Why a Thousand People in Bright Yellow Shirts Formed Four Chinese Characters in a New York City Park

Over a thousand Falun Gong practitioners from New York, Taiwan, and other Asian countries form the Chinese characters for "Falun Dafa" at Gantry Plaza State Park on May 12, 2016. Larry Dye/Epoch Times

NEW YORK—For about 140 minutes on a clear Thursday morning, another sign appeared next to the iconic Pepsi Cola neon structure in Gantry Plaza State Park.

Clad in bright yellow collar shirts and caps, over a thousand practitioners of Falun Gong, from half a dozen countries, occupied the dewy lawn to form four Chinese characters: “法輪大法,” or Falun Dafa. Sitting, and then standing practically shoulder to shoulder, the practitioners serenely moved their arms in unison to traditional Chinese music against the backdrop of the East River and the Manhattan skyline.