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Li Hongzhi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li ().
Li Hongzhi
Chinese:

13 May 1951 (age 61)[1]

(according to Li Hongzhi)
Born 27 July 1952 or 7 July 1952 (age 60)[1]
(according to Chinese government)
Gongzhuling, Jilin, China
Residence United States
Known for Founder of Falun Gong
Li Hongzhi (Chinese: ; pinyin: L Hngzh) is the founder and spiritual master of
Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa), a "system of mind-body cultivation" in the qigong tradition. Li
Hongzhi began his public teachings of Falun Gong on 13 May 1992 in Changchun, and
subsequently gave lectures and taught Falun Gong exercises across China. In 1995 Li began
teaching Falun Gong abroad, and in 1998 he settled permanently in the United States. Falun
Gong's teachings are compiled from Li's lectures, and Li holds definitional power [clarification
needed]
in that belief system.[2]

The movement gained significant popularity in the 1990s, including in high government and
qigong circles, but was suppressed by the Chinese government in 1999.

Accounts of Li's early life differ between detractors and supporters. Official Chinese sources
emphasize the mundane aspects of Li's life as an army grain clerk and trumpet player, while
Li's spiritual biographies assert that he was trained by a Buddhist and Taoist masters from
childhood and possesses extraordinary powers.

Contents
1 Early life
o 1.1 Hagiography
o 1.2 Details published by Chinese government
o 1.3 Birth date controversy
2 Falun Gong
3 Life abroad
4 Main publications
5 References
6 External links

Early life
There are competing accounts of Li's life that surfaced before and after the suppression of
Falun Gong began in July 1999, and there is very little authoritative information on his early
life. Accounts between Lis supporters and detractors diverge significantly, and as a result,
should be understood within the context of the political and spiritual purposes for which
different narratives were developed.[3]

Hagiography

An unofficial biography appeared in the first of Lis major publications, Zhongguo Falun
Gong, and was authored by journalist Zhu Huiguang. A second, official spiritual biography
appeared in early editions of Falun Gongs primary text, Zhuan Falun, and was authored by
the Falun Dafa Research Society.[4] These biographies placed emphasis on Lis spiritual
development, with minimal details on Lis ordinary work or family life. The style and content
of these biographies is consistent with the "centuries-old tradition of religious biography in
China." As Benjamin Penny writes, "as with its precursors [in Chinese history], this
biography seeks to establish a genealogy of the figure whose life is recorded and to buttress
the orthodoxy of his doctrine."[4] Both biographies were omitted from later printings of Falun
Gong books, as Li explained that he did not want people to focus their attention on his own
history or circumstances.[4]

These biographies state that Li was born on 13 May 1951, in the town of Gongzhuling, Jilin
Province. The first account, by Zhu Huiguang, stated that Lis family lived amidst poverty,
with his mother earning a wage of only 30 yuan. In this edition, Li was described as
developing a "spirit of bearing hardships and tolerating hard work" as he helped care for his
younger siblings. The second, official version of his biography emphasized Lis average
social background, stating that he belonged to "ordinary intellectuals family."[4]

Both biographies ascribe to Li innate virtues of compassion and discipline. The official
biography focuses mainly on the lineage of Daoist and Buddhist masters who he says
provided Li with instruction from an early age. At four, he was trained by Quan Jue, the
Tenth Heir to the Great Law of the Buddha School. [5] By age eight, he had acquired "the
superb great law with supernatural powers",[4] which was supposed to include invisibility,
levitation, etc.[4] Master Quan left him at age twelve, to be replaced by Taoist master Baji
Zhenren, who provided instruction in martial arts and physical skills. [3]

A third Master arrived in 1972 from the Great Way School. Zhendaozi (literally, "True
Taoist"), came from the Changbai Mountains near the North Korean border.[5] Unlike Lis
other spiritual tutors, the True Taoist wore ordinary attire, and taught Li the way of inner
cultivation through Qigong, stressing xinxing (i.e. "mind or heart nature, moral character").
Lis training in this period mostly took place under cover of night, possibly due to the
political environment of the Cultural Revolution.[3]

Zhu Haiguangs version of the biography notes that Li consistently refused to partake in the
campaigns of the Cultural Revolution, never joining the Red Guards or communist
organizations.[4]

A fourth Master a woman from the Buddha Schoolbegan instructing Li in 1974. After
training with these four Masters, Li's "energy potency had reached a very high level."[4] His
personal development plateaued around this time, with the biography stating that Li was able
"to see the truth of the universe, many more beautiful things which have existed there for a
long time, as well as the origin, development and future of mankind."[4]

In 1982, Li moved to the city of Changchun for "civilian employment," the implication being
that his previous work was with the military.[4] At some point in the 1980s, Li married and
had a daughter.[3]

In 1984, Li began synthesizing the teachings he received into what would become Falun
Dafa. The practice would not be exactly the same as what had been transmitted to him, as
those systems were not suitable to be "popularised on a large scale." Li began observing the
teaching methods of other qigong masters, and by 1989 had finalised his qigong system. For
the next three years until 1992, Li was said to have begun testing the system with a small
group of students.[4]

Falun Gong books published after 1999 no longer contain biographies of Li. These changes
reflected a larger trend of Li retreating from the public eye. [4] Since 2000 he has rarely
appeared in public, his presence almost entirely being electronic or re-routed through
quotations on Falun Gong's websites.[4] Li Hongzhi's biography was removed from Falun
Gong websites some time after 2001.[4]

Details published by Chinese government

The Chinese government began publishing biographies of Li after the suppression of Falun
Gong began in July 1999. As such, details on Li's life published in the PRC must be
understood as part of the government's publicity campaign against Falun Gong. [3][4] Their
objective was to "demonstrate that Li Hongzhi was thoroughly ordinary and that his claims to
exceptional abilities and experiences were fraudulent."[3]

According to Chinese government accounts, Li Hongzhi was born Li Lai, on either July 7 or
27, 1952.[3] As evidence of the claim, authorities quoted Pan Yufang, a midwife who stated
that she vividly recalled delivering Li in July 1952.[4] Pans account included the assertion
that she used oxytocin to assist in the birth[3] (an impossibility, Falun Gong sources point out,
because oxytocin was not synthesized until the following year [6]). Li's parents divorced whilst
he was a toddler, and Li and his siblings remained with this mother. In 1955 they relocated to
Changchun.

Li is said to have attended primary and middle school in Changchun between 1960 and
1970.[3] As with most school-aged children in China, Lis formal education was interrupted
by the Cultural Revolution. He did not attend high school, but ultimately completed high
school through correspondence courses in the 1980s. [3] Chinese government accounts
emphasize repeatedly that Li lacks a higher education, and was an undistinguished student,
notable only for playing the trumpet.

After attaining his middle school diploma in 1970, Li was said to have held "a series of
unremarkable jobs":[3] between 1970 and 1972, Li worked at an army horse farm; from 1972
to 1978, was a trumpet player in a forest police unit in Jilin Province, and subsequently
worked as a clerk in the Grain and Oil Procurement company in Changchun.[3] Unnamed
former classmates and co-workers cited in government accounts stress repeatedly that Li was
unremarkable, that they never saw him practicing qigong, and that they had no knowledge of
the Buddhist and Daoist Masters Li claimed to have studied under. [3]

A group of early adopters in Changchun became disenchanted after Li forbid his followers
from charging fees for the practice at the end of 1994, among other things. The group left the
Falun Gong movement, and proceeded to mail to government ministries a series of
accusations against Li, among them that he had not shown any supernatural powers during
his youth.[7] Falun Gong sent detailed rebuttals to the ministries. [7] Following the suppression
of Falun Gong in 1999, Chinese authorities republished all these accusations, point by
point.[7][8]

Birth date controversy

In September 1994,[9] Li changed his date of birth in government records to May 13, 1951.
According to Li, his date of birth had been misprinted as one of the pervasive bureaucratic
errors of the Cultural Revolution, and he was merely correcting it.[7][10] Government records
originally said that he was born on the 7th of July 1952, [1] although the Chinese government
has sometimes given 27 July.[3]
A group of disenchanted followers alleged at the end of 1994 that the birth date had been
correct all along, and that Li had only wanted to align it with the birth date of the historical
Buddha Sakyamuni. [7] (13 May 1951 fell in the 8th day of the 4th lunar moon, the celebration
of Sakyamuni's birthday)[11] This accusation was repeated later by the Chinese
authorities.[7][8] Li rejected the allegation as a "smear," and said "I have never said that I am
Sakyamuni. I am just a very ordinary man."[8][10]

Two points supporting Li's version are that bureaucratic errors of this nature were not
uncommon in the Cultural Revolution,[8] and that the new date was never used to make any
promotional claim or bolster Li's spiritual authority. Moreover, as Falun Gong sources have
noted, Li would have had to produce corroborating evidence of the May 13 birth date in order
to successfully change the government records. [8]

Falun Gong
Main article: Falun Gong

Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Dafa, or the Great Law of the Wheel of Dharma, on 13 May
1992 at the fifth Middle School in Changchun, Jilin. From 1992 to 1994 he traveled
throughout China, giving lectures and teaching Falun Gong exercises; His following grew
rapidly. Li's success was largely linked to the huge popularity enjoyed by qigong in the late
1980s and early 1990s under Deng Xiaoping's social liberalization. He differentiated Falun
Gong by prioritising "accessibility to the public" and moral content, away from esoteric
notions often found in other Qigong systems.[4][12]

Falun Gong's teachings are compiled from Li's lectures, and he holds definitional power in
the Falun Gong belief system.[2] Li was also critical of alternative systems within the Qigong
movement, stating it was "rife with false teachings and greedy and fraudulent 'masters'" and
set out to rectify it. Li said that Falun Gong was a part of a "centuries-old tradition of
cultivation," and in his texts would often attack those who taught "incorrect, deviant, or
heterodox ways."[13] Li differentiated Falun Gong from other movements in Qigong by
emphasizing moral values aimed to "purify one's heart and attain spiritual salvation." [14]
rather than what he saw as undue emphasis on physical health and the development of
supernatural powers.

Ian Johnson points out that during the greatest period of Falun Gong book sales in China, Li
Hongzhi never received any royalties because all publications were bootleg. [15] Li's success
also had a large part to do with people seeking effective alternative medicine treatments at a
time when China's health care system was struggling desperately to meet demand.[12] As the
Master of the Falun Gong cultivation system, Li claimed to "purify the students' bodies" and
"unblock their main and collateral channels" and in doing so "remove the root of their
disease," if they were ill. He also reputedly planted a Falun or "law wheel" in the abdomen of
each student, and other "energy mechanisms" in other parts of their bodies. Li also described
how his "Law bodies" will protect each practitioner and how he "clear[s] up the students'
house and places of practice and then put[s] a covering of safety'". [4]

According to Falun Gong groups, Li's early success was recognized at the 1992 and 1993
Beijing Oriental Health Expos. At the first of these events, the fairs organizer remarked that
Falun Gong and Li "received the most praise [of any qigong school] at the fair, and achieved
very good therapeutic results."[3] The event helped cement Lis popularity in the qigong
world, and journalistic reports of Falun Gongs healing powers spread. [3] The following year,
Li was made a member of the organizing committee of the Beijing Health Expo, and won
several awards and commendations at the event.[3]

In this era, Li developed a positive rapport with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). In
1993, he provided treatment for 100 police officers who had been injured on the job, earning
praise from an organization under the MPS. Li gave lectures at the Public Security University
in Beijing in 1994, and contributed proceeds from the seminars to a foundation for injured
police officers.[3] The publishing ceremony for Lis seminal book, Zhuan Falun, was held in
the auditorium of the Ministry of Public Security in January 1995. [3]

Life abroad
See also: History of Falun Gong

In 1995, Li declared that he had finished teaching Falun Gong in China, and began spreading
the practice abroad. His first stop in March 1995 was to the Chinese embassy in Paris,
France, where he had been invited to teach the practice. This was followed by seminars in
Sweden.[3] Between 1995 and 1999, Li gave lectures in the United States, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore.[3] Falun Gong associations and clubs
began appearing in Europe, North America and Australia, with activities centered mainly on
university campuses.[2]

In 1996, the city of Houston named Li as an honorary citizen and goodwill ambassador for
his "unselfish public service for the benefit and welfare of mankind." As news spread of
Falun Gong's anti-government protests which mobilized tens of thousands to surround the
Chinese government headquarters, Li received more measures of recognition from North
American municipalities. In May 1999, Li was welcomed to Toronto with greetings from the
mayor and the provincial governor general, and in the two months that followed also received
recognition from the cities of Chicago and San Jose.[16]

Li Hongzhi moved to the United States in 1996 with his wife and daughter, and in 1998
became a U.S. permanent resident, settling in New York.[3][14][17]

On 10 May 1999, Li gave an interview with Time, during which he stated that "human moral
values are no longer good" and reiterated Falun Gong's differentiation from other qigong
groups. He also expounded on the "Dharma-ending period" and claimed the existence of
aliens were corrupting human beings. He avoided questions about his personal background,
stating, "I don't wish to talk about myself at a higher level. People wouldn't understand it."[18]

On 29 July 1999, after Falun Gong was banned, the Chinese government levelled a series of
charges against Li, including the charge of "disturbing public order."[19] At that time, Li
Hongzhi was living in the United States. The Chinese government's request to Interpol for his
arrest was rejected on the grounds that the request was a matter "of a political or religious
character" and lacked information on any "ordinary law crime he would have committed"[19]
The Chinese government also revoked his passport, preventing him from traveling
internationally.[19]
Li Hongzhi has received awards and proclamations in a number of countries. [20][21] These
include certificates of recognition from several governmental bodies in the United States -
including Honorary Citizenship awarded by The State of Georgia and city of Atlanta. [22] In 14
March 2001, The Freedom House bestowed Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong with an
International Religious Freedom Award for the advancement of religious and spiritual
freedom at a ceremony in the United States Senate.[23] In the same year, Li was ranked the
most powerful communicator in Asia by Asiaweek magazine "for his power to inspire, to
mobilize people and to spook Beijing."[24]

Main publications
Falun Gong. Considered an introductory exposition of the principles of Falun Gong
and the traditional Chinese concept of cultivation practice, along with descriptions of
the exercises of Falun Gong. First published in April 1993.
Nine Day Lectures on Falun Dafa. From 1992 to 1994, Li Hongzhi presented his
teachings across China, the contents of which were ultimately edited and compiled
into the book Zhuan Falun. The teachings entailed a one to two hour lecture on each
of 8 to 10 consecutive days. Exercise instruction was offered thereafter. The final of
these lecture series, delivered in Guangzhou, China, in 1994, were recorded live and
they form a central part of Falun Gong's teachings.
Zhuan Falun-Turning the Law Wheel. Considered the central and most comprehensive
exposition of the teachings of Falun Gong. First published in January 1995.
Hong Yin - Grand Verses. A collection of short poems written by Li, often touching
upon issues pertinent to the traditional Chinese concept of cultivation practice.
Lectures and Writings. Transcripts of Lectures delivered by Li and articles
periodically published by him also form a central part of Falun Gong's teachings.

References
1. ^ a b c "Who is Li Hongzhi?". BBC. 8 May 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
2. ^ a b c Porter, Noah (Masters thesis for the University of South Florida), Falun Gong
in the United States: An Ethnographic Study, 2003, p 26
[http://web.archive.org/web/20050415184119/http://www.lib.usf.edu/ETD-
db/theses/available/etd-06122003-113105/unrestricted/FalunGongInTheUS-
NoahPorter-Thesis.pdf archived from 15 April 2005
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v David Ownby, Falun Gong and the Future of China.
Oxford University Press US,. 2008. p. 80. ISBN 0-19-532905-8. Retrieved 11
October 2009.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Benjamin Penny, "The Life and Times of Li Hongzhi:
Falun Gong and Religious Biography," The China Quarterly, Vol 175 (September
2003).
5. ^ a b Brief biography of Li Hongzhi: founder of Falun Gong and president of the Falun
Gong Research Society, Chinese Law and Government v.32 #6 (Nov./Dec. 1999) p.
14-23 ISSN: 0009-4609
6. ^ David Ownby, Falun Gong and the Future of China, p 257.
7. ^ a b c d e f Palmer (2007), p. 246-247.
8. ^ a b c d e Porter, 2003, p. 72-73
9. ^ Frank, Adam. (2004) Falun Gong and the threat of history. in Gods, guns, and
globalization: religious radicalism and international political economy edited by
 Mary Ann Ttreault, Robert Allen Denemark, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2004, ISBN
1-58826-253-7, pp 237
10. ^ a b "I am just a very ordinary man". Time Magazine. 2 August 1999. ""During the
Cultural Revolution, the government misprinted my birthdate. I just corrected it.
During the Cultural Revolution, there were lots of misprints on identity. A man could
become a woman, and a woman could become a man. It's natural that when people
want to smear you, they will dig out whatever they can to destroy you. What's the big
deal about having the same birthday as Sakyamuni? Many criminals were also born
on that date. I have never said that I am Sakyamuni. I am just a very ordinary man.""
11. ^ Palmer, 2007, p. 224
12. ^ a b David Ownby, "The Falun Gong in the New World," European Journal of East
Asian Studies, September 2003, Vol. 2 Issue 2, p 306
13. ^ Ownby, David, "A History for Falun Gong: Popular Religion and the Chinese State
Since the Ming Dynasty", Nova Religio, Vol. ,pp. 223-243
14. ^ a b David Palmer, Qigong Fever: Body, Science, and Utopia in China (2007),
Columbia University Press
15. ^ Johnson, Ian. Wild Grass: three stories of change in modern China. Pantheon
books. 2004. pp 23-229
16. ^ Chan, Cheris Shun-ching (2004). "The Falun Gong in China: A Sociological
Perspective". The China Quarterly, 179 , pp 665683
17. ^ Melinda Liu, 'Echoes of '89', Newsweek, 1 August 1999.
18. ^ "TIME: Interview with Li Hongzhi". TIME. 10 May 1999. Retrieved 5 January
2010.
19. ^ a b c Interpol will not arrest sect leader, BBC News, 3 August 1999
20. ^ " class="smarterwiki-
linkify">http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/committees/afet/20011002/444750
EN.pdf Report of Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security
and Defence Policy, European Parliament
21. ^ " class="smarterwiki-
linkify">http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/special_column/recognition.html List of
awards. Clearwisdom
22. ^ "Li Hongzhi, Encyclopdia Britannica". Retrieved 25 February 2010.
23. ^ Danny Schechter, Falun Gong's Challenge to China: Spiritual Practice or Evil Cult?,
Akashic books: New York, 2001
24. ^ Asian Political News, " class="smarterwiki-
linkify">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2001_May_28/ai_7525907
9 Asiaweek names Falun Gong founder top communicator, 28 May 2001, accessed 22
May '08

External links
Falun Gong portal

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or
guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate
external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote
references. (November 2011)
Li Hongzhi's teachings
 Videos of Li Hongzhi's nine day lecture in Guangzhou, China (With English overlay)
at falundafa.org
"Some Thoughts of Mine", June 1999 at falundafa.org
Book: Practitioners recollection about their Teacher at clearwisdom.net
The actual teachings of Li Hongzhi at falundafa.org

Interviews

William Dowell (10 May 1999). "Interview with Li Hongzhi". TIME.

"Interview with Li Hongzhi in Sydney, Australia". 2 May 1999.
Anthony Spaeth (2 August 1999). "Interview: Li Hongzhi "I am just a very ordinary
man"". TIMEasia.com.
Jonathan S. Landreth and J.S. Greenberg (8 August 1999). "Eye of the Storm". New
York Times Magazine.
"NTDTV Press Release: Summary of the Exclusive Interview with Mr. Li Hongzhi,
Founder of Falun Gong". clearharmony.net. 25 January 2004.

[hide]

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