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1 (July 28, 2003)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaaztv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS20333 Updated July 28, 2003 China and Falun Gong Thomas Lum Analyst in Asian Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary The Falun Gong movement led to the largest and most protracted public demonstrations in China since the democracy movement of 1989. The People's Republic of China (PRC) government, fearful of a political challenge and the spread of social unrest, outlawed the movement in July 1999. Despite a massive government campaign against them and harsh punishments meted out to many followers, Falun Gong adherents continued to stage demonstrations for over two years. In 2002, Falun Gong practitioners interrupted television programming in several cities and broadcast their own videos. On July 24, 2002, the House of Representatives unanimously agreed to H.Con.Res. 188, which calls upon the PRC government to cease persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Issues for Congress include human rights conditions in China, detained U.S. residents and U.S. citizens in China, and alleged harassment of Falun Gong practitioners in the United States. Background and Major Events What Is Falun Gong? Falun Gong,also known as Falun Dafa,1 combines an exercise regimen with meditation and moral guidelines. The practice and beliefs are derived from qigong, a set of movements that stimulate the flow of qi - vital energies or life forces - throughout the body, and Buddhist and Daoist concepts. Falun Gong upholds three main virtues - truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance (zhen-shan-ren) - and warns against materialism and moral degeneration.2 Practitioners claim that by controlling the wheel of dharma, which revolves in the body, one can cure a wide range of medical ailments and diseases. They believe that by practicing Falun Gong, they may 1'The literal meanings of Falun Gong and Falun Dafa, respectively, are law wheel exercise and great way of the wheel of dharma. 2 According to Falun Dafa, examples of moral degeneration include rock music, drug addiction, and homosexuality. Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web