Falun Gong is publicly honored by officials in many countries worldwide. In just seven short years, seventy million Chinese began practicing Falun Gong. In Beijing, Mr. Li was awarded "The Outstanding Star Qi Gong Award" at the Oriental Health Exposé Directed by the Chinese governments regulating organization, The China Qigong Scientific Research Society. In 1994 the book China Falun Gong was published and was on the nation's bestseller list. From 1993 to 1996 the Chinese government actively supported and promoted the practice. Falun Gong was in fact saving millions of dollars in health care costs and raising the morality and character of the people.

In 1999, China's government estimated there were approximately 100 million practitioners. At that time, a seemingly jealous and insecure dictator Jiang Zemin outlawed the practice. The Communist Party is officially atheist and many groups that did not hold to the party's ideology were persecuted, including Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists. Put simply there were more people practicing Falun Gong than there where in the Communist Party and this seemed a threat to them. Therefore it was outlawed. Most people in the USA can't understand why Falun Gong was outlawed in China because one of the main tenants of democracy is freedom of belief. Here it might be compared to banning jogging or football. However, individuality and freedom of expression are not of primary importance to the Communist Party. Falun Gong is a free flowing practice. It is without structured rules, unions, religious formalities or licenses and it was something that Jiang Zimen former president, wanted to reform and control. The propaganda campaign slurring Falun Gong is immense. As a consequence, the persecution has spread to other countries.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has estimated over 2,700 peaceful practitioners have been tortured to death in police custody for refusing to renounce their faith and peacefully appealing their right to practice Falun Gong. About 100,000 have been detained, approximately 20,000 of them being sent to forced labor camps without trial. Several thousand have been sent to mental hospitals, a practice that has been condemned by the World Psychiatric Association. The statistics were kept secret by the government so the actual number of abuses is unknown, these are only the known cases.

Falun Gong practitioners respond to this persecution with non-violent peaceful protest and appeal for their basic right through legal channels in China. Dayong Li relates the reaction of the practitioners to the teachings they embody: "Such perseverance and benevolence in the face of all odds is a resounding confirmation of the value of Mr. Li's teachings." On July 22, 1999, Li Hongzhi said of the persecution, "We are not against the government now, nor will we be in the future. Other people may treat us badly, but we do not treat others badly, nor do we treat people as enemies. We are calling for all government, international organizations and people of goodwill worldwide to extend their support and assistance to us in order to resolve the present crisis that is taking place in China."

Around the world practitioners show their support though marches, sit-ins, rallies, leter-writing, publicizing the human rights offenses, and pressing legal action. Dafa practitioners throughout the world have started a global "prayer effort" called Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts. At certain times practitioners all over the globe, sit quietly for about 10 minutes to help eliminate the evil forces in the world and stop the persecution of peaceful Falun Dafa practitioners. Human rights organizations including Freedom House and Amnesty International condemn the treatment of the Falun Gong practitioners. Recently The Epoch Times, published "The Nine Commentaries, China's Past and Future" that exposed the brutal aspects of the persecution. As a result of The Nine Commentaries being published in Chinese, approximately 95,000 communist party officials have resigned from their jobs. Governments around the world also condemn the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners. The U.S. has passed several Resolutions opposing the practice. In 1999 the House unanimously passed (with the Senate concurring) Resolution 218, condemning the acts of the Chinese Government and calling for the immediate release of prisoners. A similar but stronger Resolution 188 was introduced in July of 2002. This is not to suggest that the U.S. government is the "best" or "most advanced" form of government, as it has plenty of human rights offenses to its name, or that Communism is essentially oppressive. However, to date the government continues to persecute this non-violent peaceful practice.

Individuals can help by educating themselves and others about the situation. The negative propaganda has created misconceptions about Falun Gong and its practitioners that need to be dispelled with the truth that millions of ordinary people practice and are enriched by Falun Gong all over the world. For more information go to http://www.faluninfo.net.