Dancer Tailor Soldier Spy - Chinese Regime Tries to Recruit Dancer to Spy on NTD

It appears that the Chinese regime has taken an interest in NTD’s operation – so much so that its security apparatus tried to recruit a dancer from mainland China to be an informant. The person had registered to compete in NTD’s International Classical Dance Competition, and was contacted by security officials to provide information about NTD.

 

Our Hong Kong bureau found out about this after receiving a strange email apparently sent from the competitor. When we contacted the dancer, they said their email was commandeered by members of the Public Security Bureau.

 

We are withholding the dancer’s name and details for their safety. The unwanted attention by security official had spooked them into pulling out of the competition.

 

Still, the director of NTD’s International Competition Series, Lijuan Ma, says the dancer refused to cooperate with Chinese authorities.

 

[Lijuan Ma, Director, NTD's International Competition Series]: 

“This competitor is a professional artist. He does not want his art to be tainted by the dirty tactics of the state security, or the public security system.”

 

This is not the first time the Chinese regime has tried to meddle in NTD’s competition series. In June we found out authorities had issued a secret notice to dance schools and other organizations to warn dancers against joining the competition. Ma says many registered contestants have already been harassed and interrogated by Chinese police.

 

NTD began holding a series of international competitions in 2007 with the aim of promoting traditional Chinese culture – culture that has largely been damaged by the Chinese Communist Party since it took control of China 61 years ago.