Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa) is a an ancient form of Qigong, and it is a cultivation method with the principles of Zhen, Shan, and Ren (Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance). The former Chinese Communist leader Jiang Zemin launched the persecution on Falun Gong in July 1999. Jiang was insecure about his authority and jealous of Falun Gong's popularity - by the late 1990's, 70-100 million people were practicing in China, outnumbering the CCP membership. But why would any government feel threatened by a group of peaceful people who have no political interests, and who measure themselves by the stand of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance?

A friend of mine from Malaysia, who is not a practitioner but knows I am one, once told me: "I think I understand why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can't stand Falun Gong - it's because Falun Gong is so good. It's the same reason why the CCP could not stand Confucius - he is just "too" good." (Note: Confucius had been respected by Chinese people for more than 2000 years as the Greatest Master in the history, whose philosophy, emphasizing on Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, Xin (benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, faith), is a main part of the essence of traditional Chinese culture. Mao Zedong, an ex-leader of the CCP, started the infamous Anti-Confucius Campaign in the 70s. All Chinese people, from children to elderly, were required to criticize Confucius.)

Falun Gong's principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance stand in direct opposition to the nature of the CCP, which defies traditional values and does not allow any freedom of belief. The head of the CCP fears losing control over people's minds, which is the main method they have been using to maintain their power. The CCP created one after another so-called "political movements", under which some people would be labeled as "bad people" and other "good" people are encouraged to use whatever methods to "destroy" the "enemies". Due to these "movements", 60 to 80 million innocent Chinese people have been killed during the 57 years of the CCP's rule over China.

The main target of the CCP is currently Falun Gong practitioners. Jiang Zemin initially swore to "eliminate Falun Gong in three months". Since then, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally detained in prisons, labor camps, and so-called mental hospitals for refusing to denounce Falun Gong. They are routinely beaten, tortured, raped, and injected with nerve damaging drugs. Part of Jiang Zemin's policy of genocide against Falun Gong practitioners has included "defaming their reputations, bankrupting them financially, and destroying them physically." Over 2,800 have been confirmed dead as a result of torture by March of 2006. The real figure is believed MUCH higher than this.

The CCP's brutal persecution on Falun Gong has been going on for almost 8 years. However, they did not succeed to "eliminate Falun Gong". In quite a contrary, Falun Dafa has been spreading to everywhere in the world. And even in mainland China, it is still growing. One of my aunts, who lives in southern China, started to practice Falun Gong two years ago (there is quite an amazing story here). Last year when I visited Beijing, my sister-in-law asked me to teach her Falun Gong as soon as she saw me, before I even had chance to mention anything about Falun Gong.