Falun Gong
Falun Gong (UK: /ˌfɑːlʊn ˈɡɒŋ, ˌfæl-, -ˈɡʊŋ/ FAH-lun GONG, FAL-, -GUUNG, US: /- ˈɡɔːŋ/ -GAWNG) or Falun Dafa (/ˈdɑːfə/ DAH-fə; lit. 'Dharma Wheel Practice') is a new religious movement. Falun Gong was founded by its leader Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s. Falun Gong has its global headquarters in Dragon Springs, a 427-acre (1.73 km2) compound in Deerpark, New York, United States, near the residence of Li Hongzhi.
| Falun Gong | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Falun Dafa emblem | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 法輪功 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 法轮功 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Dharma Wheel Work | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 法輪大法 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 法轮大法 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Great Dharma Wheel Practice | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Led by Li Hongzhi, who is viewed by adherents as a deity-like figure, Falun Gong practitioners operate a variety of organizations in the United States and elsewhere, including the dance troupe Shen Yun. They are known for their opposition to the 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".
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 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 former U.S. President Donald Trump. It has also drawn attention in Europe for promoting far-right politicians, primarily in France and Germany.
Like other religious movements, Falun Gong experiences repression in China. In 1999, the government of China implemented a ban on Falun Gong, categorizing it as an "illegal organization." A 2022 United States Department of State report on religious freedom in China concluded that "Falun Gong practitioners reported societal discrimination in employment, housing, and business opportunities". 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 estimate that tens of millions continue to practice privately, and Freedom House estimates there are seven to 20 million practitioners."