Falun Gong

{{bronze}}[[File:Falun Gong Logo.svg|thumb|right|165px|[[Godwin's_Law|Knock it off]] &mdash; it's the Falun Dafa emblem: it doesn't mean [[Swastika |that]] anyway]]
{{cult}}
{{new age}}
{{cquote|[I]f you really want some fun, read Li Hongzhi's Time magazine interview<ref name=time/> and enjoy as it slowly goes from "yeah, sounds reasonable" to "wtf, he's talking about aliens invading earth?"|||/u/landoindisguise<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200111183717/https://www.reddit.com/r/documentaries/comments/4gt913/trackreddit/d2ksadc/ No, they're pretty crazy. That doesn't justify what China has done, but they're straight-up nuts: Or if you really want some fun, read Li Hongzhi's Time magazine interview and enjoy as it slowly goes from "yeah, sounds reasonable" to "wtf, he's talking about aliens invading earth?"] ''Reddit'' (archived from January 11, 2020).</ref>}}

'''Falun Gong''' or '''Falun Dafa''' (Great Law of the Falun) is a [[personality cult]] or a [[new religious movement]] disguised as a "spiritual practice" based on the [[Chinese]] [[Qi|qi gong]] and founded in 1992 by {{wpl|Li Hongzhi}} {{lived|1952}}. Some people — including [[Rick Ross]] of the Cult Education Institute,<ref>[https://www.culteducation.com/group/1254-falun-gong/6922-is-falun-gong-a-cult.html Is Falun Gong a cult?] by [[Rick Ross]] (January, 2009) ''The Cult Education Institute''.</ref> the Chinese government in Beijing,<ref>[https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-07-14/why-china-fears-falun-gong Why China fears the Falun Gong] by James Griffiths (July 14, 2014 · 6:00 AM UTC) ''PRI''.</ref> and an Australian Broadcasting Corporation exposé<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/religion/the-abc-is-right-that-falun-gong-teachings-are-dangerous/12538058 The ABC is right: Falun Gong has some dangerous teachings]</ref> — regard it as a [[cult]], others have disagreed on what it actually is.<ref>''Falun Gong and the Future of China'' by David Ownby (2010) Oxford University Press. ISBN 019973853X. pp. viii, ix, 6-7.</ref><ref>''Falun Gong: The End of Days'' by Maria Chang (2008) Yale University Press.</ref> 

The Chinese government's attempts to suppress the movement have resulted in the group becoming something of a [[Streisand effect| ''cause célèbre'']] among [[human rights | human-rights]] groups (until they found about Li Hongzhi's vile views regarding race and homosexuality) and the anti-China crowd. Li Hongzhi claimed 100 million and claimed CCP official figures of 60 million and 70 million adherents. The 1999 investigation into Falun Gong by the CCP identified 2.3 million.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=gAccBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75 |title=Critical Security and Chinese Politics: The Anti-Falungong Campaign| first1=Juha A. |last1=Vuori |isbn=9781135076931|publisher=Routledge|year=2014|quote=note:according to Zong Hairen in 2002. Hairen smuggled intelligence documents out of China which have generally been accepted as authentic by the intelligence community.}}</ref> 2004 documents provided by defected Chinese analyst Chen Yonglin claimed 60,000.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/Completed_inquiries/2004-07/asylum/report01/index |page=50 |title=Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee Mr Chen Yonglin's request for political asylum |date=September 1, 2005}}</ref>

Many of its more visible members support [[family values| social conservatism]], segregated paradises where people of mixed race don't belong<ref group=note> You did not read that wrong. Li Hongzhi's Sydney lecture explicitly mentions segregated [[heaven]]s and also is explicitly racist against people of mixed race, characterizing them as a sign of "moral degeneracy".</ref> and [[anti-communism]] — these stances have helped to popularize the movement in certain circles in the [[Western world|West]], especially among the [[far-right]]. Falun Gong's rallying call is very easy to identify: 法轮大法好 (''fǎlún dàfǎ hǎo''; "Falun Dafa is good!") The Falun Gong also run ''The Epoch Times'', which is [[Fake news#Epoch Times|rife with far-right misinformation]] and [[conspiracy theories]] such as [[QAnon]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/technology/epoch-times-influence-falun-gong.html How The Epoch Times Created a Giant Influence Machine (The New York Times)]</ref>

==Teachings==
Falun Gong combines Chinese [[folk religion]], modern-day [[eschatology]], and ''qigong'' techniques for "harnessing" body energy. The practice identifies as belonging to the "[[Buddhist]] school," though it deviates from traditional Buddhism and incorporates language and symbology from [[Taoism]]. Its stated central tenets are "truth, compassion, and tolerance" (''zhen, shan, ren'' in Chinese), which it regards as the highest manifestation of the Dao or Buddha Law.<ref name=BP/><ref name=LH>Li Hongzhi, Zhuan Falun</ref>

=== Saving sentient beings ===
The central purpose of Falun Dafa disciples is to save sentient beings<ref>{{cite book|title=Collected Teachings Given Around the World|volume=XI|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|chapter=Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa|chapter-url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/conference11/2011-07-16_Dafa-Disciples-Must-Study-the-Fa.html|quote=Dafa disciples’ duty is to save sentient beings.}}</ref> before an apocalyptic event called the Fa-rectification, which will eliminate beings who do not behave in accordance with Falun Dafa.<ref>{{cite book|title=Teachings From a Tour of North America|volume=XI|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/lectures/200203L.html|quote=Think about it, why did beings from distant cosmic bodies come here? Because Fa-rectification was going to take place in the cosmos, and they are representatives of the extremely massive groups of beings in distant cosmic bodies and colossal firmaments; they came here to establish a karmic relationship with Master so as to ensure that in Fa-rectification they wouldn’t be left out amidst the reconstruction of the entire cosmos; their goal was to allow the sentient beings there to be saved.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|title=Teachings at the Midwestern U.S. Conference|quote=whoever interferes with Fa-rectification will be weeded out.}}</ref> According to a former member, Falun Gong believes that in an upcoming apocalypse, communists and people who speak ill of the practice will be sent to a special hell, while practitioners and supporters of the practice will be spared.<ref name="NBCNews"/>

Practitioners have a set of duties called the "three things":<ref>{{cite book|title=Collected Teachings Given Around the World|volume=VII|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|chapter=Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference|chapter-url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/lectures/20050226L.html|quote=There’s no shortcut in cultivation for any student, and that holds for new students too. Just cultivate steadily and solidly, and do well the three things that Dafa disciples should do.}}</ref> study Falun Dafa by repeatedly reading Falun Dafa books to enlighten to new thoughts, do exercise called "sending righteous thoughts" to destroy evil, and "clarify the truth" about Falun Dafa to outsiders.<ref>{{cite book|title=Collected Teachings Given Around the World|volume=II|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|chapter=Fa Teaching Given at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.|chapter-url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/lectures/20011229L.html|quote=I think these three things are all I’ll talk about. One is your Fa-study, one is sending forth righteous thoughts, and the other is about how clarifying the truth is extremely important.}}</ref>

=== Role of Li Hongzhi ===
[[File:Li Hongzhi Falun Gong.jpg|thumb|right|Li Hongzhi (李洪志)]]
{{main|Personality cult}}
The founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi (李洪志), in Falun Gong's belief system, is a [[bullshit|savior]] who has come to the earth to "rectify" the way (the Dharma) and prevent "true" spiritual teachings from being lost. He also believes that Falun Dafa are means to the end of human salvation, as the earth is [[bullshit|entering its last days because of of moral degeneracy]].<ref>Chang 2004, pp 91</ref> He claims to be the creator of the world.<ref>{{cite book|title=Collected Teachings Given Around the World|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|volume=II|chapter=Fa Teaching Given at the 2002 Conference in Washington, D.C.|chapter-url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/lectures/20020722L.html|quote=Everything was created by me, and yet I am not amidst anything.}}</ref> He has also portrayed himself as a simple human, for example in interviews with journalists.<ref name=time/><ref>{{cite web|title=李洪志老师悉尼会见中文媒体|url=http://www.falundafa.ca/fldfbb/tomedia/tochinesemedia.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128173047/http://www.falundafa.ca/fldfbb/tomedia/tochinesemedia.html}}</ref>

=== Personal cultivation ===
Falun Gong teaches personal "cultivation", which is to cultivate ''xinxing'', a concept that includes ''de'' (a type of matter stored in other dimensions), enlightment to Falun Dafa, and forbearance, among many others.<ref>{{cite book|title=Zhuan Falun|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/zfl2014/zfl_2014.html|edition=2014 English Edition|chapter=Lecture One|chapter-url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/zfl2014/zfl_2014_1.html|quote=What is xinxing? It includes de (a type of matter), tolerance, enlightenment quality, sacrifice, giving up everyday people’s different desires and attachments, being able to suffer hardships, and so on. It encompasses various things. Every aspect of xinxing must be improved for you to make real progress. This is a crucial factor in improving gong potency (gongli).}}</ref> Its purpose is to increase ''gong'' (cultivation energy) to achieve increase the practitioners' gong and let them achieve a spiritual state called "Consummation" or "Perfection" (圆满).

In order to cultivate ''gong'', practitioners need to transform karma into ''de''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Zhuan Falun|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/zfl2014/zfl_2014.html|edition=2014 English Edition|chapter=Lecture Four|chapter-url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/zfl2014/zfl_2014_4.html|quote=At the same time xinxing is cultivated, karma is eliminated and transformed into de so that you can ascend to a higher level; these go hand in hand.}}</ref> One of the ways to repay karma is to suffer.<ref>{{cite book|title=Zhuan Falun|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/zfl2014/zfl_2014.html|edition=2014 English Edition|chapter=Lecture One|chapter-url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/zfl2014/zfl_2014_1.html|quote=Because of karma created from past wrongdoings, one has illnesses or tribulations; suffering is repaying a karmic debt, and thus nobody can casually change this. Changing it means that one would not have to repay the debt after being in debt, and this cannot be done at will. Doing otherwise is the same as committing a bad deed.}}</ref> Doing the Falun Gong exercises is another method to repay karma.<ref>{{cite book|title=Falun Gong|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|edition=7th Translation Edition, 2016|url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/html/flg2016/flg2016.htm|chapter=Cultivation of Character|chapter-url=https://en.falundafa.org/eng/html/flg2016/flg2016_3.htm|quote=You exchange and pay for your karma through performing the exercises and through cultivating your character.}}</ref>

Falun Dafa teaches that illnesses felt by practitioners are manifestations of karma,<ref>{{cite book|title=Essentials for Further Advancement|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|chapter=Sickness Karma|quote=For us cultivators, other than the karma Master has eliminated, we still have to pay a portion ourselves. You will thus feel physically uncomfortable, as if you were suffering from sickness.}}</ref> causing practitioners to endure illnesses in order to transform the karma.

[[File:Five Exercises of Falun Dafa.jpg|thumb|
PPAP
 The five exercises of Falun Gong.]]

=== Other teachings ===	
Li has stated that "[[drug]] use, [[Gender transition|sex changes]], [[homosexuality]], sexual freedom, [[organized crime]], [[modern art]], [[Rock music|rock and roll]],…&nbsp;[and] the soccer field" are absolutely [[evil]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170619233312/https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/pdf/mgjf.pdf Falun Buddha Fa: Fa Teachings in the United States] by Li Hongzhi(3<sup>rd</sup> Translation Edition, March 23, 2014) ''Falun Dafa'' (archived from June 19, 2017).</ref>

Li claimed in a 1999 Interview that Enlightened Beings™ can levitate, perform faith healing and walk through the Great Wall of China just as David Copperfield did. When asked why aliens wanted to corrupt humanity through the use of technology he replied, "The aliens want the human body."<ref name=time>{{cite web|title=Interview with Li Hongzhi| first1=William| last1=Dowell|date=May 10, 1999|url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2053761,00.html| publisher=Time Magazine|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20010123230400/http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990510/interview1.html|archivedate=January 23, 2001|url-status=dead|accessdate=February 16, 2022}}</ref>
	
In a radical interpretation of Luo Guanzhong's ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (and thus Three Kingdoms-era history), he claims that the 3rd Century warlord Cao Cao died because he rejected the supernatural powers of the doctor Hua Tuo, who purportedly discovered the cause of his headaches to be a brain tumor.<ref name=falun2016>{{cite web|title=FALUN GONG (english translation 2016)|first=LI |last=HONGZHI| url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/pdf/flg_2001.pdf}}</ref>{{rp|10-13}}
	
The current universe we live in was made, "...after being exploded nine times."<ref name=falun2016/>{{rp|2}}
	
Modern medicine cannot cure illness, only complete obedience to Li's teachings can do so.<ref name=falun2016/>{{rp|10, 22}}

When asked if it is acceptable to urinate or defecate after practice, Li explained that excrement only contained a small amount of energy. He went on to add, "In teaching this class, the energy I discharged was immensely powerful, and was left all over the walls."<ref name=falun2016/>{{rp|77}}

===Aliens among us===
{{main|1=Extraterrestrial|3=Alien invasion}}
For someone who one would expect wanted to appear outwardly mainstream, Li gave away the "[[milk before meat]]" game by revealing his beliefs about aliens in his 1999 TIME Magazine interview:<ref name=time/>
*Aliens have invaded the human mind.
*Aliens come from other [[planet]]s and dimensions.
*Aliens introduced machinery such as [[computer]]s and [[airplane]]s to humans.
*Aliens taught humans modern [[science]].	
*Aliens intend to replace humans. 	
*Aliens cause [[war]]s.
*Aliens want to take over human bodies because human bodies are the most perfect in the [[Universe]].

=== Relations with major religions ===
In the speech titled "Teaching Fa at the Fa Conference in North America", Li Hongzhi recognizes the power of Buddhist and Daoist gods, but claims that Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism and Judaism are out of touch with today's modernized society and that God does not recognize religions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/lectures/19980329L.html|title=Teachings at the First Conference in North America.}}</ref>

In Zhuan Falun, Li Hongzhi writes that the "Daoist school practices solitary cultivation; The Daoist religion should not exist" and that Falun Dafa transcends both Buddhist and Daoist teachings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/html/zfl2/zfl2.htm#buddhist-daoist|title=Zhuan Falun Volume II|author=Li Hongzhi}}</ref>

Li Hongzhi teaches that Christianity was intended for western people instead of eastern people:<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150503221827/http://en.falundafa.org/eng/lectures/19990221L.html Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference] by Li Hongzhi (February 21 and 22, 1999, Los Angeles) ''Falun Dafa'' (archived from May 3, 2015).</ref>

{{quotebox|In fact, no one knows that even though many people talk about believing in Buddhas or believing in gods, the truth is, if you aren’t someone from that particular god’s world he won’t save you whatsoever. I once made a statement that whether it’s Christianity or Catholicism, in their paradises there are no Eastern people. This is an absolute truth which man doesn’t understand. Yet Western religions went to the East with the Crusades, and the way they spread wasn’t good to begin with, since both Jesus and Yahweh prohibited their disciples from spreading the teachings eastward. It was to prevent the mixing of human races, but they didn’t understand this.}}

===Views on races===

At a 1999 Sydney lecture, Li Hongzhi said:<ref name=Syd>[http://en.falundafa.org/eng/australia1999.htm Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Australia] by Li Hongzhi (Sydney, May 2–3, 1999) ''Falun Dafa'' (archived from May 15, 2015).</ref>

{{quotebox|Student: People of the white race are left over from the previous civilization. Then people of the yellow race and members of other races are…

Teacher: During the previous cycle of civilization the continental plates were different from those of today. But roughly speaking, people of the yellow race lived in the regions of South America and North America. The Native Americans who live there at present are classified as being of the yellow race. The people of the yellow race who lived in the place where China is now—the most central place [where they were] at that time was at Kazakhstan—after the Great Flood, they migrated to the region that is the great desert of Xinjiang. At that time it was a land of fertile soil. Later on they continually migrated eastward. Strictly speaking, Indians, Egyptians, Persians, the yellow race, the white race, and the black race are the [[Racialism|six major races]] of the present Earth. All the other ones are mixed races.}}

At a 1999 Sydney lecture, Li Hongzhi said:<ref name=Syd />

{{quotebox|The Indan race was created by Buddhas, and that's why the dancing of Indians, the way they carry themselves, and their hand gestures are similar to those of Buddhas. Indians really are a race created by Buddhas. As far as Orientals go, a portion of them were created by Nu Wa, while another portion were created by Daos. Actually, to put it more precisely, the earliest race in the early days of North America and South America was the yellow race. They're now called people of the red race, but they're in fact of the yellow race--they were tanned by the sun. (Everyone laughs) The people of the true red race were the ancient Egyptians. Maybe it's not possible to find them now, since most of them have mixed their blood with blacks.}}

==Bigotry==
Falun Dafa espouses [[family values|socially conservative]] views comparable to those found in Christian beliefs. These include criticism of homosexuality, which are described as producing negative "[[karma]]."<ref>[http://faluninfo.net/article/654/?cid=23 Misconceptions: "Intolerant"?]</ref> However, these teachings are only regarded as guidelines for personal conduct, and do not necessarily translate into a social or political position.<ref name=HP>Hu Ping (2007) "The Falun Gong Phenomenon".</ref> (Whether that would remain the case were Falun Gong to ever gain political power is yet to be seen.)

===Views on homosexuality===
{{main|Homosexuality}}
According to Li Hongzhi, homosexuality is wrong, because it violated Heaven's rules.<ref>{{cite book|title=Teachings at the Conference in Switzerland|url=falundafa.org/book/eng/lectures/19980904L.html|quote=Think about it, everyone: Is homosexuality human behavior? Heaven created man and woman. What was the purpose? To procreate future generations. A man being with a man, or a woman with a woman—it doesn’t take much thought to know whether that’s right or wrong.}}</ref>

According to a letter to the editor of the San Francisco News Sentinel in 2006 written by a man who claimed to be the son of Falun Gong practitioners, the movement also teaches that "homosexuality is not the standard of being human, the priority of Gods will be to eliminate homosexuals and that gays are demonic in nature."<ref>[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/13/975892/-Falun-Gong-The-face-of-Chinese-opposition-or-a-Chinese-scientology Falun Gong: The face of Chinese opposition, or a Chinese Scientology?], ''[[Daily Kos]]''.</ref> Other postings on the internet echo this.<ref>[http://ethxblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/falun-gong-harmless-exercise-fanatics.html Falun Gong — Harmless exercise fanatics, or weird cult?]</ref>

==Pseudoscience==
{{main|Pseudoscience}}
{{Cquote|Clearly, modern science is not perfect, and blindly believing in it will do extreme harm to humanity.|20px|20px|Li Hongzhi, 1998<ref>{{cite book|title=Collected Teachings Given Around the World|volume=I|chapter=Teaching the Fa at the Founding Ceremony of the Singaporean Falun Dafa Association}}</ref>}}
Falun Gong denies the authority of modern science and pushes pseudoscientific ideas.

===Ancient Chinese knowledge > science===
{{main|Appeal to ancient wisdom}}
Falun Gong holds ancient Chinese knowledge to be a superior epistemic system to modern science. For example, Zhuan Falun writes: "Modern equipment is pretty advanced, but I'd say it's still not as good as ancient Chinese medical science."<ref name=SF>[http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/CULTURE-AND-RELIGION-Critics-and-followers-of-2587787.php Critics and followers of Falun Gong / Adherents find fulfillment, but detractors call movement a cult] by Vanessa Hua (4:00 am PST, December 18, 2005) ''San Francisco Chronicle''.</ref>

===Medicine===
As part of the larger Qi Gong movement, Falun Gong endorses [[traditional Chinese medicine]]. Its adherents claim that the techniques they teach are a replacement for [[evidence-based medicine]].<ref name="CritFollow" /> Falun Gong takes a [[Christian science]] approach to illness, denying the reality of pain and disease and believing them to be deceptive misconceptions of the pure spiritual nature of man and God. Furthermore, Falun Gong claims that sickness is the result of [[Reincarnation|past-life]] transgressions.

Because Falun Gong teaches that sickness is the result of karma accrued in past lives, followers often eschew conventional medical treatment, sometimes even in life threatening situations.<ref>Noah Porter, [http://etd.fcla.edu/SF/SFE0000113/FalunGongInTheUS-NoahPorter-Thesis.pdf Falun Gong in the United States].</ref> Former Falun Gong practitioner Ben Hurley noted that several fellow practitioners died as a result of refusals to seek medical treatment, hiding their illnesses from their own families and believing that their diseases were caused by their lack of "righteous thoughts."<ref name="Medium"/>

==="Ancient civilizations" and evolution denial===
Falun Gong seems to be endorsing a view similar to [[evolution denial]] or [[Vedic creationism]]. [[Plate tectonics]] is mentioned immediately after this paragraph, but it is used as evidence ''AGAINST'' [[speciation]], and for ancient civilizations from "tens of million years ago." [[New Age]] concepts imported into China during a 1978-1983 popular science boom such as [[Atlantis]], [[Mu]] and [[Lemuria]] are implicitly mentioned.

{{quotebox|Some people claim, "Our human race evolved from apes." In fact, let me tell you that man did not evolve from apes at all. [[Darwin]] [[Just_a_theory#.22Just.22_a_theory|proposed a theory]], which says, "Man has evolved from apes." When he made public this theory at that time, he brought it out with great trepidation. His theory is full of loopholes and is incomplete, and yet, it has been accepted by people to this day. Please think about it. The evolutionary process that he proposed of apes evolving to man, a process of tens of millions of years, cannot be found. There isn’t one. Why weren’t there such people between apes and human beings? Not just human beings, but other things as well. None of the evolved animals that he referred to had the [[Transitional fossil|transitional process]]. In addition, why are the species that exist on the continent of Australia different from the species that exist on other continents? He could explain none of these. Nevertheless this theory of evolution with all its loopholes has been accepted by human beings. This is indeed strange!
 
In fact, man did not evolve from apes at all in our view, only that there are different species existing in each time period. [[Continental drift|The continental plates on the earth planet inhabited by mankind are shifting and changing]]. [[Geologist]]s call the continents of Asia, Europe, America, North America, and South America the continental plates. The continental plates changed from time to time, and the civilizations on them would sink to the bottom of the waters. Then, another continent would perhaps surface in another ocean, and such changes are continually taking place. Now, people have also discovered huge ancient buildings and the existence of past civilizations under the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, as well as many other oceans. However, upon examination, they are all found to be things that existed several hundred thousand years or several million years ago, or even earlier than that. At least, our present mankind knows that the continental plates have not changed in the past several hundred thousand years. When did they sink to the bottom of the waters then? They definitely sunk very early, several hundred thousand years ago or even earlier than that. Therefore, when different continental plates changed, the species on them were also different. They did not come from evolution. There were similarities, but they were not of the same species.}}

Li Hongzhi claims that a nuclear reactor in Gabon "was constructed two billion years ago and was in operation for 500 thousand years," as evidence of prehistoric civilization.<ref>Zhuah Falun (2014 English Translation)</ref> While the reactor in question definitely exists,<ref>About.com Geology: [http://geology.about.com/od/geophysics/a/aaoklo.htm The Oklo Natural Nuclear Reactor]</ref> all available evidence suggests that it has formed naturally, without any intervention from ancient intelligence.

===Quantum woo===
{{main|Quantum woo}}
Outdated scientific and pseudo-scientific concepts are a large [[Bullshit|source]] for Falun Gong's worldview. They play a smaller part in the propaganda outside China after the crackdown, but they have not been changed in the texts.

{{Quotebox|I am telling everyone that this dimensional layer where mankind lives is between two kinds of particles. As for particles, those of us who have studied physics know that molecules, atoms, nuclei, [[Quantum woo|quarks]], and neutrinos are each a layer of particles. They are physical elements that constitute larger particles. Which layer of particles does mankind exist in? The largest things that we see with human eyes are planets, and the smallest things that we can see under the microscope are molecules. In fact, our mankind just exists in this dimensional layer between the planets and the molecules. We may find it very vast, very extensive, and incomparably big. I say that modern science is not advanced. No matter how far a spacecraft can fly, it cannot fly beyond this physical dimension of ours. However developed a computer is, it cannot match the human brain. [[PIDOOMA|Now the human brain is still a mystery]]. Therefore, the science of mankind is still very shallow.}}

=== Other ===
Li Hongzhi explains gravity as strings pulling objects together, and teaches that it does not exist:<ref>{{cite book|title=Guiding the Voyage|chapter=Fa Teaching Given at the 2001 Canada Fa Conference}}</ref>

{{quotebox|So next I’ll talk about another issue. What issue? You know, the theory of gravity that science believes in nowadays is altogether wrong. What’s behind the phenomenon of gravity as we know it? It happens because all lives and all matter, including air and water, that are on Earth and within the Three Realms—all things that exist in the Three Realms—are composed of particles of all the different levels in the Three Realms, and different particles of different levels are interconnected. This interconnection can, when there’s a pulling force, extend or move within the Three Realms. In other words, when you pull it, it can extend like a rubber band, and when you release it, it will go back. That is, there’s a basic, stable form of existence among particles. This is why any object in this Earth’s environment will come back to the ground after you move it. ... What I was trying to tell you just now is that “gravity” doesn’t exist. It actually is due to the fact that for particles to exist in this setting, they must be interconnected.}}

Li Hongzhi teaches that Mars is hot (even though it is cold):<ref>{{cite book|title=Zhuan Falun|volume=II|chapter=The Decline of the Human Race and Emergence of Enlightened Beings}}</ref>

{{quotebox|It’s similar to how human beings say that the Mars of this dimension is hot, but if one were to break through this dimension, it would prove to be somewhat cold over on the other side.}}

== History  ==
On July 22nd, 1999, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China classified the Falun Dafa Research Association (法轮大法研究会) as an illegal organization.<ref>{{cite journal |author=中华人民共和国民政部 |date= 22 July 1999|title=中华人民共和国民政部关于取缔法轮大法研究会的决定 |url=https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/shuju/1999/gwyb199926.pdf |journal=中华人民共和国国务院公报 |year=1999 |issue=26}}</ref> On the same day, the Central Chinese Television broadcasted "Li Hongzhi: The Man and His Deeds" (李洪志其人其事), accusing Li Hongzhi of falsifying his biography, inciting people to not take medicine, causing deaths, promoting eschatological ideas, lying about Falun Gong's organizational structure, and organizing illegal gatherings.<ref>"李洪志其人其事" aired on China Central Television on 22 July 1999</ref> In a statement published on July 22nd, Li Hongzhi denied the allegations of forbidding people to take medicine and changing his birth date. He claimed that his birth date was misprinted during the Cultural Revolution.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Brif Statement of Mine|url=http://en.minghui.org/emh/download/publications/peacereport_statement.html}}</ref> Later, Chinese state media interviewed alleged witnesses to prove that his new birth date was false.<ref>{{cite news|title=为李洪志接生的潘玉芳指证：李洪志编瞎话改生日|date=29 July 1999|newspaper=People's Daily}}</ref>

==Generic enthusiasm: "full circle"==
An idea that once was prominent in Chinese Falun Gong is Yuan Man or "Consummation/Full Circle",<ref>[http://gb.falundafa.org/chigb/dymf.htm 法輪大法]</ref> a state related to [[Buddhism|Moksha]] but not very specific. (Mis)Intepretation by low-level Falun Gong instructors and [[missionaries]] often blends this idea into the more indigenous notion of an [[Bullshit|afterlife]], so self-flagellation from removal of palatine uvula to ritual suicides are not uncommon even a few years after the crackdown. Today, it is redefined after the more sane Moksha.

==Associated organizations==
Scholars have noted the embracement of Falun Gong by mainstream media in the Western world, often minimizing its woo and depicting it as simply a series of harmless exercises.<ref>Chang 2004, pp 91</ref><ref>Kavan, Heather. Print Media Coverage of Falun Gong in Australia and New Zealand [online]. In: Horsfield, Peter (Editor). Papers from the Trans-Tasman Research Symposium, 'Emerging Research in Media, Religion and Culture'. Melbourne, Vic.: RMIT Publishing, 2005: 74-85. EISBN: 192116669X. Cited 30 Jun 17.</ref><ref>[http://www.swans.com/library/art14/barker03.htmlWaging Democracy On China]</ref> This is aided by Falun Gong's ability to mobilize its supporters quickly and its penchant for lawsuits and protests. News publications often uncritically publish information from press releases created by Falun Gong affiliated groups.<ref>Kavan 2008</ref>

===''The Epoch Times''===
{{cquote|[[Truthiness|Truth]] and [[Tradition]]|||The slogan of ''Epoch Times'' since about 2019<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190701000000*/https://www.theepochtimes.com/ ''Epoch Times''] — archived copies</ref> — it's not so much of either as detailed by [[Media Bias/Fact Check]] and its Beyond Science section}}
[[File:Epoch Times in Manhattan.jpg|thumb|right|165px|''Epoch Times'' for sale in Manhattan: 25¢ for you, free elsewhere]]
Falun Gong publishes the widely-distributed and multilingual newspaper ''Epoch Times''.<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/about-us/ Epoch Times website]</ref><ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/CULTURE-AND-RELIGION-Dissident-media-linked-to-2587555.php Dissident media linked to Falun Gong / Chinese-language print, broadcast outlets in U.S. are making waves] by Vanessa Hua (4:00 am, Sunday, December 18, 2005) ''San Francisco Chronicle''.</ref> Besides its usual anti-[[PRC]] diatribes that ask readers to "resign" from the Chinese Communist Party regardless of actual membership, the paper often publishes [[woo]] and [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracies]] such as [[chemtrails]],<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/health/nervous-system-damage-from-the-sky-304997.html Nervous-System Damage From the Sky] by Louise McCoy, ''Epoch Times'' October 18, 2012.</ref> [[UFOs]],<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1507778-ufo-sightings-on-the-rise-in-china-with-more-predicted/ UFO Sightings on the Rise in China, With More Predicted] by Michelle Yu (October 5, 2010 AT 12:28 AM; Last Updated: October 1, 2015 6:52 pm) ''Epoch Times''.</ref> and an entire section titled "Beyond Science."<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/c/science/beyond-science/ Beyond Science] ''Epoch Times''.</ref> The Beyond Science section includes such things as "12 Million-Year-Old Vehicle Tracks",<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2166932-12-million-year-old-vehicle-tracks-found-in-stone-claims-geologist/ 12 Million-Year-Old Vehicle Tracks Found in Stone, Claims Geologist] by Tara MacIsaac (October 9, 2016 10:25 AM; Last Updated: October 9, 2016 9:28 pm) ''Epoch Times''.</ref> ancient [[Sumeria]]n spaceships,<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2167556-iraqi-transport-minister-announces-that-sumerians-launched-spaceships-7000-years-ago/ Iraqi Transport Minister Announces That Sumerians Launched Spaceships 7,000 Years Ago] by April Holloway (October 5, 2016 4:17 PM) ''Epoch Times''.</ref> and hype over meditation<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2157904-supernormal-abilities-developed-through-meditation-dr-dean-radin-discusses/ Supernormal Abilities Developed Through Meditation: Dr. Dean Radin Discusses] by Tara MacIsaac (September 29, 2016 AT 10:16 AM) ''Epoch Times''.</ref> and [[near-death experience]]s.<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2133232-increased-mental-clarity-in-near-death-experiences-suggests-mind-exists-separately-from-brain-study/ Mental Clarity During Near-Death Experiences Suggests Mind Exists Apart From Brain: Study] by Tara MacIsaac (August 6, 2016 AT 4:55 PM Last Updated: August 7, 2016 9:23 am) ''Epoch Times''.</ref>

Former employees noted the secrecy of the publication's ownership and funding, and tendency to promote [[red-baiting]] as well as anti-abortion and homophobic views.<ref name="NBCNews"/> Other former writers noted its almost slave labor-like work environment, where they need to meet a quota of writing five articles per day and reaching 100,000 views, and are paid in "virtue," a "white substance in another dimension that you gain when you do good things."<ref name="Medium">[https://medium.com/@Ben_D_Hurley/-10677166298b Me and Li — Why I left Falun Gong after being a devoted believer for a decade] Ben Hurley. Medium, October 23, 2017</ref> Falun Gong-associated editors then remove mentions of issues which conflict with "[[traditional values]]" as well as those unfavorable to Trump.<ref name="NBCNews"/> This is not surprising since it was promoted by Chris Kitze of fake new website [[Before It's News]].<ref>Clifton, Eli, [https://quincyinst.org/2020/05/26/this-nbc-executive-became-a-conspiracy-king-and-a-pro-trump-media-boss/ This NBC executive became a conspiracy king and a pro-Trump media boss]. ''Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft''. May 26, 2020</ref>

In 2015, taking advantage of social anxieties over the refugee crisis, the [[Germany|German]] edition has taken an [[Islamophobia|anti-Muslim]] bent, with [[fake news|unverified stories]] such as German schools banning [[Christianity|Christian]] festivals to appease Muslims<ref>[http://www.epochtimes.de/politik/deutschland/ruecksicht-auf-fluechtlinge-sankt-martins-fest-soll-in-lichterfest-umbenannt-werden-a1280487.html Rücksicht auf Flüchtlinge: Sankt-Martins-Fest soll in "Lichterfest" umbenannt werden] ''Epoch Times'', 31. Oktober 2015 14:01</ref> and a gang of refugees kidnapping and raping a German schoolgirl,<ref>[http://www.epochtimes.de/politik/deutschland/berlin-13-jaehriges-maedchen-30-stunden-lang-von-migranten-entfuehrt-und-vergewaltigt-a1299783.html Berlin: 13-Jährige 30 Stunden lang entführt und vergewaltigt]</ref> as well as outright [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] claims such as the [[Rothschild family]] profiting from the refugee crisis, sourced from a far right conspiracy website.<ref>[https://www.epochtimes.de/politik/welt/rothschild-und-die-asyl-industrie-das-lukrative-geschaeft-mit-den-fluechtlingen-a1261679.html Rothschild und die Asyl-Industrie: Das lukrative Geschäft mit den Flüchtlingen] ''Epoch Times''. 15. August 2015</ref> A German media report found that the paper offers favorable coverage of right wing populist and anti-immigrant groups like [[Alternative für Deutschland]] and [[PEGIDA]], presenting them as "guardians of democracy," and accuses German public broadcasters of "media bias." Its staff, mostly made up of practitioners of Falun Gong, are untrained in the basics of journalism and fact checking. They have a reputation of publishing almost anything, including claims that Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] is attempting to transform German society by [[The Great Replacement|replacing White Germans with Muslim refugees]].<ref name="NewRepublic">[https://newrepublic.com/article/155076/obscure-newspaper-fueling-far-right-europe The Obscure Newspaper Fueling the Far-Right in Europe: The conspiratorial bent of The Epoch Times is forging common cause with European nationalists.] by Seth Hettena (September 17, 2019) ''The New Republic''.</ref> So far, its attempts to bed German far right [[clickbait|has paid off]], gathering over 4 million views in January 2016, and becoming one of the favorite media sources of PEGIDA supporters.<ref>[http://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/media/german-edition-of-falun-gongs-epoch-times-aligns-far-right The German Edition of Falun Gong’s ‘Epoch Times’ Aligns with the Far Right] Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, China File. September 23, 2017</ref><ref>[http://meedia.de/2016/03/18/kopp-sputnik-epoch-times-co-nachrichten-aus-einem-rechten-paralleluniversum/ Kopp, Sputnik, Epoch Times & Co: Nachrichten aus einem rechten Paralleluniversum] Stefan Winterbauer, Meedia. March 13, 2016</ref>

The French edition of Epoch Times has promoted far right politicians such as [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] and his daughter [[Marine Le Pen]].<ref name="NewRepublic"/>

The paper is heavily supportive of [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hayesbrown/epoch-times-trump-administration-falun-gong|title=The Epoch Times Really, Really Loves The Trump Administration|work=BuzzFeed News|access-date=2018-10-22|language=en}}</ref> One of its editorials praised Trump for "changing America's socialist policies."<ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/a-letter-to-our-readers-regarding-buzzfeeds-reporting-about-the-epoch-times_2697534.html A letter to our readers regarding Buzzfeed's reporting about The Epoch Times]</ref> The paper supports Trump to the degree of outright promoting conspiracy theories such as [[QAnon]]<ref name="NBCNews">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1044121|title=Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times|author=Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins|date=August 20, 2019|publisher=NBC News}}</ref> and Spygate, which denies the [[Trump-Russia connection]].<ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/spygate-the-true-story-of-collusion_2684629.html Spygate The True Story of Collusion]</ref> It regularly publishes articles supporting Trump's policies, including supporting his border wall with Mexico,<ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/president-trump-build-the-wall_2802841.html President Trump, Build the Wall]</ref> his brand of [[jingoism|US nationalism]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190615113328/https://www.theepochtimes.com/why-we-should-embrace-president-trumps-nationalism_2817896.html Why We Should Embrace President Trump’s Nationalism] by Carol M. Swain (February 28, 2019 Updated: February 28, 2019) ''The Epoch Times'' (archived from June 15, 2019).</ref> and referring to [[red-baiting|climate change advocacy and government welfare as communism]].<ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/government-welfare-a-cancer-known-as-communism_2787169.html Government Welfare: A Cancer Known as Communism]</ref><ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-end-game-of-climate-change-socialism_2692791.html The End Game of Climate Change Socialism]</ref>

In August 2019, [[Facebook]] banned The Epoch Times from [[advertising]] on its site because it had violated its political ad transparency policies by creating [[sockpuppet]] accounts that bought $2 million worth of pro-Trump ads while disguising the original source of the ads.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/epoch-times-begins-hiding-its-connection-huge-pro-trump-ad-n1045416 Facebook bans ads from The Epoch Times after huge pro-Trump buy: By hiding its multimillion-dollar dark money ad spend, the organization bypassed Facebook's political advertising transparency rules.] by Brandy Zadrozny & Ben Collins (Aug. 22, 2019, 2:04 PM PDT / Updated Aug. 26, 2019, 10:22 AM PDT) ''NBC News''.</ref>

During the [[2019-20 COVID-19 outbreak]], Epoch Times has spread misinformation about the virus being manufactured by the Chinese government, and echoing Donald Trump, began referring to it as the CCP Virus.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.euronews.com/2020/05/06/coronavirus-super-spreaders-of-covid-19-misinformation-on-facebook-identified |title=Coronavirus: 'Super-spreaders' of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook identified | first=Matthew |last=Holroyd |date=4 May 2020|work=Euronews}}</ref> Special issues were [[spam]]med to politicians and residents alike in several countries, including Canada, Australia, and the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/internet/2020/04/councillors-politicians-uk-trump-conspiracy-theory-outlet-epoch-times-coronavirus |title=How US conspiracy theorists are targeting local government in the UK |website=New Statesman | first=Sarah |last=Manavis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Bellemare|first=Andrea|last2=Ho|first2=Jason|last3=Nicholson|first3=Katie|date=April 29, 2020|title=Some Canadians who received unsolicited copy of Epoch Times upset by claim that China was behind virus|work=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/epoch-times-coronavirus-bioweapon-1.5548217}}</ref> Epoch Times also produced a widely viewed "documentary" supporting its claims, which was flagged by Facebook as fake news, but nevertheless gained prominence among wingnuts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scientists Haven’t Found Proof The Coronavirus Escaped From A Lab In Wuhan. Trump Supporters Are Spreading The Rumor Anyway.|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/coronavirus-rumors-escape-lab-china-fox-news-trump|website=BuzzFeed News|language=en}}</ref> The video falsely linked COVID-19 with [[HIV/AIDS|HIV]] based on the existence of similar sequences, which it uses as "proof" that the virus was manmade, even though similar sequences can be found in other viruses and lifeforms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://healthfeedback.org/viral-video-promotes-the-unsupported-hypothesis-that-sars-cov-2-is-a-bioengineered-virus-released-from-a-wuhan-research-laboratory/ |title=Viral video promotes the unsupported hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 is a bioengineered virus released from a Wuhan research laboratory |website=Health Feedback |date=17 April 2020}}</ref> Among the [[crank]]s cited was [[wp:Judy Mikovits|Judy Mikovits]], a disgraced former biochemistry researcher turned conspiracy theorist and [[anti-vaccination movement|anti-vaccination activist]], who claimed that COVID-19 is no worse than the flu and does not require vaccination, and that it is activated by wearing face masks.<ref>[https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/internet/2020/04/councillors-politicians-uk-trump-conspiracy-theory-outlet-epoch-times-coronavirus How US conspiracy theorists are targeting local government in the UK] by Sarah Manavis (21 April 2020) ''New Statesman''.</ref>

The paper heavily promoted falsehoods about the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]] and publicized the [[2021 U.S. Capitol riot]]. After the latter turned into an outright insurrection, the paper backpedaled and claimed it was an [[Antifa]] false flag.<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/inside-the-epoch-times-a-mysterious-pro-trump-newspaper/617645/ MAGA-land’s Favorite Newspaper] by Simon van Zuylen-Wood. ''The Atlantis'', Jan 13 2021</ref>

In June 2024, the Justice Department of the United States indicted the Chief Financial Officer of Epoch Times, Weidong "Bill" Guan, on one count of money laundering (to the tune of at least $67 million) and two counts of bank fraud. According to prosecutors, Guan ran a sprawling transnational scheme between 2020 and 2024 to buy prepaid debit cards on the Internet using [[cryptocurrency]] and then deposit the cards' money into both personal and Epoch Times corporate accounts. Many of the debit cards were loaded with illegally obtained funds. According to prosecutors, the allegedly fraudulently-obtained money increased ''The Epoch Times'' revenue by nearly 400 percent in just one year.<ref>[https://archive.ph/1JJQq "Epoch Times Executive Accused of Laundering $67 Million"] by Ken Bensinger and Charles Homans, New York Times, 2024 June 3, archived 2024 June 4</ref><ref>[https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/chief-financial-officer-multinational-media-company-charged-participating-scheme "Chief Financial Officer Of Multinational Media Company Charged With Participating In Scheme To Launder At Least $67 Million In Fraud Proceeds"], Press Release, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York</ref>

===Shen Yun===
''Shen Yun Performing Arts'' (神韵艺术团) is an performing arts group created by Falun Gong practitioners and headed by Li Hongzhi. It presents itself as "a presentation of traditional Chinese culture as it once was: a study in grace, wisdom, and the virtues distilled from the five millennia of Chinese civilization."<ref>[http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/performance/about-the-performance. Shen Yun about itself]</ref> Shen Yun promotional websites disclose their connection to political Falun Gong activism.<ref>[http://www.shenyun.com/spirituality/challenges-we-face. Falun Dafa affliation]</ref> Theater material such as the program and sales literature prominently disclose this connection. This doesn't mean it isn't propaganda; it is, since politics is mixed into their performances, either in the narration between performances, the lyrics of songs (with translated supertitles projected on a screen), and traditional Chinese dance performances.<ref>[http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/16862324/article-Shen-Yun-returns-%E2%80%98Divine%E2%80%99-Chinese-cultural-phenomenon-coming-to-NYC-area-?instance=entertainment_most_popular E. Assata Wright of ''The Hudson Reporter'' on Shen Yun]</ref><ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/feb/25/dance Judith Mitchell of ''The Guardian'' on Shen Yun]</ref>

One attendee stated: "We paid a premium for seats that would provide us an excellent view of Chinese tradition. Instead, we contributed unwittingly to a religious movement that denies evolution and science, claims the earth was inhabited by aliens, demonizes atheists and homosexuals, and condemns mixed marriages."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theledger.com/article/20160119/opinion/608075581|title=Letter: Propaganda posing as entertainment|last=Whittemore|first=Walter|authorlink=|date=|website=The Ledger|access-date=2019-01-07}}</ref> Another reviewer from ''The New Yorker'' noted song lyrics such as "We follow Dafa, the Great Way …&nbsp;[[Atheism]] and [[evolution]] are [[creationism|deadly ideas]]. [[Good old days|Modern trends destroy what makes us human]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun|title=Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun|last1=Jia|first1=Tolentino|date=2019-03-19|website=New Yorker|accessdate=20 March 2019}}</ref>

In 2024, Shen Yun was sued by one of their former dancers, Chang Chun-Ko, accusing them of forced labor and human trafficking.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2024/11/26/shen-yun-dance-group-lawsuit-explained/ What to know about Shen Yun and the child labor accusations: The dance and music group was accused of forced labor and trafficking in a new lawsuit Monday.] by Herb Scribner (November 26, 2024 at 2:31 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

An extraordinarily large amount of money is spent on Shen Yun advertising; 62% of Shen Yun Performing Arts Inc.'s budget ($18.5 million in 2017) is spent on it.<ref name=gafni>[https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Behind-the-blitz-Falun-Gong-practitioners-spend-14966684.php Behind the blitz: Falun Gong practitioners spend millions on Shen Yun ads. How do they do it?] by Matthias Gafni (Jan. 11, 2020) ''San Francisco Chronicle''. See the 9<sup>th</sup> graphic for the budget figures.</ref> This compares to only 7.5% of budget for the average company.<ref name=gafni/> Shen Yun is apparently able to maintain this budget lopsidedness based on having a very large number of volunteers (Falun Gong members) and a low average wage for employees (<$30,000).<ref name=gafni/> The financial structure of Shen Yun does seem to confirm the propagandistic nature of the performance.

===Dragon Springs compound===
Master Li currently resides in a compound called Dragon Springs in New York state, which housed temples, schools, and residences of the Shen Yun performers.<ref name="NBCNews"/> Former practitioners noted Li's control of the compound, which restricts [[Internet]] access, [[Alternative medicine|discourages]] modern medicine, and promoted arranged relationships.<ref>Pasley, James. [https://www.businessinsider.com.au/dragon-springs-falun-gong-upstate-new-york-compound-photos-2019-9 Inside Dragon Springs, the high-security compound in upstate New York that's home to a 'cult' tyrannized by China] Business Insider, Sep 10, 2019</ref>

===New Tang Dynasty Television===
''New Tang Dynasty Television'' (新唐人電視臺), also known as ''NTD'', is a Falun Gong-run satellite TV station. The name of the station refers to bringing back the "[[good old days]]" of the [[Tang dynasty]]. The channel's now-closed website stated its mission is to "promote uncensored information on China; to restore and promote traditional Chinese culture; and to facilitate mutual understanding between the East and West." The channel's former annual ''Chinese New Year Spectacular'' special (which ran from 2004-2006) didn't even try to hide the channel's connection to Falun Gong, with it usually taking a break from Chinese performances to show messaging and imagery sympathetic to Falun Gong, as well as "artistic representations of the persecution of practitioners in China."

NTD also is behind the [[QAnon]]-promoting [[YouTube]] channel "Edge of Wonder."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-qanon-impending-judgment-day-behind-facebook-fueled-rise-epoch-n1044121|title=Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times|website=NBC News|language=en|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> A reporter for ''The Daily Dot'' states that the channel's hosts "embrace QAnon completely" even though "almost nothing QAnon has foretold has actually taken place."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/edge-wonder-qanon-youtube/|title=This massive YouTube channel is normalizing QAnon|last=Rothschild|first=Nike|date=August 27, 2019|website=Daily Dot|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref>

===Gan Jing World===
Gan Jing World is a video platform and one of the projects within the Falun Dafa community. It is described as a "wholesome digital town square" that lifts feel-good videos from [[YouTube]], often without consent, and republishes them on their platform (naturally sandwiched between advertisements for Falun Gong products).<ref>[https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/unpacking-gan-jing-world.php "Unpacking Gan Jing World"] by Sarah Grevy Gotfredsen, Columbia Journalism Review, 0224 March 19</ref> In 2024, YouTube sued Gan Jing World, stating that "Ganjingworld takes advantage of YouTube creators by stealing their content to create a clone of YouTube".<ref>{{cite web|title=YouTube Sues Gan Jing World, Accusing Video Site of ‘Stealing’ Content to ‘Create a Clone of YouTube’|date=18 December 2024|url=https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/youtube-lawsuit-gan-jing-world-1236252402/}}</ref>

===Other associated businesses===
Falun Gong is associated with several other (largely online) businesses. Many of these businesses deny any direct connection to Falun Gong; however, these claims often fall apart when closely scrutinized by media outlets.<ref name="gongbiz">[https://web.archive.org/web/20240814091712/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/falun-gong-epoch-times-middletown.html "The Little Town Being Taken Over by Falun Gong From stores to Kevin Sorbo, the sect runs a quiet business empire, and it’s centered upstate."] by William Bredderman, NYMag Intelligencer, 2024 August 14, archived on 2024 August 14</ref><ref name="snopesbl">[https://www.snopes.com/news/2019/10/11/pro-trump-outlet-linked-epoch-times/ "EXCLUSIVE: Expanding Pro-Trump Outlet 'The BL' Is Closely Linked to The Epoch Times"] by Jordan Liles and Alex Kasprak, Snopes, 2019 October 11</ref>
* ''BestGift.com'': A white senior citizen-targeted online store that bills itself as "an official retail partner of ''The Epoch Times''".<ref name="gongbiz"/>
* ''Beauty of Life'' aka ''The BL'': Essentially a former ''Epoch Times'' clone with a similarly large presence on [[Facebook]].<ref name="snopesbl"/> Offline since February 2023.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230101000000*/thebl.com TheBl.com archive.org history]</ref>
* ''Beauty Within'': A [[YouTube]] channel hawking Asian cosmetics, hosted by a pair of influencers named Rowena Tsai and Felicia Lee. Also an online cosmetics boutique.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240606233710/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/inside-the-epoch-times-a-mysterious-pro-trump-newspaper/617645/ "MAGA-LAND’S FAVORITE NEWSPAPER: How The Epoch Times became a pro-Trump propaganda machine in an age of plague and insurrection​​​"] by Simon van Zuylen-Wood, Atlantic, 2021 January 13, archived on 2024 June 6</ref><ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/epoch-times-and-ntd/these-youtube-skin-care-influencers-are-linked-epoch-times-and-new-tang-dynasty "These YouTube skin-care influencers are linked to The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty"] by Justin Horowitz, Media Matters for America, 2021 June 8</ref>
* ''Dayes Coffee'': A supposedly "enzyme-fermented" coffee hawked by the Epoch Times that, without evidence, claims to be free of a toxic mold that supposedly exists in regular coffee.<ref name="gongbiz"/>
* ''Youlucky.biz'': A website that translates ''Epoch Times'' YouTube series and other Falun Gong content for Chinese-speaking diaspora.<ref name="gongbiz"/>

In 2024, Falun Gong noticed the earnings potential of "Christsploitation" films (e.g. {{wpl|Exploitation film|exploitation films}} that target [[evangelicals]]), as shown by recent films in the genre like [[Sound of Freedom]]. So they launched Epoch Studios in order to create their own profitable "Christian schlock" genre entries. Their first film, ''The Firing Squad'', was released on August 2 2024. The film is a prison drama loosely based on the {{wpl|Bali Nine}} Australian drug smugglers and starred ''[[God's Not Dead]]'' actor [[Kevin Sorbo]].<ref name="gongbiz"/><ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epoch-studios-faith-movie-firing-squad-rcna158822 "Epoch Times, the conspiratorial pro-Trump outlet, enters a new market: Faith-based movies"] by Erik Ortiz and Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 2024 July 8</ref>

==Falun Gong and politics==
Initially, Li Hongzhi told his believers to "Never get involved in politics, nor interfere with state affairs."<ref>{{cite book|title=Essentials for Further Advancement|chapter=Dafa Will Forever be Pure Like Diamond}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=nterview with Li Hongzhi|url=https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2053761,00.html}}</ref> However, Falun Gong does not consider opposing the Chinese Communist Party as engaging in politics.

===Quitting the Party===
Since 2004, Falun Gong has encouraged members of the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations to declare that they have quit these organizations; more specifically, they advocate "三退" (the three quits): quitting not just from the Party but also its affiliated organizations, including the Young Pioneers of China and the Communist Youth League, into which many Chinese are initiated. The English name of "三退" is ''Tuidang''. The purpose of participating in ''Tuidang'' is to renounce to any ties with the Chinese Communist Party.

Many of the criticisms they raise of the Chinese Communist Party in their ''Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party'' (《九评共产党》) are completely legitimate political criticisms of an authoritarian and oppressive party, albeit written in the style of a [[Joseph McCarthy|McCarthyite]] polemic. However, Falun Gong's advocacy for quitting the Communist Party is not simple political advocacy; it carries a strong [[eschatological]] bent, as evident in the catchphrase "退党保平安" (''tuì dǎng bǎo píng Ān''; quitting the Party ensures your peace and safety).

The number of people who participate in ''Tuidang'' is counted by the Quit CCP website. As of 2022, the Quit CCP website reported that 400 million Chinese people have renounced the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Four Hundred Million Chinese Quit the CCP|url=https://global.tuidang.org/2022/07/24/four-hundred-million-chinese-quit-the-ccp-a-free-china-in-the-making/}}</ref> This is implausible, because the total membership of these organizations is less than 300 million. Furthermore, dead people and people from dreams can be included in ''Tuidang'' declarations.

According to Falun Gong teachings, those who have joined the Chinese Communist Party or its affiliated organizations must announce their separation from them in order to avoid the wrath of God. According to one Falun Gong website, the Chinese Communist Party is [[Satanic]] in nature, with the Great Red Dragon in the [[Book of Revelation]] being the "manifestation of the Communist Party in a different realm."<ref name="fadushi">{{cite web|title=从发毒誓谈起为什么要退党|publisher=真像网|url=https://dafahao.com/swear-quit-the-party.html}} Archived at [http://archive.is/65MJE].</ref> People who have been sworn into the ranks of the Communist Party or its affiliated organizations have therefore acquired the [[mark of the Beast]] and will perish when "the Heavens destroy the Chinese Communist Party" unless they "announce [their] departure from these organizations of the Chinese Communist Party [and thereby] wipe away the mark of the Beast."<ref name="fadushi"/><ref>{{cite book|first=Hongzhi|last=Li|title=Collected Teachings Given Around the World|volume=X|chapter=Fa Teaching at the Minghui 10th Anniversary Conference|quote=Once everyone has learned the truth, the persecution will have no way to carry on, and the wicked CCP will fall from power. But what we do is not for the purpose of toppling it; rather, it is for saving sentient beings. The persecutor will have brought itself down, and the sentient beings will have dissolved it. The wicked CCP is the archfiend, and so when we dissolve it we aim at the evil factors behind it, at the sinister Party’s form in this world, and not at actual people. And that is why we ask people to quit the Party, to break from the wicked Party and escape from the evil’s grip.}}</ref>

===Political movement or harmless religious group?===
Attitudes towards Falun Gong are sharply divided.<ref name="CritFollow">[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/18/MNGGAG8MO31.DTL Critics and followers of Falun Gong]</ref> Chinese government sources charged that the group was a threat to social stability and was seeking to overthrow the government,<ref>[http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/199908/02/enc_19990802001003_TopNews.html One example]</ref> while supporters [[Code word|argue]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://money.163.com/15/0712/15/AUB7S9C000253B0H.html | title=公安部揭开"维权"黑幕 北京锋锐律所多名律师被拘| publisher= Beijing Evening News|quote=炒作. lawfirm shut down for fabricating human rights cases. They represented falun gong cases and publicly accused the government of persecuting them for doing so.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://baike.baidu.com/item/炒作/493053 | title=炒作}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://hd.cnki.net/ | title=中国学术期刊电子杂志社 (China state dictionary) |quote= literal character meaning is, "cooked up." combined character meaning is to make up for the purpose of self-promotion or profit.}}</ref> that they are being oppressed because the group had grown too large and its beliefs conflicted with the government's [[atheist]] philosophy.<ref>Vivienne Shue, "Legitimacy Crisis in China?".</ref> Public perceptions in the English-speaking world are skewed by the highly successful public relations campaigns operated by Falun Gong practitioners, and knee-jerk [[red scare|McCarthyite paranoia]] about the Chinese government.{{efn|The {{wpl|Falun Gong}} Wikipedia article, which completely whitewashes the organization, is currently under discretionary sanctions imposed after a 2007 arbitration.}} The group also has attracted significant support among the Western political establishment, and receives funding from the National Endowment for Democracy, although it is questionable whether they are actually aware of Falun Gong's teachings.<ref>[http://www.swans.com/library/art14/barker04.html The Project For A New American Humanitarianism: Olympian Ambitions from Darfur to Tibet and Beijing] by Michael Barker (August 25, 2008) ''Swans''.</ref> For instance, in 2001, some San Francisco lawmakers nominated Li Hongzhi for a [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]], only to have the nomination withdrawn after becoming aware of his homophobia.<ref name="Mercury News">Lubman, Sarah ["A Chinese Battle on U.S. Soil" in San Jose Mercury News (23 December 2001)] retrieved 1 Jul 2017</ref>
The Chinese National Press and Publication Administration banned the sale of Falun Gong books in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|title=中华人民共和国新闻出版署关于重申有关法轮功出版物处理意见的通知|url=https://www.gmw.cn/01gmrb/1999-07/24/GB/GM%5E18127%5E1%5EGM2-2407.HTM|date=24 July 1999}}</ref>In the same year, Li Hongzhi started to apply for immigration to the United States.<ref>景占义, "我所认识的李洪志"</ref> A crackdown on the movement formally began after a 1999 incident in which ten thousand practitioners quietly surrounded the CCP compound in Beijing to request legal recognition in response to a teens' magazine article that attacked the practice.<ref name=BP>Benjamin Penny (2012) "The Religion of Falun Gong"</ref><ref name="nyt">New York Times: [http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/30/weekinreview/the-world-rooting-out-falun-gong-china-makes-war-on-mysticism.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Rooting Out Falun Gong; China Makes War on Mysticism]</ref> The government produced, among others, a videotape called ''Falun Gong – Cult of Evil'' and a comic book titled ''Li Hongzhi: The Man and His Evil Deeds''. They accused Li of being a fraud, a "swindler," a rich tax evader, a decadent patron of foreign casinos and brothels and a "[[Godwin's Law|despotic tyrant like Hitler]]." Even the description on the official arrest and bounty warrant was insulting: "Li is about 1.78 meters in height with slanted eyebrows, single-edged eyelids, a little bit fat…"<ref>Washinton Post:http://www.culteducation.com/group/1254-falun-gong/6727-for-whom-the-gong-tolls.html</ref>

Scholars such as Maria Chang argued that the crackdown on Falun Gong is simply the most visible part of the Chinese government's "anti-superstition" campaign against all unregistered religious groups, of which a large number are New Age and Buddhism-based groups, which also include the [[Unification Church]].<ref>Chang 2004, pp 145</ref> Chang also notes the role of millenarian movements and secret societies in overthrowing the Chinese emperors of the past, which included the Yellow Turbans, White Lotus Society, [[Hong Xiuquan|Taiping Heavenly Kingdom]], and Boxers, which naturally made the communist party grow wary of perceived challenges to its power.<ref>Chang 2004, pp 59</ref><ref group=note>Ironically, many of the founding members of the CCP itself were also members of secret societies.</ref>

===Scapegoat supreme===
[[File:Destruction d'ouvrages du Falun Gong lors de la répression de 1999 en Chine.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Destruction of Falun Gong writings, 1999.]]
Before the crackdown, Falun Gong had been promoted and sponsored by regional governments as a healthy traditional/indigenous form of exercise. This led to a large number of people in the Chinese police, jurisdiction and [[propaganda]] systems becoming practitioners.{{fact}} It is still debated whether Falun Gong actively extended its structure to gain a power hold, or if some opposition inside the party used connections made through Falun Gong infrastructure for their own benefit.

It has been alleged that Jiang Zemin began the persecution of Falun Gong as a means to repair his own suffering popularity. Of particular note is that he used his power over the military and police to create the 610 Office, a paramilitary security organization loyal to the CCP. Its primary goal was to investigate and apprehend people thought of as threats to the CCP. Its primary target of suppression includes Falun Gong, although house church [[Christians]], [[Buddhists]] and other religious or spiritual groups are also included.<ref>[https://jamestown.org/program/the-610-office-policing-the-chinese-spirit/#.VoSzHlLrx_s "The 610 Office: Policing the Chinese Spirit"] by Sarah Cook & Leeshai Lemish (September 16, 2011 04:28 PM) ''The Jamestown Foundation: China Brief'' 11(17).</ref> Discrimination against Falun Gong continued with his successor [[Hu Jintao]].<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/18/china-falun-gong-crackdown China's Falun Gong crackdown: 'The persecution is almost underground': The daughter of two held followers and a former detainee tell of continuing abuse 10 years after China launched its crackdown] by Peter Beaumont (18 Jul 2009 08.57 EDT) ''The Guadian''.</ref> Under [[Xi Jinping]], his rival, allegations of forced organ harvesting from political prisoners, including Falun Gong, continue.<ref>[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/29/does-china-harvest-organs-from-living-prisoners.html Does China Harvest Organs From Living Prisoners? A new PBS documentary examines claims that China collects organs from live and dead prisoners to traffic on its massive black market.] by Nina Strochlic (Updated Apr. 14, 2017 9:32AM ET; Published Sep. 29, 2015 5:05PM ET) ''Daily Beast''.</ref>

=== Political involvement in other countries ===
In Australia, the group is on friendly terms with the allegedly xenophobic and [[far-right]] group [[Party For Freedom (Australia)|Party For Freedom]], which campaigned [[irony|against Chinese investment]] in Australia.<ref>[https://www.partyforfreedom.org.au/2014/05/06/film-night-on-chinese-government-harvesting-organs/]</ref> Furthermore, in 2016, a Falun Gong activist and [[irony|organizer of multicultural festivals]], Shan Ju Lin, was pre-selected as the candidate for the xenophobic [[One Nation]] party, where she claimed that Australia is being taken over by the Chinese Communist Party, and that all the "[[No True Scotsman|good Asians]]" will vote for her.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-21/one-nation-candidate-shan-ju-lin-defends-pauline-hanson/8135684 One Nation's Shan Ju Lin defends Pauline Hanson, says she fears Chinese Government will 'take over'] by Kristian Silva (Updated 21 Dec 2016, 12:07am) ''ABC News'' (Australia).</ref> Later on, she was dumped by One Nation due to her homophobic comments where she proclaimed that "gays should be treated as patients" and "abnormal sex behaviour leads to abnormal crime."<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-08/one-nation-pauline-hanson-dumps-anti-gay-candidate-shan-ju-lin/8168388 One Nation dumps anti-gay 'ratbag' candidate Shan Ju Lin] by Gail Burke & Kym Agius (Updated 7 Jan 2017, 9:16pm) ''ABC News'' (Australia).</ref> Apparently, she is the wrong type of bigot to run for One Nation. In spite of this, the New South Wales chairman of One Nation, Bob Vinnicombe, also serves as a Falun Gong activist.<ref>[https://antifascistactionsydney.wordpress.com/2017/05/01/bob-vinnicombe/]</ref>

===Allegations of satellite sabotage===
From June 23, 2002 to August 7, 2007, Chinese civil communication satellites including Sino I, Asia Pacific Sat VI and Asia 3S were hacked 252 times with a total of 160 hours by the Falun Gong organization.<ref>[http://www.facts.org.cn/ebook/200812/P020081202481849555986.pdf Infringement of public interests by Falun Gong], Chapter 2 Harassment Goes Everywhere (page 11)</ref> According to the International Telecommunication Union, it is illegal to deliberately disrupt or jam normal satellite TV broadcasting.

On the evening of March 5, 2002, the trunk fiber optical cables in Jilin Province's cities of Changchun and Songyuan (Li Hongzhi's hometown) were cut off by Falun Gong members and reconnected to programs produced by the cult. Thousands of local citizens failed to receive the normal TV signals.

===Victims of organ harvesting?===
[[File:Organ Harvesting Press Conference-David Kilgour-Belgium.jpg|thumb|right|165px|David Kilgour at a conference in Brussels (2006), discussing the allegations of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China]]
In 2006, the Kilgour-Matas report was released by {{wpl|David Kilgour||,}} [[Canadian]] Minister of Parliament and former-Secretary of State, and {{wpl|David Matas||,}} human rights lawyer and counsel of the [[Zionist]] organization {{wpl|B'nai B'rith}}, which suggested that Falun Gong members have been subject to involuntary organ harvesting.<ref name=kilgour2006>[http://www.david-kilgour.com/2006/Kilgour-Matas-organ-harvesting-rpt-July6-eng.pdf Report Into Allegations Of Organ Harvesting Of Falun Gong Practitioners In China] by David Matas and David Kilgour (6 July 2006).</ref> Similar claims have been produced by journalist Ethan Gutmann, who also alleges organ harvesting targeted members of the Uyghur ethnic minority group in the 1990s.<ref>Ethan Gutmann, "China’s Gruesome Organ Harvest," ''The Weekly Standard'', Nov 24 2008</ref> This seems like only a minor inconvenience as practitioners can simply regrow removed organs overnight.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.pureinsight.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/Ebook_Cultivation%20Stories_0.pdf |title=Ebook: Falun Dafa Practitioners’ Cultivation Stories|page=132, 145|publisher=Zhengjian/PureInsight editorial team|date=May 1, 2018|quote="The doctor said, “Your womb has been severed. What method did you use for treatment? How come a new womb has grown?” Dongmei said, “I just practice Falun Gong.”"}}</ref> The [[United Nations]] Committee on Torture called on China to schedule an independent investigation into the allegations.<ref name=marketwireun2>MARKET WIRE via COMTEX, [http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/08/idUS112550+08-May-2008+MW20080508 China's Organ Harvesting Questioned Again by UN Special Rapporteurs: FalunHR Reports], 8 May 2008, accessed 16/6/08</ref> However, the U.S. Congressional Research Service later released an analysis of the report arguing that there was insufficient evidence that this was actually the case.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080414141544/http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf China and the Falun Gong]</ref>

[[File:Falun Gong -demonstration-outside-EuropeanParliament-14-July-2016-1.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Falun Gong adherents protest against China's involuntary organ harvesting outside the [[EU]] parliament.]]

Since 1999, human rights groups have reported that Falun Gong practitioners are subject to widespread arbitrary imprisonment, as well as [[torture]] and abuse in custody. An extra-constitutional body, the 6-10 Office, was created to lead the suppression of Falun Gong.<ref name=CER>[http://www.cecc.gov/pages/annualRpt/annualRpt08/CECCannRpt2008.pdf Congressional-Executive commission on China, Annual Report 2008.]</ref> The authorities mobilized state media apparatus, judiciary, police force, army, education system, families, and workplaces against the group.<ref name=wildgrass>Johnson, Ian, ''Wild Grass: three portraits of change in modern china'', Vintage (8 March 2005)</ref> The campaign, driven by a large-scale propaganda through television, newspaper, radio and internet, urged families and workplaces to actively assist in the campaign. There are reports of systematic torture,<ref name=heretical> (23 March 2000) [http://web.archive.org/web/20030711022606/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA170112000 The crackdown on Falun Gong and other so-called ''heretical organizations''], Amnesty International</ref><ref>John Pomfret and Philip Pan. "Torture is Breaking Falun Gong." The Washington Post, 5 Aug 2001.</ref> illegal imprisonment, forced labour, and psychiatric abuses, with the apparent aim of forcing practitioners to recant their belief in Falun Gong.<ref>United Nations (4 February 2004) [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/hrcn1073.doc.htm Press Release HR/CN/1073], retrieved 12 September 2006</ref><ref name=dangerous>Mickey Spiegel, [http://hrw.org/reports/2002/china/ "Dangerous Meditation: China's Campaign Against Falungong"], Human Rights Watch, 2002, accessed Sept 28, 2007</ref> 

Foreign observers estimate that since 1999, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in "re-education through labor" camps, prisons, and detention facilities for refusing to renounce the spiritual practice.<ref name="CongressionalExecutive">Congressional Executive Commission on China, Annual Report 2008</ref><ref name="Departmentof">U.S. Department of State, 2009 Country Report on Human Rights: China (includes Hong Kong and Macao)</ref> At least 2,000 Falun Gong adherents have been tortured to death amidst the persecution campaign,<ref>Andrew Jacobs. [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/world/asia/28china.html 'China Still Presses Crusade Against Falun Gong'], New York Times, 27 April 2009.</ref> with some observers putting the number much higher. The original allegations also claimed that the Chinese government is engaging in "live exports" by kidnapping people, shipping them overseas, and performing transplantation operations inside their overseas embassies.<ref>[http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20060509_2.htm Dissecting An Unfair and Unbalanced Report].</ref> Questions of feasibility aside, it is highly unlikely that such operations would escape the attention of Western intelligence agencies, and as such this rather sensationalist claim has been removed in the English translation. Furthermore, Ko Wen-je, a Taiwanese mayoral candidate and one of the creators of Taiwan’s organ transplant registry, also accused Gutmann of falsifying claims that he was involved in the organ trade, a claim which Gutmann later withdrew.<ref>[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2014/10/29/2003603180 2014 ELECTIONS: Ko denies organ buying allegations]. Taipei Times, Oct 29, 2014</ref>

In 2016 and 2017, an updated report was authored by Kilgour, Matas and Gutmann for the International Coalition End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC).<ref name=kilgour2017>[http://endorganpillaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Bloody_Harvest-The_Slaughter-2016-Update-V3-and-Addendum-20170430.pdf Bloody Harvest / The Slaughter: An Update] by David Kilgour, Ethan Gutmann & David Matas (June 22, 2016; Revised April 30, 2017).</ref> According to the report, sources used included a wide range of personal interviews, professional and media statements,<ref name=kilgour2006/><ref name=kilgour2017/> as well as data from hospitals and immunosuppressant manufacturing. The updated report concluded that the involuntary harvesting of organs was larger than initially estimated, and claimed that many of the organs are derived from the killing of Falun Gong practitoners, as well as Uyghurs, [[Tibet]]ans, and underground Christians.<ref name=kilgour2017/>{{rp|418}} They also accused the party and state institutions of being complicit in the trade, and called for an international investigation into the practices and an end to organ tourism.<ref name=kilgour2017/>

Some skepticism about the report should be exercised because the organization that put out the report, ETAC, represents itself as an "independent, non-partisan organisation,"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200512035922/https://endtransplantabuse.org/about-us/ About Us] ''International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China'' (archived from May 12, 2020).</ref> but Kilgour, its principal author, has been quoted in puff pieces for Shen Yun in ''The Epoch Times'' on at least three occasions.<ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/shen-yun-the-best-ive-ever-seen-says-former-mp-and-acclaimed-rights-defender_1491134.html Shen Yun ‘The best I’ve ever seen,’ Says Former MP and Acclaimed Rights Defender] (December 21, 2011 Updated: October 1, 2015) ''Epoch Times'' (archived from April 20, 2020).</ref><ref>[https://www.theepochtimes.com/its-uplifting-its-fabulous-for-the-senses-says-former-cabinet-minister_1479219.html ‘It’s uplifting, it’s fabulous for the senses,’ Says Former Cabinet Minister] (December 29, 2012 Updated: October 1, 2015) ''Epoch Times'' (archived from April 20, 2020).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200423053250/https://www.theepochtimes.com/former-secretary-of-state-david-kilgour-praises-shen-yun-for-presenting-traditional-chinese-culture_2400051.html Former Secretary of State David Kilgour Praises Shen Yun for Presenting Traditional Chinese Culture] (December 30, 2017) ''Epoch Times'' (archived from April 23, 2020).</ref> The management committee of ETAC also includes people who appear to be affiliated with ''The Epoch Times'' —&nbsp;Susie Hughes (ETAC co-founder, ''The Epoch Times'' photographer),<ref>[http://archive.fo/mB96J Google search: "Susie Hughes" "epoch times"] (archived from 29 Sep 2019 22:03:40 UTC).</ref> Margo MacVicar (ETACH National Manager, New Zealand, ''The Epoch Times'' reporter),<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200511103637/https://www.theepochtimes.com/author-margo-macvicar Margo Macvicar] ''Epoch Times'' (archived from May 11, 2020).</ref>
and Rebecca "Beck" James (ETAC UK National Manager, Outreach in 2019; organizer of a Falun Gong art exhibition)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200423041444/https://www.theepochtimes.com/international-art-at-bristols-island-gallery-uk_1478588.html International Art at Bristol’s Island Gallery, UK] by Emiko Dubiel and Roman Dubiel (January 13, 2013 Updated: October 1, 2015) ''Epoch Times'' (archived from April 23, 2020).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20191008184840/https://endtransplantabuse.org/management/ Management] ''International Coalition End Transplant Abuse in China'' (archived from October 18, 2018).</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200512042505/https://endtransplantabuse.org/management/ Management] ''International Coalition End Transplant Abuse in China'' (archived from May 12, 2020).</ref>

The Chinese government has previously rejected the claims, and stated that it has phased out its organ donation system from one dependent on executed prisoners to a voluntary based one.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/asia/china-organ-transplants.html Angry Claims and Furious Denials Over Organ Transplants in China]. The New York Times, Aug. 24, 2016</ref><ref>[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-08/20/c_135617600.htm Spotlight: Experts slam rumors of organ harvesting in China] New China, Aug. 19, 2016</ref><ref name=denyer>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-the-face-of-criticism-china-has-been-cleaning-up-its-organ-transplant-industry/2017/09/14/d689444e-e1a2-11e6-a419-eefe8eff0835_story.html China used to harvest organs from prisoners. Under pressure, that practice is finally ending.] by Simon Denyer (September 15, 2017 at 5:12 PM) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Furthermore, the World Health Organization-affiliated Transplantation Society and medical professionals such as Francis Delmonico also noted China's progress in reforming its organ donation system by establishing a registry of donors and phasing out of organ tourism.<ref name=denyer/><ref>[https://www.tts.org/newstts-world/member-news/2174-tts-interactions-with-china-july-31-2016 TTS Interactions with China] The Transplantation Society, July 31, 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/one-doctors-war-global-organ-trafficking/ One doctor’s war against global organ trafficking] PBS Newshour, May 29, 2017]</ref> ''The Washington Post'' also noted that there is no corresponding increase in demand for immunosuppressants (anti-rejection drugs for organ recipients), and there are far less foreigners in China for organ transplantations compared to India and the United States, and that it's not plausible for China to be conducting more transplantations than the US without the information leaking out.<ref name=denyer/> Chinese lawyers who defended Falun Gong practitioners also doubted the claims.<ref name=denyer/> In 2019, an organization calling itself the Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China, comprising human rights lawyers based out of London and various parts of South East Asia found evidence they deemed compelling that the Chinese government was harvesting organs without consent and that prisoners of conscience including Falun Gong members were among the sources.<ref name="People's tribunal">[https://chinatribunal.com/final-judgment/ Conclusion of the China Tribunal's Judgement]</ref>

A Falun Dafa website argued that China has the capacity to transplant over a million organs a year.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517192945/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pErDxkuI0hsJ:https://www.stoporganharvesting.org/what-is-organ-harvesting/+&cd=12&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au| url=https://www.stoporganharvesting.org/what-is-organ-harvesting/+&cd=12&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au| archive-date=May 17, 2019| publisher=Falun Dafa Association of Washington, D.C.|year=2019|title=WHAT IS ORGAN HARVESTING?}}</ref> This may be a confusion of the information that 169 hospitals collectively performed about 10,000 transplants in China in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-05/16/content_25289521.htm| title=More organ transplant hospitals on the way|first=Shan|last1=Juan |date=May 16, 2016|quote="169 organ transplant centers, performing about 10,000 surgeries annually."}}</ref> There have been high profile cases of illegally performed organ transplants, the largest ever prosecuted uncovered 51 kidneys transplanted by a network of 16 people, some of whom were renowned surgeons at a top hospital. It has been suggested that some reports may be urban legends due to the technical implausibility. There has not been any link drawn between Falun Gong and these prosecuted cases.<ref>{{cite web| quote="对人体器官移植稍有了解的人就会知道这则消息并不靠谱"| title=器官移植的灰色地带| url=http://wap.sciencenet.cn/blog-94211-549451.html?mobile=1| publisher=Chinese Academy of Science (law blog)/文汇新民联合报业集团所有| first1=杨|last1=江|date=March 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://opinion.people.com.cn/GB/159301/17258031.html|date=February 29, 2012| title=张龙：“利益”催生活体器官买卖的“地下黑市” | first1=张|last1=龙}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bendi.news.163.com/hunan/18/0907/15/DR43K4CJ04368E4B.html| title=黑中介“换肾一条龙” 起底猖獗的“人体器官黑市”| date=september 7, 2018}}</ref>

As with other information on Falun Gong, there is a great deal of obfuscation going on, as most media outlets that feature reports on the group are either drawn directly from Falun Gong supporters<ref>For example, [http://organharvestinvestigation.net/]</ref> or sources within the Chinese government. There also appears to be confusion between organ transplantation from executed criminals, which China has admitted to, versus organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners, which China denies. As international customers of organs often prefer to not disclose how many and specifically what organs are imported from China, it is hard to gain a profile on who is "kidneying" whom through statistics alone.

=="Great law is good" meme on the Chinese internet sphere==
On the Chinese Internet sphere, "Great Law is Good" refers to a short verse of propaganda of the "{{wpl|Tuidang movement|Tuidang}}" movement, one of the political campaigns launched by Falun Gong. It can be best expressed in a series articles named "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party"<ref>{{wpl|Tuidang#Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party}}</ref> and the official editorial of this movement published in ''The Epoch Times'',<ref>[http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/3942-nine-commentaries-on-the-communist-party-introduction/ Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party English online version]</ref> while the "Great Law is Good" propaganda verse is a short summary of it.

The verse is written in a rhyming and vulgar language, as a ballad-formatted, quasi-poem jingle, consisting of six or seven lines, usually beginning with the line "Falun Dafa is good!" (法轮大法好), "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" (九评共产党), or "Heaven is watching people's action" (人在做，天在看). It consists of mostly ultra-conservative religious rhetoric, claiming that the Communist Party of China is innately immoral, satanic (literally, with a complete conspiracy theory), and betrays "[[bullshit|the Law of heaven, earth and the universe]]" and will be perished from Earth. Quitting and opposing the Party (a.k.a Tuidang, quit the party) is the only way that brings salvation of oneself and the only hope for one to be saved by Heaven.<ref>[http://tuidang.epochtimes.com/ (Chinese) Official 'Tuidang' website with these claims]</ref>

Originally printed on paper bills in circulation in China by Falun Gong supporters,<ref>[http://www.cnhubei.com/xwzt/2012/cfqy/201306/t2592509.shtml (Chinese) News article: what to do when you've received paper bills with anti-Party propaganda, with a picture of these bills]</ref> due to somewhat reduced pressure by the government and the nature of the internet, a lot of Falun Gong material has gone online for all to see since 2008, with the verse being widely sent as spam. Sure, not everyone is a great fan of the Communist Party, but its funny language, mediocre propaganda techniques and the [[woo]] rhetoric has gained an equally notorious reputation among liberal and conservative Chinese.

{{cquote|Although there is undoubtedly some truth in the commentaries, they lack balance and nuance, and read like the anti-Communist propaganda written in Taiwan in the 1950s.<ref>David Ownby, Falun Gong and the Future of China, (Oxford University Press 2008), p 221.</ref>}}

Around 2014, some hobbyists of consumer electronics on the Internet started to write parodies of the verse. For example, one parody replaced "Falun Gong" with "Sony" and "Communist Party" with "Nintendo", resulting in the line '''"Sony Great Law is Good! Nintendo will be perished from Earth! Quit Nintendo to save yourself!"''' The parody included doctored Falun Gong posters, which depicted Kaz Hirai, the CEO of Sony, in place of Li Hongzhi as the cult of personality.<ref>[http://games.sina.com.cn/t/zt/yangcongquan04/index.shtml (Chinese) A parody news reporting this phenomenon]</ref><ref>[https://technode.com/2015/10/09/chinese-netizens-praise-sony-hymn-full-taboo-words/ Chinese Netizens Praise Sony With A Hymn Full of Taboo Words]</ref>

It was meant to be an inside-joke about the cult-like following of major brands of consumer electronics and the frequent holy-wars between fanboys on the Internet. It became a meme and over 9000 versions have appeared, such as "Canon vs. Nikon", "Intel vs. AMD" and "Boeing vs. Airbus." Topics extended to video games, TV shows, anime, manga, and celebrities (e.g. "Star Wars Great Law is Good! Quit Star Trek to save yourself! Star Trek will be perished from Earth!").

After the meme died, new full verse parodies are seldom written. Still, any trend or popular thing is humorously called a "Great Law" (大法). Also, "Quit-Save-Perish" (退保灭) and "Keep-Peace-Safety" (保平安), abbreviations of the first line, have became humorous phrases to recommend people to stop using something and switch to an alternative.

A collection of "Great Law" copypasta can be viewed [https://archive.is/ydQpP here].

==See also==
*[[Fake news#Epoch Times|''Epoch Times'']] on the [[Fake News]] page
**[[Beyond Science]], gateway channel to their flavor of pseudoscience.
*[[Eastern Lightning]]
*[[Unification Church]] - South Korean right-wing new religious movement.
*[[Happy Science]] - Japanese right-wing new religious movement.

==External links==
*{{wpa|Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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