Chinese Sent Lunar New Year Greetings to Founder of Falun Gong

Chinese New Year’s Day will arrive on Saturday. Sending greetings and goodwill to loved ones and those they respect are the first things many Asian families practice during the Lunar New Year.

Tens of thousands of people in China took the opportunity of the major Chinese holiday to express appreciation and esteem for Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted in the country for nearly 25 years.

One greeting message came from a painter, who expressed support for Mr. Li.

While he hasn’t taken up Falun Gong, the painter, who declined to be named for safety concerns, said that he knew the practice is still active in China, despite the regime’s unrelenting persecution campaign.

In his neighborhood community alone, many intellectuals or retired professionals still practice Falun Gong and abide by its teachings. “They are all very kind and easy to get along with,” he told The Epoch Times.

It’s not a surprise that Chinese are drawn to the discipline, he suggested, because people can find its focus on virtue and character-building, as well as its healing effects. “We all know Falun Gong is good.”

Falun Gong, rooted in ancient Chinese beliefs on spiritual improvement, was first introduced by Mr. Li to the Chinese public in 1992. With gentle, meditative exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, Falun Gong attracted individuals from all walks of life—from high-ranking officials to villagers—leading to an estimated 70 to 100 million adherents in the country by the end of the decade.

Falun Gong’s surging popularity, however, was perceived by the regime as a threat to its control over society. In 1999, then-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Jiang Zemin launched a sweeping campaign to eradicate Falun Gong, resulting in millions of practitioners being thrown in detention facilities, where they are brainwashed, tortured, or even killed for their organs, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

But the bloody campaign couldn’t remove traditional spiritual beliefs from people’s hearts. In New Year greetings to Mr. Li, many people in China who haven’t taken up the practice praised the core tenets of Falun Gong teachings: truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

Among them was Mr. Liu, who only gave his surname for fear of reprisal. He expressed respect and gratitude for the traditional cultivation method Mr. Li taught the general public.

“This society is in desperate need of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance,” Mr. Liu told The Epoch Times, calling officials becoming “evil” under the rule of communist tyranny, “With kindness, we can combat evil, and bring China a bright future.”

Another Chinese resident, who gave his surname Ge, said he is grateful that Falun Gong practitioners who persist in their peaceful resistance to persecution have allowed the Chinese to gain freedom. “Thank you, Mr. Li Hongzhi. Thank you, Falun Gong practitioners,” he told The Epoch Times. “I wish Mr. Li a Happy New Year”

Practitioners’ Greetings

In the lead-up to the Chinese New Year, Falun Gong adherents from China also expressed their warm wishes to the founder, Mr. Li. They did so by sending their greeting messages and e-cards to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website dedicated to reporting Falun Gong. The website said that since 2001, it has received tens of thousands of greetings for Mr. Li on the occasion of the Chinese New Year.

This year, well-wishers hailed from regions across the country, from the eastern coastal province of Shandong to the far western region of Xinjiang, indicating the practice remains strong and respected despite the ongoing persecution.

The cards wishing Mr. Li a heartfelt happy Lunar New Year come from individuals of all backgrounds who work in municipal governments, public security agencies, judicial organs, as well as the education system. There are also e-cards created by practitioners in China’s military, including researchers at military academies, veterans from the Joint Staff Department, and active and veteran service members of the army’s branch in Qinghai Province.

Adherents from a number of cities also expressed their commitment to telling Chinese people about Falun Gong and exposing the persecution, despite the trying circumstances.

A practitioner living in the central Chinese province of Hunan said she often directly speaks to Chinese people about Falun Gong. “I treat them as my family members and explain things with a pure heart,” she wrote. “One by one I told them what is going on and reminded them to keep in mind ‘Falun Dafa is good’ as well as ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”

Addressing Mr. Li as “Master,” a title of respect for a teacher in Chinese culture, she attributed her courage to the power of faith. “Master has been protecting me with compassion along the way, giving me energy and wisdom.”

Another Chinese citizen from a village in central Hubei Province said he used to be a terminal cancer patient. By practicing Falun Gong, he can now “happily run a small business.”

When village officials or local government staff come to his shop, he tells them how his life changed after taking up Falun Gong in 2014. “At that time, I would tell them, Falun Dafa gave me good health and Master Li told me to be a good person. Shouldn’t we promote something like this? Falun Dafa is indeed great!”

“I wish Master a happy New Year!”

Fang Xiao and Xiong Bin contributed to this report.