Catalina Maldonado Daniela Ramon Jeremy Moss Falun Gong Catalina Maldonado Daniela Ramon Jeremy Moss

Falun Gong Falun Gong is “The largest voluntary organization in China, larger even than the Communist Party,” whose membership at the time stood at 65 million. Falun Gong is a system of beliefs and practices founded in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992. Its teachings are derived from concepts from Qigong, Buddhism and Taoism It teaches behaving according to the three principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Policies towards Falun Gong In 1996, the Chinese government dropped the publishing license for Zhuan Falun, which was the practice’s book of teachings and a nationwide bestseller at the time. Numerous national investigations had been ordered by the government to collect evidence that Falun Gong was engaged in “illegal religious activities.” In 1999, the state-owned media declared the Falun Gong to be an “evil cult” In China, Falun Gong is the most blocked topic on the internet

Why has China reacted negatively toward Falun Gong? Four explanations: The Predatory Party-state Explanation The Conflicting Ideology Explanation The Popularity Explanation The Individual Leader Explanation

The Predatory Party Explanation Since the 1950s not a decade has gone by without some violent state-led campaign aimed at the masses, be it the suppression of the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the 1989 crackdown on the democracy movement, or Falun Gong. Groups are targeted when Communist Party leaders maneuver to align power to themselves. This persecution provided an excuse for strengthening state security apparatuses and increase the power of Chinese internet surveillance systems.

Conflicting ideology The ideological differences between the atheist Communist Party and the spiritual Falun Gong must also be taken into account Falun Gong’s deeply spiritual belief system and its moral code contradict the beliefs held by the Communist government’s approach to governance, where Party-controlled media deceive the public, Falun Gong emphasizes truthfulness; where the Party calls for people to struggle against each other, Falun Gong urges kindness; and where the Party often uses violence to enforce its will, Falun Gong teaches strict nonviolence

Popularity Explanation: Party leaders fear any large, independent spiritual group. When a government survey estimated that over 70 million people practiced Falun Gong - more than the Communist Party’s own membership - state-run media began attacking Falun Gong and security agents began spying on and harassing adherents.

Individual leader Explanation: Then-Party leader Jiang Zemin feared Falun Gong’s rapidly growing popularity was overshadowing his own legacy and sought to both align power to himself and eradicate a group he viewed as a threat. Before his retirement in 2002, Jiang secured top posts for his loyalists, ensuring that the campaign to suppress the Falun Gong practice continued under the watch of his replacement Hu Jintao.

Propaganda The Chinese government’s campaign against Falun Gong was driven by large-scale propaganda through television, newspapers, radio and internet.