A Deadly Opposite Game in China

Candlelight vigil at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, honoring lives lost since Chinese regime launched persecution eighteen years ago. (B. Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

The Chinese Communist Party has been playing the opposite game for 18 years, and there’s nothing fun about it.

In 1999, the Party launched a campaign of false propaganda, purposely causing many Chinese people to have misconceptions about a meditation practice called Falun Gong.

In reality, Falun Gong is a system of meditation and self-improvement that involves doing slow-moving exercises and improving one’s character by following the principles of truthfulness, kindness, and tolerance. It is well known for its physical and mental health benefits and is practiced by many people in China and all over the world.

In the 1990s, Falun Gong spread rapidly by word of mouth and gained a good reputation in China. Tens of millions of people in the country were practicing it by 1999.

However, Jiang Zemin, who was then leader of the Chinese communist regime, became jealous of the practice’s growing popularity. He also wanted to find a group to launch a persecution against, because in the complicated world of communist politics, dictators often use meaningless persecutions—that is, mass killings and propaganda—to gain political power.

Jiang ordered officials to harass, imprison, torture, and kill practitioners of Falun Gong nationwide. The officials also started a campaign of lies, claiming that the practice made people unhealthy, crazy, or even violent. This Nazi-style propaganda was used to turn Chinese people against Falun Gong and cause them to support the persecution.

The Party controls the media in China and exerts as much influence as it can over media in other countries, so it was able to spread its anti-Falun Gong propaganda far and wide. As a result, many people in China became afraid to even talk about Falun Gong, let alone read Falun Gong books to find out for themselves what it was all about.

What makes the propaganda so terribly ironic is that in real life, Falun Gong is not only harmless, but also known for being exceptionally good.

Hundreds of proclamations and awards have been given to Falun Gong and its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, by government officials outside China. The Falun Gong books can be read for free in many languages online, and they teach how to be honest and kind, how to put others first and be selfless, and how to improve one’s body and mind.

There are countless articles documenting how Falun Gong has improved people’s lives, including their health, family relationships, jobs, ability to forgive others, and much more. Some of these articles can be found on the website NTD.TV.

Falun Gong practitioners often hold events in different parts of the world, from small group exercises in parks to enormous parades in big cities to raise awareness of the persecution. Observers can see that the practitioners’ behavior is peaceful, calm, and rational, not even close to the way the Chinese regime portrays it to be. It is difficult to see such events in China, however, because anyone who holds a public Falun Gong event in China is likely to be arrested.

In summary, the Party’s propaganda is the reverse of what’s really true. It is a deadly opposite game that has helped the Party disguise its killing of innocents.

Fortunately, there are ways to get around the lies and uncover the truth. People who are confused about Falun Gong can read the books or articles online or just talk with experienced Falun Gong practitioners, who can clarify the facts, share personal stories, and answer questions.

Many people have done so, and more and more people now disbelieve the propaganda and admire Falun Gong for the benefits it has brought to individuals and communities.