Falun Gong

Falun Gong
The Falun Dafa emblem
Traditional Chinese法輪功
Simplified Chinese法轮功
Literal meaningDharma Wheel Work
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinFǎlún Gōng
Wade–GilesFa3-lun2 Kung1
IPA[fàlwə̌n kʊ́ŋ]
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳFap-lùn-kûng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationFaat-leùhn Gūng
JyutpingFaat3 leon4 gung1
IPA[fat̚˧ lɵn˩ kʊŋ˥]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJHoat-lûn-kong
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCHuák-lùng-gŭng
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese法輪大法
Simplified Chinese法轮大法
Literal meaningGreat Dharma Wheel Practice
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinFǎlún Dàfǎ
Wade–GilesFa3-lun2 Ta4-fa3
IPA[fàlwə̌n tâfà]
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳFap-lùn Thai-fap
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationFaat-leùhn Daaih-faat
JyutpingFaat3 leon4 daai6 faat3
IPA[fat̚˧ lɵn˩ taj˥ fat̚˧]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJHoat-lûn Tāi-hoat
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCHuák-lùng Dâi-huák
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Falun Gong,[a] also called Falun Dafa,[b] is a new religious movement[2] founded by its leader Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s. Falun Gong has its global headquarters in Dragon Springs, a 173-hectare (427-acre) compound in Deerpark, New York, United States, near the residence of Li.[3][4][5][6]

Led by Li Hongzhi, who is viewed by adherents as a god-like figure, Falun Gong practitioners operate a variety of organizations in the United States and elsewhere, including the dance troupe Shen Yun.[7][8] They are known for their opposition to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), espousing anti-evolutionary views, opposition to homosexuality and feminism, and rejection of modern medicine, among other views described as "ultra-conservative".[9]

The Falun Gong also operates the Epoch Media Group, which is known for its subsidiaries, New Tang Dynasty Television and The Epoch Times newspaper. The latter has been broadly noted as a politically far-right[10] media entity, and it has received significant attention in the United States for promoting conspiracy theories, such as QAnon and anti-vaccine misinformation, and producing advertisements for U.S. President Donald Trump. It has also drawn attention in Europe for promoting far-right politicians, primarily in France and Germany.[5][11][12][13]

Falun Gong emerged from the qigong movement in China in 1992, combining meditation, qigong exercises, and moral teachings rooted in Buddhist and Taoist traditions.[14][15][16] It does not consider itself a religion.[17] While supported by some government agencies,[18][19] Falun Gong's rapid growth and independence from state control led several top officials to perceive it as a threat, resulting in periodic acts of harassment in the late 1990s.[15][20][21] On 25 April 1999, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered peacefully outside the central government compound in Beijing, seeking official recognition of the right to practice their faith without interference.[22][23]

In July 1999, the government of China implemented a ban on Falun Gong, categorizing it as an "illegal organization". Mass arrests, widespread torture and abuses followed.[24][25] In 2008, U.S. government reports cited estimates that as much as half of China's labor camp population was made up of Falun Gong practitioners.[26][27] In 2009, human rights groups estimated that at least 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners had died from persecution by that time.[28] A 2022 United States Department of State report on religious freedom in China stated that "Falun Gong practitioners reported societal discrimination in employment, housing, and business opportunities".[29] According to the same report: "Prior to the government's 1999 ban on Falun Gong, the government [of China] estimated there were 70 million adherents. Falun Gong sources claims that tens of millions continue to practice privately, and Freedom House estimates there are between 7 to 20 million practitioners."[29]

  1. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1405881180.
  2. ^ "New religious movement":
    • Junker, Andrew (2019). Becoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora. Cambridge University Press. pp. 23–24, 33, 119, 207. ISBN 978-1108655897.
    • Barker, Eileen. 2016. Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements, cf. 142–143. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1317063612
    • Oliver, Paul. 2012. New Religious Movements: A Guide for the Perplexed, pp. 81–84. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1441125538
    • Hexham, Irving. 2009. Pocket Dictionary of New Religious Movements, pp. 49, 71. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0830876525
    • Clarke, Peter. 2004. Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1134499694
    • Partridge, Christopher. 2004. Encyclopedia of New Religions: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities, 265–266. Lion. ISBN 978-0745950730.
    • Ownby, David (2004). "The Falun Gong: A New Religious Movement in Post-Mao China". In Lewis, James R.; Petersen, Jesper Aagaard (eds.). Controversial New Religions (1st ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 195–196. ISBN 978-0-19-515682-9.
  3. ^ Junker 2019, pp. 33, 101
  4. ^ van der Made, Jan (13 May 2019). "Shen Yun: Fighting Communism – and making a stack on the side". Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b Zadrozny, Brandy; Collins, Ben (20 August 2019). "Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times". NBC News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  6. ^ Campbell, Eric; Cohen, Hagar (20 July 2020). "The power of Falun Gong". ABC News. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  7. ^ Maloney, Carolyn. "In Recognition of Shen Yun". Congressional Record. 168 (41). United States Congress. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  8. ^ Knutsen, Elise (5 July 2011). "Shen Yun Performance Brings Out Stars And Awareness". Observer. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Ultra-conservative":
  10. ^ "Far-right":
  11. ^ Hettena 2019.
  12. ^ Roose, Kevin (5 February 2020). "Epoch Times, Punished by Facebook, Gets a New Megaphone on YouTube". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  13. ^ Perrone & Loucaides 2022.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ownby (2003) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Falun Gong: Popular spiritual practice". SFGate. 6 April 2008.
  17. ^ "China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference OW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference BayFang was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference O8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Penny (2012), pp. 49–56
  22. ^ Penny (2012), pp. 1–3
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference CC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference FG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Johnson, Ian (2001). "Pulitzer Prize winning articles in the Wall Street Journal". Archived from the original on 11 October 2015.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference KM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference AR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytimes.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ a b United States Department of State. 2022. "China 2022 International Religious Freedom Report". Online Archived 29 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine.


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