Falun Gong

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Founded by Li Hongzhi (b. 1952) in 1992 in China, the Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is the fastest-growing religious and social movement in recent history. The Chinese government estimates the number of Falun Gong followers as between 2 and 10 million in China, but Li claims there are 100 million adherents in thirty countries. The movement first attracted the world's attention with a series of well-organized protests in Beijing in early 1999. Li left China in 1998 for New York City, probably in anticipation of his trouble with Chinese authorities. Alarmed by Falun Gong's organizational prowess and its challenge to the official ideology, the Chinese government declared Falun Gong a "heretical organization" on 23 July 1999 and launched a full-scale propaganda campaign against Li and his followers. Falun Gong has responded to the official ban with more protests and its own publicity crusade carried out mostly through Western news media and on the Internet.

The rapid rise of Falun Gong has as much to do with Li's charisma as with his message. All established religions in China have seen significant growth in their membership, and many new quasi-religious sects associated (like Falun Gong) with qigong were established there in the 1980s. Qigong is a three-thousand-year-old natural-healing discipline involving exercises and meditation. Like other qigong masters, Li emphasizes its spiritual element, but he distinguishes himself by linking qigong with Buddhist and Taoist cosmologies.

Falun Gong has spread through Li's many books and lectures and the testimonials of practitioners. Despite its proven capability of mobilizing people, Falun Gong remains a loosely organized movement as determined by Li's teaching. Practitioners can participate at exercise centers or cultivate on their own. Li is the only "teacher," or "master," in the religion.

Li Hongzhi. (1999) Revolving the Law of Wheel. 2d ed. New York: The Universe Publishing Co.

——. (2000) China Falun Gong. 2d ed. New York: The Universe Publishing Co.

Schechter, Danny, ed. (2000) Falun Gong's Challenge to China. New York: Akashic Books.

Wong, John, and William T. Liu. (1999) The Mystery of China's Falun Gong: Its Rise and Its Sociological Implications. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. and Singapore University Press.