Quote: "Falun Gong was founded by its leader Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s."
A new Chinese spiritual movement, emphasizing Buddha's teachings and physical exercises.
Medical Qigong: This type of Qigong is the most therapeutic in nature and is used for healing purposes. It is concerned with balancing the internal energy of the body, with consideration to the physical, mental and emotional aspects.
Daoist Qigong: This type of Qigong was developed by Daoist monks and philosophers. It focuses on the cultivation of the mind and the body with the goal of attaining a state of harmony and balance.
Buddhist Qigong: This type of Qigong was developed by Buddhist monks and focuses on cultivating the mind and the body with the goal of attaining enlightenment.
Martial Qigong: This type of Qigong is used to enhance the martial arts practice. It focuses on strengthening the muscles through rigorous physical exercises).
Confucian Qigong: This type of qigong is based on Confucian philosophy and is concerned with cultivating moral character and ethical behavior.
Waidan Qigong: This type of qigong practice aims to awaken the Jing, Qi, and Shen (essence, breath, and spirit) through internal alchemy practices.
Neigong Qigong: This type of qigong is similar to Waidan, but focuses more on the internal aspects of self-cultivation.
Zhong Yuan Qigong: A comprehensive Qigong school that integrates aspects of Daoist, Buddhist and Confucian wisdom. It focuses on cultivating the mind, body and spirit with a view of harmonising with nature.
Wild Goose Qigong: An ancient Chinese method of healing and meditation that emphasizes fluid movements, breath and visualization.
Yangsheng Qigong: This type of qigong practice emphasizes self-care and is concerned with maintaining health and vitality through various techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation and physical movements.
Quote: "Falun Gong has its global headquarters in Dragon Springs, a 427-acre (1.73 km2) compound in Deerpark, New York, United States, near the residence of Li Hongzhi."
Quote: "Falun Gong combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy."
Quote: "Through moral rectitude and the practice of meditation, practitioners of Falun Gong aspire to eliminate attachments, and ultimately to achieve spiritual enlightenment."
Quote: "by the mid-to-late 1990s negative coverage of Falun Gong began to appear in state-run media."
Quote: "when over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered near the central government compound in Beijing to request legal recognition and freedom from state interference."
Quote: "On 20 July 1999, the CCP leadership initiated a nationwide crackdown and multifaceted propaganda campaign directed against the practice."
Quote: "Falun Gong practitioners in China are reportedly subject to a wide range of human rights abuses: hundreds of thousands are estimated to have been imprisoned extrajudicially, and practitioners in detention are subject to forced labor, psychiatric abuse, torture, and other coercive methods of thought reform at the hands of Chinese authorities."
Quote: "As of 2009, human rights groups estimated that at least 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners had died within China as a result of abuse in custody."
Quote: "Outside of China, Falun Gong is practiced in over 70 countries."
Quote: "Falun Gong practitioners founded a variety of outreach organizations in the United States and elsewhere, including the dance troupe Shen Yun."
Quote: "They also operate Epoch Media Group, which is known for its subsidiaries, New Tang Dynasty Television and The Epoch Times newspaper."
Quote: "The latter has been broadly noted as a politically far-right media entity."
Quote: "it has received significant attention in the United States for promoting conspiracy theories, such as QAnon and anti-vaccine misinformation."
Quote: "producing advertisements for former U.S. President Donald Trump."
Quote: "It has also drawn attention in Europe for promoting far-right politicians, primarily in France and Germany."
Quote: "with estimates on the number of adherents as of 2008 ranging from roughly 40,000 to several hundreds of thousands."
Quote: "The practice emphasizes morality and the cultivation of virtue, and identifies as a practice of the Buddhist school, though its teachings also incorporate elements drawn from Taoist traditions."
Quote: "Although practice initially enjoyed support from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials."
Quote: "It blocked Internet access to websites that mention Falun Gong."