Why Is the CCP Persecuting the Peaceful Falun Gong Spiritual Practice?

To justify attacking Falun Gong practitioners, Beijing has found it necessary to perpetuate lies and mischaracterizations of the practice.

Falun Dafa practitioners take part in a candlelight vigil commemorating Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party in China, in Washington on July 17, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Commentary

Of all the things in China that could pose a threat to the rule and legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—such as a cratering economy—why is the Party still persecuting peaceful Falun Gong practitioners throughout China and in other parts of the world?

Falun Gong practitioners’ activities can be summed up as gathering in public parks or private homes to practice slow-moving meditative exercises, which help develop mental focus, patience, discipline, and a more tranquil, healing mindset—no guns, no attacks against the Party, verbal or otherwise.

Why is the CCP so afraid of the spirituality and practice of Falun Gong?

Painting Falun Gong as ‘Anti-China’

And yet, for more than the past 26 years or so, the CCP has tried to convince the world that Falun Gong poses a vital threat to the nation of China itself. The Party often frames Falun Gong as “anti-China,” using it as an excuse to persecute its followers.

In doing so, the Party conflates Falun Gong practitioners’ opposition to the brutalities of authoritarianism with hostility toward the nation and its people.

But this claim doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Falun Gong is steeped in Chinese aestheticism.

Persecuting Falun Gong practitioners also makes the Party look weak and fearful. To justify attacking the group within China and around the world, the CCP has found it necessary to perpetuate lies and mischaracterizations about Falun Gong.

Not a Political Movement, but a Spiritual One

And yet, Falun Gong is not, nor ever has been, a political movement. Instead, as noted, it is a spiritual practice with concepts that are actually rooted in ancient Chinese traditions. Thus, it does not reject Chinese culture whatsoever, and is therefore not “anti-China” in any sense of the term.

If anything, Falun Gong is a celebration of Chinese cultural and spiritual heritage.

That said, Falun Gong doesn’t comment on the CCP per se. But due to the CCP’s brutal and ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, their difficult experiences have given them a deeper understanding of the CCP’s evil nature.

What they do express and expose, however, is the CCP’s reliance on violence, deceit, and repression. According to “Nine Commentaries on The Communist Party“ published by The Epoch Times, the behavior and outlook of the CCP, from persecution and imprisonment to deception and immorality, is harming—not helping—China and the Chinese people.

Falun Gong’s 3 Principles

Truthfulness (zhen), compassion (shan), and forbearance (ren) are the foundational values that Falun Gong cultivates and promotes.

Truthfulness in Falun Gong means being honest in thought, word, and deed—living in alignment with reality and refusing to distort the truth for personal gain.

But in China, truthfulness is costly. Once detained, authorities pressure practitioners to recant their faith and/or admit to crimes they haven’t committed. Many of them have refused to do so and end up in jail for extended periods, preferring to live in truth and moral integrity instead of living a lie in safety.

Outside of China, adherents speak at community events about meditation, health, and human rights abuses in China truthfully and transparently.

Compassion in Falun Gong consists of a deep concern for the well-being of others, even in difficult or hostile circumstances.

For example, at a candlelight vigil in San Diego marking 26 years of persecution by the CCP, survivors of Chinese labor camps described years of imprisonment and torture. Yet instead of expressing hatred, they spoke of wanting to see their oppressors freed from the political system that compels such abuse.

Tolerance refers to forbearance under pressure—not just enduring hardship, but doing so without resentment. That means choosing forgiveness over vengeance, following Falun Gong’s teaching that hardships can be opportunities for personal growth.

In China, tolerance has been tested under extreme conditions. Since July 1999, millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to detention, torture, and even forced organ harvesting, as documented by human rights organizations and investigative reports.

Despite this, the movement remains nonviolent.

The Universal Values

Practitioners believe that by embodying these values in daily life, they can improve their moral character and well-being, including physical and mental health. These principles have also shaped the way practitioners respond to one of the most severe religious persecutions in modern history.

The goal of practicing Falun Gong is enlightenment, which is a well-known tenet and objective of Buddhism and Daoism, both prevalent in Chinese culture. If these values sound familiar, it’s because they’re truly universal ones that transcend borders, cultures, race, or nationality.

By living according to these principles—even under the harshest persecution—Falun Gong practitioners show the world a quiet moral courage that undermines the CCP’s attempts to frame them as enemies of China.

Ultimately, the CCP fears Falun Gong because of its profound weakness and illegitimacy, fueled by the Party’s widespread deception and moral dereliction.

The contrast between the two couldn’t be clearer.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.