet the party and its priorities—such as crushing Falun Gong and sabotaging Shen Yun—are undoubtedly influencing its foreign-facing activities and partnerships.

The following is a table outlining the leadership of BDA as evident from its English and Chinese-language websites and other sources. The referenced website pages, captured as screenshots on November 15, 2024, can be accessed here and here.