Li Hongzhi

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li (李).

Li Hongzhi
Born
Li Lai

(1952-07-07) 7 July 1952 (age 72)[1] (official Chinese birth date and name)
(1951-05-13) 13 May 1951 (age 73)[2] (Falun Gong birth date, no birth name)
Gongzhuling, Jilin, China
Known forFounder and leader of Falun Gong
Chinese name
Chinese李洪志
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLǐ Hóngzhì
IPA[lì xʊ̌ŋ.ʈʂî]

Li Hongzhi (Chinese: 李洪志; born 1951 or 1952) is a Chinese religious leader. He is the founder and leader of Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, a United States–based new religious movement. Li began his public teachings of Falun Gong on 13 May 1992 in Changchun, and subsequently gave lectures and taught Falun Gong exercises across China.

In 1995, Li began teaching Falun Gong abroad, and settled as a permanent resident in the United States in 1998. Li's Falun Gong movement gained significant popularity in the 1990s, including in government and qigong circles, but was suppressed by the Chinese government in 1999 after it was officially accused of being a doomsday cult.[3] According to Freedom House, "Today, Chinese citizens who practice Falun Gong live under constant threat of abduction and torture. The name of the practice, its founder Mr. Li Hongzhi, and a wide assortment of homonyms are among the most censored terms on the Chinese internet. Any mention in state-run media or by Chinese diplomats is inevitably couched in demonizing labels."[4]

Li has been also associated with performance arts group Shen Yun ("Divine Rhythm"), and the media organizations The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television, which operate as extensions of Falun Gong. They have promoted Falun Gong's philosophical beliefs and unfounded conspiracy theories.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Li has stated that he believes extraterrestrial aliens from other dimensions walk the Earth and are responsible for introducing technology, war, and immorality. Li says that he is a being who has come to help humankind from the destruction it could face as the result of rampant evil. When asked if he was a human being, Li replied "You can think of me as a human being."[11]

  1. ^ James R. Lewis (2018). Falun Gong: Spiritual Warfare and Martyrdom. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-69876-4.
  2. ^ Benjamin Penny: Life and Times of Li Hongzhi, CJO. The China Quarterly (2003), 175:643–661 Cambridge University Press; doi:10.1017/S0305741003000389 JSTOR 20059033
  3. ^ Wallace, Mark (8 September 1999). "Falun Gong". Salon. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  4. ^ Sarah Cook (20 December 2012). "The Origins and Long-Term Consequences of the Communist Party's Campaign against Falun Gong 《Falun Gong in China: Review and Update》" (PDF). U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
  5. ^ "Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times". NBC News. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. ^ "The Obscure Newspaper Fueling the Far-Right in Europe". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. ^ Roose, Kevin (5 February 2020). "Epoch Times, Punished by Facebook, Gets a New Megaphone on YouTube". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  8. ^ "The Power of Falun Gong". ABC News. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Shen Yun: Fighting Communism - and making a stack on the side". RFI. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  10. ^ Tolentino, Jia (19 March 2019). "Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  11. ^ Dowellc, William (10 May 1999). "Interview with Li Hongzhi". Time. Retrieved 30 January 2021.