Still, many Chinese expressed amazement that the government appeared so intent on dismantling an organization that seems to have no real political platform and is run by Li Hongzhi, a self-proclaimed martial arts experts who now lives in Queens, New York. The simplest explanation for the crackdown involves the Communist Party's deep fear of allowing any type of organization to exist in China outside its control. Falun Gong's challenge to the Communist Party has been ''unprecedented in the 50-year history of the People's Republic in terms of the size of its organization, its influence, number of illegal publications as well as the damages it brought to the society,'' Xinhua said Saturday. While student-led protests in 1989 that were ultimately crushed by the People's Liberation Army marked the most serious ideological challenge to the party since 1949, the demonstrations were generally unorganized and chaotic. Falun Gong, on the other hand, boasts about 10 million followers throughout China, organized in thousands of cells.
Communication occurs via cellular telephones and the Internet.
Discipline is high.