Chinese Send Well-Wishes to Founder of Falun Gong as New Year Begins

Falun Gong practitioners participate in a parade to call for an end to the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of their faith in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., on April 23, 2023. Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times

As the world welcomes a new year, the age-old tradition of sharing well-wishes remains vibrant.

From Europe to the United States, many individuals sent their greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.

Even in China, where the ruling Communist Party has suppressed and demonized this faith group for 25 years, messages of support are emerging. This year, well-wishes from mainland Chinese who haven’t taken up the practice continue to emerge.

“I extend my greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi for a Happy New Year! May good health accompany you!” Meng from Anhui, a central Chinese province, told The Epoch Times.

He expressed his admiration for “truth, compassion, and forbearance,” the tenets that lie at the heart of Falun Gong’s moral teaching.

“We resonate with the idea of ‘truth, compassion, and forbearance.’ It’s about self-cultivation,” Meng said. By nurturing these values within ourselves, “we could elevate our own spirits and inspire those around us,” he said.

Meng said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has brutally targeted individuals who embrace these philosophies, is “an evil tyranny.”

The CCP’s nationwide campaign to wipe out Falun Gong started in 1999. Millions are believed to have been sent to prisons, brainwashing centers, and other detention facilities, where practitioners are subjected to mental and physical torture in an attempt to force them to recant their beliefs. A large unknown number are believed to have been killed for their organs.

Despite the continued risk of arrest and imprisonment, practitioners across China have found ways to undermine the political campaign targeting Falun Gong. Grassroots efforts like putting up posters and leaving flyers in bicycle baskets are on one end of the spectrum, while sharing free software created by practitioners to bypass the CCP’s internet firewall is on the other.

Gao, a resident of Jiangsu Province in China’s south, expressed gratitude to these practitioners, saying they opened the door to the uncensored information he has long yearned for.

“They let me know the real world, completely changing my perspective,” Gao told The Epoch Times. “The insights I gained through Falun Gong practitioners’ efforts are incredibly important to us all … Please, continue these vital endeavors and keep sharing the truth.”

As the new year approaches, he said, “I wish Mr. Li Hongzhi a joyous year ahead! Falun Dafa is wonderful. Truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance are wonderful!”

New York

Falun Gong practitioners around the world also sent New Year’s greetings to their spiritual teacher to express gratitude and warm wishes for the coming year.

Among them was Zhou Linlin, who moved to New York from China eight months ago. Zhou, previously a custom service director at a company in Guangzhou, started to practice the meditative exercises of Falun Gong in 2004. She said she was cured of the female genital disease, which gave her frequent pain in the abdominal area.

Zhou Linlin in New York. Shi Ping/The Epoch Times

By 1999, seven years after the ancient practice was introduced to the public, there were an estimated 70 million to 100 million people across China practicing Falun Gong, which was greater than the CCP’s membership at the time. Deeming the surging popularity a threat to the Party’s control, then-CCP leader, Jiang Zemin, initiated the persecution of Falun Gong, which continues today.

Wu Jinyang, a 23-year-old who recently moved from China to New York, wiped away tears of joy as she wished her teacher a happy new year—something that could have led to repercussions in her home country.

“The atmosphere here is so different from that of the mainland,” she told The Epoch Times, her eyes welling up again. “In China, I would never have the freedom to express my feelings for my teacher like this. I’m overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude.”

Wu Jingyang in New York. Shi Ping/The Epoch Times

Germany and New Zealand

Ivaylo Gelov came into contact with Falun Gong when he was 17 years old. By seeking to abide by its moral tenets in his daily life, Gelov said his life had changed.

“I used to have a bad temper. I was always quarreling with others, and I drank and smoked,” the 37-year-old recounted during a recent interview with The Epoch Times in Berlin. “Through cultivation, I changed step by step, and became a better version of myself, and my family has been pleased with my transformation.”

“Deep within me, I am truly thankful to the Master,” Gelov said about Mr. Li, using a respectful title from Chinese culture.

Ivaylo Gelov in Berlin. Shi Hua/The Epoch Times

Xu Dan, who lives in New Zealand, has introduced the practice to her husband after taking it up four years ago.

She told The Epoch Times how her dysfunctional family became a loving one after she began to follow the principles of “truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance,” and let go of her resentment towards her husband and her mother-in-law.

Xu Dan in New Zealand. Gu Qingxiao/The Epoch Times

According to Xu, as she became more patient, her parents-in-law reciprocated by treating her as their own daughter, and her husband was able to overcome his addiction to sports betting, which almost pushed the family to the brink.

Shi Ping, Zhao Kai, Xiong Bin, Wang Yixiao, Irene Luo, and Zhu Lan contributed to this report.