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FALUN GONG IN CHINA.
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Analysis of the origins, nature and appeal of the Falun Gong movement in China and its repression by the Chinese government.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Analysis of the origins, nature and appeal of the Falun Gong movement in China and its repression by the Chinese government. Describes spiritual foundation of Falun Gong. China's record on human rights in the second half of the 20th Century. Essence of Falun Gong belief in mind-body discipline (Buddhism, martial arts).
Paper Introduction:
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CHINA: REPRESSION OF THE FALUN GONG
This research paper discusses the origins, nature and appeal of the Falun Gong movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and its repression by the Chinese government. Since it assumed power in October 1949, the Chinese communist regime has committed many human rights abuses which have been a source of internal unrest and foreign disapproval. Since 1992, the Falun Gong movement spread rapidly within China and among overseas Chinese. It has appealed to many ordinary Chinese from all walks of life. A mixture of traditional Chinese religious, philosophic, martial and healing arts influences, Falun Gong has partially filled a spiritual void arising out of China's economic modernization and the decline of Communist ideology. The movement has been forcibly repressed by the PRC government since July 1999
Text of the Paper:
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Money, 114. Knight-Ridder/TribuneNews Service, 1. Despite its widespreadpopularity, Falun Gong has clearly been decimated and forced underground bythe comprehensiveness of the government's repressive measures. 15). Newsweek (2 1, February 5) expressed afairly typical Western reaction to the PRC's repression of Falun Gong: "whywould Beijing want to destroy a movement peaceably devoted to an eclecticmix of mysticism, meditation and slow-motion exercise?" (China Wakes Up, p.32). Chinese rulers sought to achieved aproper balance during different periods between fang, letting go, and shou,tightening up. Turner said"Beijing decreed all Christians should belong to government-sponsoredreligious associations, forcing them to kneel at the altar of the stateeven as they pray to God" (p. Hilton said that "the moral right to ruleof today's government is equally questioned" (p. More vigorous repression was more or less guaranteed by the strengththat the movement displayed during these months. The rise of modern China. When student demonstrations in Tiananman Square in the spring of 1989began to show signs of spreading throughout China and involving the masses,Deng ordered a brutal crackdown on June 3-4, 1989 which encompassed themassacre of hundreds and the purge and arrest of thousands of pro-democracyindividuals. Falun Gong women's sports andfitness. 618-9 7) as Chuan Fa, ritualized movement practices which containedthe principles of health preservation, weaponless self-defense andmeditative insight. As discussed in more detailbelow, Chinese human rights abuses, including religious persecution, havebeen a continuing source of friction between the PRC and the United Statesand other Western nations. China is operating re-education camps for members of Falun Gong. Washington Post, A 1. The purity of its goals, spiritual, physical andpsychological health, and the simplicity of its methodology stand in starkcontrast to the complexities of modern life and address populardissatisfaction with the stresses and strains of 'keeping up with theJoneses.' And until it was suppressed, it was one of few outlets foralienated people available within the system and provided an importantsupplement to an otherwise totally materialistic way of life, a"materialism in which greed, corruption and inequality blossomed" (Hilton,1999, September 6, p. Hitchens, C. (1999, August 23). He said thatPremier Zhu Rong-ji "advocated attempting to co-opt Falun Gong and put itunder party leadership while Jiang [Zemin] argued for crushing themovement" (p. 26). 2 ). Fairbanks, J. Shaw, Sin-Ming. Falun Gong filled, therefore, "the sense of spiritual emptiness"which characterizes modern Chinese society (2 1, July 2, How, p. 32). Time International, 25. During the 1992 presidential campaign Bill Clinton criticizedPresident George Bush for extending China's MFN status and for 'coddlingthe tyrants of Beijing.' The Clinton administration during 1993-1994attempted to use economic concessions as bait to induce the PRC to improveits record on human rights. The United States and China in thetwentieth century. The regime came close to admitting that it was purchasing popularsupport at the cost of suppressing basic individual liberties whenPresident Jiang Zemin at the time of the fiftieth anniversary of theestablishment of the PRC in October 1999 defined human rights as the rightto food and shelter (2 , July 31, Silencing, p. They essentiallygambled that the government could buy popular support by raising livingstandards and at the same time maintain the CCP's monopoly on politicalpower. The truth appears to be that"through a policy of brainwashing, bullying and brute force, Beijing hasbrought the group to its knees" (Breaking Point, 2 1, July 2). 221) (Holcombe, 1993, January, p. Garson, R. China's web of faith. One of the appeals of Falun Gong was its anti-modernityemphasis. . According to Hanson (1999, August 23), there were more FalunGong members in early 1999 than there were members of CCP (7 million) (p.24). The Chinese government dubbed hima CIA agent (Nodlinger, 1999, September 27, p. (2 , April 29). A 1). On the one hand, "Falun Gong's main messageis that Earth is the center of the universe, but is inhabited by condemnedsouls" and on the other, that salvation is possible through consistentpractice of the prescribed exercises, meditation and study (p. 18). who had once played trumpet with a song-and-dance troupe" (How, p.32). Hsu said the immediateeffects of its crackdown on the demonstrators was that "the image of theChinese government as an increasingly responsible member of theinternational community with a potent stabilizing influence on worldaffairs [was] . AsNewsweek acknowledged, "with its own ideology in shreds, the ChineseCommunist Party feels threatened by any group that can attract millions ofpeople to a set of ideas" (China Wakes, p. In the 195 s, 196 s and 197 s, the regime headed by Mao Ze-dongcommitted gross abuses of human rights and killed many millions of itscitizens. 55). Time said "theorganization was hierarchically structured, with neighborhood groups, likecells, acting autonomously but in contact with higher levels" (p. Fortune hunters: Chineseimmigrants flocking to America with dreams of new economy riches.Zan Ng came with $68. His ultimate successor, Deng Xiaopeng (Deng) (19 4-1997), became China's undisputed leader in 1982. For whom the gong tolls.Nation, 9. VariousFalun Gong leaders have claimed that the government tortured its members.The government has denied the use of torture on Falun Gong arrestees. In December 2 , four senior Falun Gong leaders were arrested, triedand convicted. Time saidthe government widely publicized his suicide; and that "suddenly, the 'evilcult' looked genuinely sinister" (How, p. Los AngelesTimes, M 1 & M 6. Internet: http://www.cesner.org/testi/falun_ 78.htm, 1-8. (Query --by whom?). Beijing acknowledged that some members have died in prison butargued that their deaths were due either to natural causes or theirrefusal, based on Falun Gong beliefs, to accept medical care. Economist, 55. At the Shaolinmonastery during the 17th and 18th centuries in the early Qing or ManchuDynasty (1644-1911), shadow boxing was developed as a high martial art ortaijiquan. Economist, K 9.----------------------- 25 E. It appealed to theChinese attachment to the family and small groups. (2 , December 26). 225-261). EU/China: EU sends human rights warning to Beijing. 15).Pomfret (2 , March 9) said that the movement is both pessimistic andoptimistic about human nature. Falun Gong member's appeal denied. That policy was no more successful than Bush's.Former Ambassador to the PRC James Lilley said in 1993: "the Chinese aretesting the new administration . Kohn, L. The number of Falun Gongadherents who can afford to buy their way out of China is, however,miniscule in proportion to the millions of believers in the sect. A single spark could set thewhole place ablaze" (p. In the first, in the summer and fallof 1999, the government limited itself to denunciation of the movement andmade about 3 , arrests (Hanson, 1999, August 23, p. Christianity Today, 22. All Chinese rulers have lived in fear of the conceptfirst expressed by Confucius that Chinese rulers must fall from power ifand when they lose the Mandate of Heaven --i.e. Time International, 18. Washington Post, A 1. Lesseroffenders are required to attend two week indoctrination programs paid forby their employers, including American and other foreign-owned employers. Buchan(2 1, February 5) referred to Falun Gong as a "folk-religious movement"(p. Twenty demonstratorswere seized at one such event. are found to represent a preliminary stage on the path toliberation of body and spirit, a means not only to longevity but possiblyimmortality." The art of qi-gong, or "the manipulation of inner energiesthrough breath control" dates back to the time of the Han Dynasty (B.C. a mind-body discipline said to improve health, reduce stress, and increase energy"(p. (1999, September 27). Garson (1994) saidthat "in just a matter of days years of carefully cultivated [foreign]goodwill had evaporated" (p. Economist,39. First timeoffenders were usually released after they promised not to engage anyfurther in Falun Gong practices. More common this year have beensentences of Falun Gong members for up to two years in labor camps. of International Affairs, 49, 333-342. It [the regime] provides China's increasingly well-fed but spiritually dissatisfied people with a set of beliefs and activities that are not controlled by the party" (p. 333). massive gatherings" and "stymied efforts by the police tocontrol them" (p. (2 1, July). Li Hongzhi haspreached against homosexuality, drugs and rock n'roll although these arenot necessarily Falun Gong tenets (Hilton, 1999, September 1 , p. 8), 95(Robinson, 2 1, July, pp. Two factors appeared to account for the rapid proliferation of FalunGong adherents within China. 24). However, the absence of a political purposehas not prevented communist regimes in China and elsewhere from persecutingreligious or cultural organizations which promote beliefs which threatenthe communist party's monopoly on ideology. 6). The release argumentatively claimed that the movement was as dangerousas the Japanese Aun cult, which released Sarin gas in the Tokyo subway in1995 (2 1, May 12, Jiang, p. TheEconomist (2 , April 29) estimated that at its peak the movement hadapproximately 7 million members in China, and 3 million among overseasChinese (China-Gong, p. Essence of Falun Gong. According to Nodlinger (1999, September 27), JiangZemin was "obsessed" with the "massive threat" represented by Falun Gongwhose leaders he believed wanted to "overthrow the government" (p. Falun Gong wasdescribed by the government as a subversive movement and that those whoadhered to its teachings were likely to suffer serious damage to theirpsychological and physical health, lose their appetite, commit suicide oreven kill their parents and wives (1999, October, The Falun Gong Show, p.18). Journal of Asian Martial Arts, 7, 91-1 1. Techniques and Course of Repression. Robinson, B. (2 1 May). Peacefulprotests continue in Tianaman Square and elsewhere but the numbers ofdemonstrators are much smaller, 3 -1 v. C. Silencing dissent: Jittery over rising social movement.(2 , July 31), Time, 2 . The Economist (1999, November 6) said that "the new law singlesout the Falun Gong as the largest and most harmful of numerous Chinesecults" (China's Trial, p. A 1). Gymnastics: The ancient tradition. It, however,used Chinese human relations or the lack thereof as a potentiallydetermining factor in the annual renewal of the PRC's Most Favored Nationtreatment for Sino-American trade purposes. Nodlinger, J. 25). China shaken by massmeditation. Economist, 1. The mixed Indian-Chinese origins of the movement andits mystical cultlike quality is illustrated by the Falun Gong symbol whichappears in Falun Gong literature, websites and videotapes. (2 , December 2 , Jiang Tells, p. (1996, Winter). . 32). It has appealed to many ordinary Chinese from all walksof life. Despeux, C. when the populace decidesthat they lack moral legitimacy. The oneremaining 'space' available to adherents is the Internet which Hanson(1999, August 23) said in 1999 "has allowed the followers of Falun Gong toorganize . However, in its popular applications, such as by the 18thcentury White Lotus Society, and "in the clan wars that raged throughoutthe southern provinces of China during the nineteenth century," the martialarts were used by all sides for the self-defense of local communities(Henning, 1998, p. (Ed.). Henning, S. 15). Cambridge: HarvardUniversity Press. 1). 24). 32). org/testi/falun_ 78.htm, 1-8). (2 , July 2). Hilton (1999, September 4), added that Li Hongzhi was a formersecurity guard from the northeastern city of Changchun (p. Thousands of students studied abroad. The Daoist origin of theChinese martial arts. 216-217). 519). Taoist meditation and longevity techniques.Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. (2 1, August 5). Hanson, G. (2 , March 9). (2 1, July 2). . During the 198 sand 199 s, fueled by internal structural reforms and foreign investment,Chinese annual GDP growth averaged more than 1 percent. (2 1,January 24), European Report, 519. So they're playinghardball on human rights" (Garson, 1994, p. Internet: http://www.cesner.org/testi/falun_ 78.htm, 1-8. 2 2-A.D. Since it assumed power in October1949, the Chinese communist regime has committed many human rights abuseswhich have been a source of internal unrest and foreign disapproval. The use of the hands for self-defenseand the development of highly stylized dance, mime, acting and meditationwere designed to help the individual achieve a balance of calm and wisdom,nirvana. In other words, there have been cyclically alternatingperiods of political repression and liberalization. Crackdown time: WhyBeijing fears the Falun Gong. 15).These included the above mentioned White Lotus Society, the Boxers and theTaiping or Heavenly Pearl peasant revolution (1845-1864) during which 2 million Chinese died. Much to the consternationof the authorities in Beijing, their initial show of force did not preventthe outbreak of large but peaceful Falun Gong demonstrations in Beijing andabout 3 other Chinese cities in 1999 (Hilton, 1999, September 4, p. The Economist (1999, November 6) described the movement as"liberally mixing elements of Buddhism and Taoism with traditional martialarts and meditative breathing exercises" (China's Trial, p. References Boas, T. A mixture of traditional Chinese religious, philosophic, martialand healing arts influences, Falun Gong has partially filled a spiritualvoid arising out of China's economic modernization and the decline ofCommunist ideology. Since 1994, Turner said the regime hasrenewed its efforts to persecute Christian churches which she said had beengaining about 5 , new converts a year. (2 , March 3). Reflections on a visit toShaolin monastery. 289). 24). In the third phase, roughly 2 1 to date, Levy (2 1, June 6)reported that "China is searching for more efficient, somewhat lessdraconian methods of battling the cult than lengthy imprisonments thatdestroy lives and careers" (p. 15).Robinson said that in 1999 and well into 2 , "the group has managed tokeep a pace in the public consciousness through sporadic demonstrations andsigns placed conspicuously around the capital and elsewhere" (Robinson,2 1, July, p. 7 2). Buchan, A. Holcombe said the martial arts"originated with Daoist [Taoist] exercises" and reached its higher formafter Buddhism entered China from India between A.D. 1). UnlikeChristianity and other Western isms, Falun Gong's appeal is rooted inChinese tradition and offers succor to many concerned about the impact ofmodernization and spiritual ennui in China.It is probably not just a transitory phenomena. Even after the massacre at Tianaman Square, theadministration of President George Bush remained determined to maintainconstructive relations between the United States and the PRC. The China challenge. 114). 1). Breaking point. A salient feature of the movement has been its popularity amongChinese in different walks of life, including many ordinary people. Ironically, this backward looking movement hasrelied heavily on the most modern of mediums, the Internet, to propagateits message. The European Union has issued various declarations concerning thelack of progress in human rights in China, such as one dated January 24,2 1, which decried China's persecution of religious freedom, situation ofoppressed minorities, including Tibetans, and China's frequent recourse tothe death penalty (2 1, January 24, EU/China, p. 1). 1 ). (1998, March 2). 2 ). Origins and Nature of the Falun Gong Birth. they've gotten the message that MFN isa bullet which we put in the gun and never fire. J. Naturally Jiang's views prevailed. According to Qing & Xue (1996, Winter), the Chinese leadershipviews "human rights as a product of Western culture, a value system thatthe West wants to impose on China" (p. Philips, K. Falun Gong & Falun Dafawhat it is, what it does, and why the Chinese government isso terrified of it. Torture is breaking Falun Gong; China systematicallyeradicating group. They have respondedaccordingly. Hsu, I. Otherbeliefs which have variously been associated with Falun Gong include,according to Nodlinger (1999, September 27), the "principle of zhen-shan-ren, truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance" (p. Jiang almost meets Falun Gong; China and Hong Kong; JiangZemin goes to Hong Kong. Motivations for Repression. (2 , November 2 ). 9). The all-pervasive nature ofthat repression has largely succeeded in eliminating the Falun Gong as agoing concern within China but it has continued to surface as an irritantto the regime. K 9). (2 , December 27).Internet: http://www.cesner. Time (2 1, July 2) said the government was appalled to discoverthat the movement's membership included many "retired Communist Partyelders and military officers" (How, p. The process of alienation so characteristic of modern life hasaccelerated. The Falun Gong movement has never had anything which remotelyresembles a political agenda. Smugglers charge them fees reported to be as high as $5 , perperson (Cullen, 2 , December 1, p. The Chineseadaptation of Buddhist martial arts became known during the Tang Dynasty(A.D. Kohn (Ed.), Taoist mediatation and longevity techniques(pp. How China beat down the Falun Gong: One person at a time,Beijing is crushing the power of a group that once seemed athreat to regime. Jones (2 , March 3) described Falun Gong as"a modern adaptation of a 2,5 year-old Chinese practice, . K. The Economist (1998, September 19) said: "the Chinese constitution'shigh-minded guarantees of free speech and association are not takenseriously" (Could, p. (1992). By practicing Falun Gong, participants engage in qi-gong,the tapping of life energy. 24). . 3). Their conviction was promptly affirmed by a Chineseappellate court (Falun Gong Members,' 2 , December 27, pp. (1999, August 7). The Boxers, who in the late 19th and early 2 thcentury massacred Christian missionaries and foreign legations in Beijing,believed that their exercises made them impregnable to foreign bullets.They certainly were far from non-violent. 2). 1). Harper's. 1 -7 (p. Foreign Reactions. The sect that scaresChina's leaders. According to Hanson (1999,August 23) the initial government press release justified the ban on themovement as necessary to maintain "the vanguard role and purity of theChinese Communist Party" (p. A. The movement has been forcibly repressed by the PRCgovernment since July 1999 which regards it (even though it is nonviolentand apolitical) as a dangerous threat to the monopoly of power enjoyed bythe Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1949. 41). Newsweek, (2 1,February 5), 32. 7-8) and 15 (2 , April 29, China-Gong, p. Schaller (199 ) said Deng believed that"economic growth, not class struggle, must become China's priority" (p.199). (2 , December 14). The Falun Gong movement was founded in Shanghai in 1992 byMaster Li Hongzhi, who Time (2 1, July 2) said was by trade "a grain clerk. 41). 15). China-gong but not forgotten. (2 1, June 6). Holcombe, C. Schaller, M. It added that the Falun Gong "fills the gap that communism was meant to fill, and thatcapitalism, by showing the bankruptcy of the official religion, hashelped to create. About twomillion pieces of Falun Gong books, pamphlets and videotapes were seizedand burned (1999, October, The Falun Gong Show, p. Pomfret, J. (2 1, July 6). Internet://www.yahoo.com., 1-3. 32). Another development in 2 1 was the application of pressure by Jiangon former colonial colonies which have recently been restored to the PRC'scontrol. Sources. 15). (1998, July 2 ). . HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN CHINA: REPRESSION OF THE FALUN GONG This research paper discusses the origins, nature and appeal of theFalun Gong movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and itsrepression by the Chinese government. Repression of Falun Gong The initial reaction of the regime was to ignore Falun Gong. InL. The membership list included in1999 seven wives of the regime's State Council (Hanson, 1999, August 23, p.24). . Into this scene burst a new spiritual force inthe 199 s, the Falun Gong. (2 1, May 12). Mao died in 1979. Accordingly,on July 23, 1999, the government published a press release which banned thepractice of Falun Gong. 12). 2). The United States and China since 1949. House churches may be harmfulto society. 177). New Statesman, 15. Repression has oftenbeen associated with natural disasters such as flood and famine, threatenedor actual invasions by alien barbarians and periods when the centralgovernment's hold over the people has been weakened by internal corruption,nepotism and decay. Thecenterpiece of Falun Gong's practice is a series of five sets of daily tai-chi poses and exercises which are performed to Chinese music and involvethe participant taking lotus positions and using slow motion hand movements(Robinson, 2 1, July, p. Li Hongzhi said that Falun Gong originated with the ancientpractice of Falun Dafa, a name sometimes used for the movement. According toNewsweek (2 1, February 5), the new George Bush administration has sharplycondemned the PRC's crackdown on the Falun Gong and hinted that Chinesereligious persecution and other human rights abuses could turn worldopinion against selecting Beijing as the site of the 2 8 Olympic Games(China Wakes, p. Mao's version of Marxist Leninist orthodoxy peaked during theCultural Revolution of the late 196 s which Hsu (199 ) described as "adecade of civil strife that drove the country into bankruptcy" (p. shattered beyond repair" (p. During the next two months,Pomfret (2 , March 9) said more or less spontaneous Falun Gong protestdemonstrations took place in 11 major Chinese cities (p. 21 ). . . Thetypical modus operandi of local police was as follows: they would enterwithout warning or warrant the residences suspected of harboring adherents;anyone suspected of belonging to Falun Gong and related materials wasseized; at the local precincts, suspects would be placed in isolation cellswhere they waited to be questioned; the questioning which often took manyhours was conducted usually by two police officials, one of which played'good guy' and the other administered physical beatings; and the suspectwould be coerced into signing a statement that he or she would neverparticipate further in Falun Gong. Estimates ofthe numbers of Falun Gong practitioners who had died in custody havevaried: 225 (2 1, July 2, How, p. During the 198 s and subsequently, the PRC permitted a significantrelaxation of controls over artistic, literary and other intellectualexpression. creating disturbances and jeopardizing socialstability" (Robinson, 2 1, July, p. They [believed] they hadto destroy it before it destroyed them" (p. 191). 24).According to Hitchens (2 , November 2 ), Jiang Zemin told the Politburo:"we must preserve stability above all else. (1999, November 6). (1993, January). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. 973). Membership in the Falun Gong made one liablefor lengthy imprisonment, and possibly the death penalty. Qing, L., & Y. . Effectiveness of Repression Campaign. Buttheir message resonates strongly with many ordinary Chinese and may be aharbinger of further developments which may erode the political and popularbases of support for the CCP and the central government. Worried in Beijing. Falun Dafa or Falun Gong philosophy and practice in its purest formhas usually been based on the principle of nonviolence. According to Hanson (1999, May 23), Buddhism added the conceptthat "heaven is the space in which everything occurs, earth is the groundon which it occurs, and man joins the two together" (p. 1-2). . A foe rattles Beijing fromabroad: Falun Gong's mastermind in New York guides a campaign ofprotests. Li Hongzhi now lives inNew York City where Boas (2 1 May) said he "uses the Internet as hisprincipal means of communicating with [Falun Gong] followers" within China(p. It also said that there was in 1999-2 "a feeling that freeexpression is getting out of hand" (Silencing, p. It is aninverted counter-clockwise pointing swastika which is believed to be ofancient Indian (Hindu) origin and which is surrounded by two circular Yin-Yang symbols of Chinese origin, one blue/red in color and the otherred/black (Robinson, 2 1, July, p. Nevertheless, Dengand his associates were determined not to repeat the mistake which theybelieved Mikhail Gorbachev had committed in the Soviet Union of promotingpolitical reform before the economy was on solid ground. According to Sin-Ming Shaw (2 1, July 2), Hong Kong, whichcontinues to permit Falun Gong to operate there, has been under pressure toban it. Control freaks. Falun means practicing the 'wheel of theDharma.' Dharma is a Sanskrit word which refers to the impermanent andinterdependent nature of life. World watch. (199 ). Fairbanks(1992) said "the aged CCP leaders saw the Tienanman Square movement fordemocracy as an attack on their monopoly on power. . Sin-Ming Shaw (2 1, July 2)expressed much the same thought when she said that "the country's leadersno longer have any convictions to cling to and therefore are insecure abouttheir legitimacy" (p. The Washington Post (2 1,August 1) reported that "the government's campaign against Falun Gong, launched in July1999, struggled at first, hampered by uneven enforcement and a split between central government leaders, who viewed the group as a threat to the party's rule, and local officials, who did not" (p. . 41). 25). The Economist (1999, November 6) said that LiHongzhi teaches that "a 'wheel of law' revolves in the abdomen of those wholearn to cultivate it [qi-gong], and a third eye can be opened bypractitioners who reach a certain level" (China's Trial, p. 32). Hilton, I. Seventy million is a relatively small fractionof the PRC's population of more than 1.2 billion, but it nevertheless isremarkably high when one considers that the movement is less than 1 yearsold and grew (for awhile at least) despite total governmental hostility andrepression. In December 2 , Jiangcalled on Macao to outlaw Falun Gong demonstrations. According to Philips (2 , May 17), "3, years ofhistory show no concept of individual rights or freedom of expression" (p.M 1). A 1). It related to practices and beliefs which were thousands of yearsold and which partially originated in folk custom. New York: Oxford University Press. china. 3 ). 89). The available evidence suggests that the regime was genuinely shockedand frightened by the 1989 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. 425). In May 1994 Clinton decoupled human rights issues from the extensionto the PRC of MFN status. (199 ). The Falun Gong show. Time International, 8. Foreign Policy,89. Today this activity is very much underground. 32). TheWashington Post alleged that the government adminstered physical beatingsto believers, "shocked [them] with electric truncheons and forced [them] toundergo unbearable physical pressure, such as squatting on the floor fordays at a time" and to endure "high-pressure indoctrination" (2 1, August5, p. New Republic, 6. 9). Economist, 3. The rapid economic development of China over the past 2 years has been a profoundly disorienting, as well as gratifying, change forChina's tens of billions of people, most of whom came, directly orindirectly, from the peasantry where traditional customs, beliefs and waysof life helped provide social stability as well as to retard modernization.As industrialization produced a mass exodus of literally billions ofpeasants from the countryside into China's ramshackle and overcrowdedcities. 1). Turner, M. Now (in 1999) Falun Gong threatened toawaken the same forces which had supposedly been put down once and for allin 1989.Time International (2 , July 31) suggested that an additional motivatingfactor was the imminence of the Sixteenth Party Congress which is scheduledin 2 2 to replace the current senior leaders of the government and theparty. One was the declining attraction of Communistideology which has little appeal to most Chinese. 185). China wakes up a tiger: Hard-liners in Beijing call FalunGong an 'evil cult' and try to stamp it out. During the late 195 s, 196 s and 197 s beatings of Christian priestsand destruction of Christian churches were commonplace. They and theircounterparts who remained at home enjoyed a degree of freedom and familyprosperity which had never before existed within the Orwellian system ofthought control which had characterized China since 1949. (1998, September 9). 18. 32).Hitchens (2 , November 11), pointed out that the movement "appeals to theancient and inward-looking China, as well as those looking for an avenue ofprotest" (p. Jounral of Asian Martial Arts, 2, 1 -25. New York:Oxford University Press. Although the Chinese government appears fairly ridiculous to the restof the world when it attributes to Falun Gong just about every evil knownto man, there is a rational basis for its fears of the movement. Human rights, democracyand China. the Spring 1999 crowd of 1 , (2 1, July 2, How, p. K 9). Participation in Falun Gong activities wereproscribed. According to the New Republic (1998, July 2 ), "Bush did notwant the problems associated with China's internal affairs to damage thatrelationship" with the United States, Control, p. Deng gave overridingpriority to the modernization of the Chinese economy which required accessto Western technology and trade. . With respect to religion, the CCP exploited the belief of manyChinese since at least the late 19th century that Christianity was equatedwith "outside interference" in Chinese affairs (Turner, 1998, March 2, p.26). Deng, however, never wavered from his belief that China must continueto follow his Four Cardinal Principles, first announced in 1979, whichincluded the dictatorship of the proletariat, the leadership of the Partyand conformity with Marxist-Leninist-Maoist thought (Fairbanks, 1992, p.4 8). One was Taoism,a pre-Confucian school of moral philosophy in China which stressed theimportance of mind over matter and the belief that disciplined physicalactivity was the key to healthy physical, psychological and spiritual life.According to Kohn (1998), "gymnastics . (2 1, February 5). A. . Repression of Falun Gong hasproceeded in three overlapping phases. Levy, M. Bush, however, renewed severaltimes Chinese MFN status despite little, if any, progress by the PRC inhuman rights. Cullen, L. Could do better. Insight in the News, 15. Adverse foreign reactions to human rights abusesof the Chinese government dates back at least to the administration ofPresident Jimmy Carter (1979-1982) which nonetheless formally in 1978-198 normalized diplomatic relations with the PRC (and broke relations withTaiwan). Buddhism added both physical and spiritual components to traditionalTaoist martial arts and gymnastics. According to Despeux (1989),mastery of such breathing exercises and the use of special meditativetechniques served to expel from the human mind and body negative energiesand enhance positive energies (p. Jones, L. Conclusion Although it is apolitical and non-violent, Falun Gong's popularitywith the Chinese masses poses in the minds of Chinese leaders a seriousthreat to their legitimacy and hold in power. Following his leader: OnFalun Gong, Hong Kong's boss once again unthinkingly apesBeijing. A 1). He left thePRC sometime between 1996 and 1998. (1993, January). Chinese crackdown on Falun Gong, Christians cruel, U.S.says. Some thirty Falun Gong protesters removed from TiananmenSquare. . He was the object of an arrest warrantissued in July 29, 1999 which charged him with "spreading fallacies,hoodwinking people . (2 1, July 2), 32. 22). Falun Dafaresulted from the confluence of several streams of thought. Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Tun Chee-hura said in mid-2 1: "thereis no doubt Falun Gong is an evil cult" (p. (2 , May 21). Time International, 26. 39). (1989). The PRC asked Interpol to arrest andarrange for the extradition of Chinese citizens who were Falun Gongsupporters abroad, a request which was refused. Appeal of Falun Gong Before the PRC began to repress it actively, the Falun Gong movementspread rapidly throughout China and among Chinese communities abroad. Xue. China's Record on Human Rights Since time immemorial, China's governing system has beencharacterized by authoritarian rule. In1999, 2 and 2 1, it protested the destruction of Christian churches andthe suppression of the Falun Gong (2 , December 14, Chinese Crackdown, pp.7-8). Hilton (1999, September 6)observed that "the history of China is studded with episodes ofextraordinary religious fervor and dangerous milennarian movement" (p. (2 , December 1). Gong refers to the cultivation of energy(Robinson, p. One was immolated. Garson (1994) said Clinton had bowed to therealities of the situation which were that "China was not likely to abandonits political and penal system s to satisfy the human rights lobby in theUnited States" (1994, pp. For the moment the sect is definitely on the defensive. In the second phase, from sometime in late 1999 and continuingthroughout 2 , the government's crackdown on Falun Gong gathered momentumand became more intensive. On January 23, 2 1, five believers dousedgasoline over themselves in Tianaman Square. . However, Garson (1994) said "Reaganabandoned his earlier reservations and argued that American [economic andcultural] penetration of China would serve to accelerate the rate ofliberalization" (p. Economist, 41. China's trial of faith. 39).Similarly the estimates of the numbers arrested or sent to psychiatrichospitals or labor camps have varied. (1999, October). Meanwhile, the United States has granted political asylum status tothousands of otherwise illegal Chinese immigrants who are Falun Gongadherents. Since then the State Department hasroutinely criticized the PRC in its Annual Statement on Human Rights. Madison,NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. National Review, 24. The Economist (1999,August 7) said that "for ten years now, Chinese communism has been in astate of suspended animation, or, more accurately, suspended decomposition"(Worried, p. 32).Hilton (1999, September 6) said "the party has little to offer beyondnationalism and unevenly distributed prosperity as alternatives tocompulsory faith in communism" (p. a later development ofshamanistic practices [primarily dances based on the movements of animalsand birds] . Thewakeup call for the regime was a sit-in by 1 , adherents of the sect inTiananman Square in front of the Zhongnanhai, the former royal palace andseat of the principal central government office compound, on April 25, 1999who, "were frustrated by Beijing's refusal to grant [Falun Gong] officialapproval" (2 , December 12, Some, p. A 1). After the suspect's release, his or heremployer or family would be visited by police often, even daily, where themessage of collective responsibility of these support groups for recidivismby the suspect was delivered. Since1992, the Falun Gong movement spread rapidly within China and amongoverseas Chinese. (1999, September 4). Time (2 1, July 2) said that "a nationwidesystem of collective guilt held police, factory bosses and family membersaccountable" for the actions of Falun Gong members (How, p. On his visit to the PRC in April 1984, President Ronald Reaganextolled to a Chinese television audience the virtues of capitalism and ofpolitical and religious freedom. 24). 24). 32), 2 (World, 2 1, July 7, p.
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