A Chronicle of Major Events of Falun Dafa

"Throughout the course of history, historians have always recorded the significant events. We have compiled a preliminary Falun Dafa Chronicle, and ask for practitioners' feedback in order to complete and correct the Falun Dafa Major Events chronicle."

[Note: All Falun Dafa books and articles refer to their Chinese version unless otherwise specified.]

Date Event
May 13, 1951 The founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi was born in Princess Ridge City (or Gongzhuling City in Chinese), Jilin Province, China.
May 13 - 22, 1992 The first session of Falun Dafa lecture classes was conducted at the Fifth Middle School, Changchun City, China. About 180 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Human Body Research Association
May 25 - June 3, 1992 The second session of Falun Dafa classes in Changchun was conducted at the Fifth Middle School, Changchun City, China. About 250 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Human Body Research Association
June 25 - July 4, 1992 The first set of Falun Dafa classes in Beijing was conducted at the auditorium of the National Building Materials Bureau located at the Ganjiakou Business Center in Beijing. About 240 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: China Qigong Research Association
July 15 - July 24, 1992 The second set of Falun Dafa classes in Beijing was held at the Second Artillery Auditorium, South Lishi Road, Beijing. About 600 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: China Qigong Research Association
August 26 - September 4, 1992 The third set of Falun Dafa classes in Changchun was conducted at the Changkong Recreation Center, Changchun City. About 550 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Human Body Research Association
September 7, 1992 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in Changchun.
September 8 - 17, 1992 The fourth set of Falun Dafa classes in Changchun was conducted at the Provincial Committee Auditorium, Changchun City. About 700 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Human Body Research Association
September 18 - 25, 1992 The third set of Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Second Artillery Auditorium, Beijing. Sponsoring Organization: China Qigong Research Association
September 1992 Falun Gong was officially accepted as a direct branch of the China Qigong Research Association, and received a nationwide permit to teach Falun Dafa in China.
October 1992 A Falun Dafa class in Taiyuan was conducted at the Labor Union Auditorium of the Mining Machinery Factory, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province. Sponsoring Organization: The Mining Machinery Factory Labor Union, Taiyuan City
October 27 - November 5, 1992 The fourth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Second Artillery Auditorium, Beijing. About 1,500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
November 16 - 25, 1992 A Falun Dafa class in Guan County was conducted at the Guan County Brewery Factory's Auditorium, Guan County, Shandong Province. About 150 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guan County Qigong Association
November 30 - December 9, 1992 The fifth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at Third Academy of the Yungang Space Division, Beijing. About 400 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
December 12 - 21, 1992 Mr. Li Hongzhi and some of his students attended the 1992 Oriental Health Expo in Beijing. The expo was held at the National Trade Building, Dabeiyao, Beijing. Masses of people who attended the expo were amazed by the miraculous healing effect of Falun Gong. Mr. Li Hongzhi received more awards at the expo than any other Qigong master.
January 3 - 12, 1993 The sixth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Nuclear Equipment Factory's Auditorium, Dabeiyao, Beijing. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
February 7 - 14, 1993 The seventh Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Army's Second Artillery Auditorium, Beijing. About 5,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
February 15 - 22, 1993 The eighth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the auditorium of the Chinese Department of Aerospace's Third Academy at Sanfeng, Beijing. About 400 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
February 23 - March 4, 1993 The ninth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Nuclear Equipment Factory's Auditorium, Beijing. 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
March 15 to 24, 1993 The first Falun Dafa class in Wuhan was conducted at the Wuchang 701 Auditorium, Wuhan City, Hubei Province. About 300 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Wuhan City Qigong Association
March 29 - April 7, 1993 The second Falun Dafa class in Wuhan was conducted at the Hankou City Committee's Auditorium, Wuhan City, Hubei Province. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Wuhan City Qigong Association
April 1993 China Falun Gong published and distributed by the Military Affairs Friendship and Culture Publishing Company
April 13 - 22, 1993 The first Falun Dafa class in Guangzhou was conducted at the Xiangxiao Factory Labor Union, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. About 200 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: The Guangzhou Baolin Qigong School
April 29 - May 6, 1993 The tenth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Wukesong Space Division Second Academy Auditorium, Beijing. About 1,500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
May 8 - 17, 1993 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Linqing Party School's Auditorium, Linqing City, Shandong Province. About 500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Linqing City Human Body Research Association
May 25 - June 4, 1993 The first Falun Dafa class in Guiyang was conducted at Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. About 400 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guizhou Province Qigong Research Association
June 5 - 15, 1993 The second Falun Dafa class in Guiyang was conducted at Guiyang City, Guizhou Province. Sponsoring Organization: Guizhou Province Qigong Research Association
June 1993 The Chinese Qigong magazine published a special report on Falun Gong and Mr. Li Hongzhi.
June 19 - 26, 1993 The fifth Falun Dafa class in Changchun was conducted at the Changchun City Provincial Committee's Auditorium. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Human Body Research Association
June 27 - July 4, 1993 The sixth Falun Dafa class in Changchun was conducted at the Mingfang Palace Auditorium of Jilin University, Changchun City. About 1,200 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Human Body Research Association
July 14 - 23, 1993 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Qiqihar Post and Telecommunication Auditorium, Helongjiang Province. About 500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qiqihar City Qigong Research Association
July 25 - August 3, 1993 The eleventh Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Public Security University, Beijing. About 2,200 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
July 30, 1993 Under the approval of the Chinese Qigong Research Association, the Chinese Falun Gong Research Association was established.
August 4 - 11, 1993 The 12th Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Second Academy's Auditorium of Wukesong Air and Space Department, Beijing. About 1,500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
August 15 - 21, 1993 The third Falun Dafa class in Guiyang was conducted at Guiyang City, Huizhou Province. About 1,700 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guizhou Province Qigong Research Association
August 27 - September 5, 1993 The thirteenth Falun Dafa class in Beijing was conducted at the Changxindian 27th Locomotive Factory's Auditorium, Beijing. About 560 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Qigong Principles and Standards Committee of China Qigong Research Association
August 31, 1993 The Valor Foundation at the Public Security Ministry in China wrote a thank-you letter to the Chinese Qigong Scientific Research Institute, expressing its heartfelt gratitude towards Mr. Li Hongzhi, who voluntarily treated and healed the awarded representatives with no charge at the Third National Valor Awards.
September 12 - 22, 1993 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Jiangbei District Government's Auditorium, Chongqing, Sichuan Province. About 400 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Chongqing City Health Qigong School
September 21, 1992 The People's Public Security Daily published by the Public Security Ministry in China, published a news report titled, "Falun Gong Healed Valor Award Winners," which says that people who had received the Valor Award but were afflicted with illnesses or injuries "have seen their health greatly improved after [Mr. Li Hongzhi's] treatment."
September 25 - October 2, 1993 The third Falun Dafa class in Wuhan was conducted at Wuchang city, Wuhan. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Wuhan City Qigong Research Association
October 3 - 10, 1993 The fourth Falun Dafa class in Wuhan was conducted at the Hankou City Committee's Auditorium, Wuhan. About 1,200 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Wuhan City Qigong Research Association
October 11 - 18, 1993 The fifth Falun Dafa class in Wuhan was conducted at the Qingshan Region, Wugang Auditorium, Wuhan. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Wuhan City Qigong Research Association
October 25 - November 3, 1993 The second Falun Dafa class in Guangzhou was conducted at the auditorium of the Federation of Trade Unions' headquarters, Guangzhou City. About 700 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guangzhou City Baolin Qigong School
November 21 - December 1, 1993 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at Hefei City, Anhui Province. About 510 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Anhui Province Qigong Association
December 11 - 20, 1993 Mr. Li Hongzhi and some of his students attended the 1993 Oriental Health Expo in Beijing. The expo was held at the Sanyuanqiao International Exhibition Center in Beijing. Mr. Li Hongzhi attended the expo as a member of the Expo Organizing Committee. Mr. Li Hongzhi gave Fa lectures on December 15, 17 and 20. At the end of the expo, Mr. Li was awarded the top prize of the expo, "Greatest Contributor to the Progress Being Made in the Cutting Edge Science." He also received the "Special Gold Prize" of the expo and was named the "Most Popular Qigong Master."
December 1993 China Falun Gong, The Revised Edition was published and distributed by the Military Affairs Friendship and Culture Publishing Company
December 27, 1993 Mr. Li Hongzhi was awarded an Honors Proclamation by the Valor Foundation at the Public Security Ministry in China.
January 6 - 15, 1994 The third Falun Dafa class in Guangzhou was conducted at the headquarters of the Federation of Trade Unions, Guangzhou City. About 800 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guangzhou Baolin Qigong School
January 17 - 26, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Jianshe Road Peoples' Auditorium, Heping District, Tianjin. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Tianjin Science and Technology Consulting Company, Qigong Development Division.
January 28 - February 5, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Jinan Jingshi Road Number 27 Young Cadres Academy, Shandong Province. About 500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Youth Science and Technology Education Center, Shandong Province
February 11 - 18, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Kenli County Committee Reception's Auditorium, Shandong Province. About 400 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Shandong Kenli Huanghekou Economic Technology Development Regional Management Committee
February 20 - March 1, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Lingyuan Iron and Steel Company Federation of Trade Unions Auditorium, Liaoning Province. About 800 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Liaoning Lingyuan Iron and Steel Company Federation of Trade Unions.
March 3 - 12, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Shijiazhuang City Youth Palace, Hebei Province. About 800 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Hebei Shijiazhuang Yonglong Human Body Research Association
March 14 - 22, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Heping Bayi Auditorium, Tianjin. About 1,200 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Tianjin Human Body Research Association and Tianjin Science and Technology Consulting Company Development Division
March 27 - April 4, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Dalian Foreign Languages Institute, Nanyuan Auditorium, Liaoning. About 600 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Liaoning Province Dalian Qigong Research Association
April 5 - 12, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province. About 500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Liaoning Province Jinzhou City Qigong Research Association
April 15 - 24, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at Hefei City, Anhui Province. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Anhui Province Qigong Research Association
April, May, August of 1994 Window to Art magazine published special reports on Falun Gong and Mr. Li Hongzhi in three monthly issues.
April 29 - May 8, 1994 The seventh Falun Dafa class in Changchun was conducted at the Jilin University Mingfanggong Auditorium, Changchun City. About 1,000 people attended the day class and about 1,000 people attended the night class. Sponsoring Organization: Changchun City Qigong Research Association
May 14 - 15, 1994 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave Fa lectures and taught the Falun Gong exercises at the auditorium of the Policemen's College in Beijing. Sponsoring Organization: The Chinese Valor Foundation
May 20 - 27, 1994 A Dafa class was conducted at the Chongqing City Heavy Steel Third Factory Auditorium, Chongong, Sichuan Province. Sponsoring Organization: Chongqing City Health Qigong School
May 29 - June 5, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. About 500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Sichuan Qigong Research Association
June 11 - 18, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Zhengzhou City Fengyu Sports Stadium, Henan Province. Sponsoring Organization: Zhengzhou Qigong Association
June 21 - 28, 1994 The second Falun Dafa class in the city of Jinan was conducted at the Jinan City Huangting Sports Stadium in Jinan, Shandong. About 4,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Shandong Province Youth Science and Technology Cultural Service Center
July 2 - 9, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Dalian City Locomotive Factory Sports Stadium in Dalian, Liaoning Province. About 1,500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Dalian City Qigong Research Association
July 15 - 18, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the National Women's Volleyball Training Center Sports Stadium, Zhengzhou City, Hunan Province. About 500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Hunan Province Zhengzhou District Qigong Research Association
July 19 - 27, 1994 The fourth Falun Dafa class was conducted in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guangzhou Baolin Qigong School
August 3, 1994 The Houston City Government in Houston, Texas, the United States issued a proclamation and honored Mr. Li Hongzhi as the "Honorary Citizen of Houston" as well as "Goodwill Ambassador"
August 5 - 12, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Harbin City Feichi Water Polo Stadium in Harbin City, Heilongjiang. About 1,500 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Harbin City Qigong Research Association
August 20 - 27, 1994 A Falun Dafa class was conducted at the Yanji Yanbian County Sports Stadium in Yanbian County, Jilin Province. About 1,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Yanji Qigong Research Association
September 1994 The Falun Gong Exercises instructional videotape was published by Beijing Television and Art Center Publishing Company.
September 18, 1994 Mr. Li Hongzhi explained the Fa to Falun Dafa Assistants at Changchun. Mr. Li gave a Fa lecture and explained the Fa for five and a half hours.
December 21 - 29, 1994 The fifth Falun Dafa class at Guangzhou was conducted at the Guangzhou Sports Stadium. About 6,000 people attended the class. Sponsoring Organization: Guangzhou City Human Body Research Association
December 31, 1994 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in Dalian. About 6,600 people attended the lecture.
May 13, 1992 - December 21, 1994 In summary, during this period of time, Mr. Li Hongzhi was invited by various local governments and Qigong research institutes to teach a total of 54 sets of Falun Dafa classes in China. Each class lasted about 10 days. Several tens of thousands people participated in these classes.
December 1994 Zhuan Falun was published and distributed by China TV Broadcasting Agency Publishing Company
January 4, 1995 Mr. Li Hongzhi unveiled his new book, Zhuan Falun at a ceremony held in Beijing. He also gave a Fa lecture at the book unveiling ceremony.
March 13, 1995 Mr. Li Hongzhi was invited to Paris, France to spread his teaching by the Chinese ambassador to France and other officials at the Chinese Embassy in Paris, France. In the afternoon, Mr. Li was invited to give a Fa lecture at the Cultural Center of the Chinese embassy in France. This marked the beginning of Falun Dafa's being introduced outside of China.
March 13 - 19, 1995 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Dafa class in France. It was the first Falun Dafa class held outside China. Mr. Li taught the class at night.
April 14 - 20, 1995 The second Falun Dafa class outside of China was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was the last time that Mr. Li Hongzhi gave his Nine-Lectures class. In addition, Mr. Li gave three Fa lectures in Gothenburg, one Fa lecture in Stockholm, and one Fa lecture in Uddevalla. Each Fa lecture lasted for about half a day.
May 10 - 14, 1995 To commemorate the third anniversary of Falun Dafa being taught in public, Falun Dafa practitioners held "The First Falun Dafa Painting and Photography Exhibition" in Changchun City. There were a total of 655 pieces of artwork of different varieties at the exhibition. Over 6,000 people attended the exhibition. The Assistant Director of Qigong Scientific Research Institute in Jilin Province, the Chairman of the Jilin Provincial Sports Qigong Association, and the Secretary General of Qigong and Human Body Research Institute in Changchun City, as well as many other celebrities, attended the event.
May 13, 1995 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in Dayushan, Hong Kong, which was included in Zhuan Falun (Volume II).
August 1995 Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa distributed by the Changchun Publishing Company
November 1995 Zhuan Falun (Volume II) was published and distributed by the China World Languages Publishing Company
January 1996 Beijing Youth Daily listed Zhuan Falun as one of the ten best-selling books in Beijing.
March 1996 Falun Dafa withdrew from the China Qigong Scientific Research Association.
March 21, 1996 Beijing Youth Daily published a list of best-selling books in Beijing City, with Zhuan Falun as one of them.
March 22, 1996 Beijing Evening Daily published a list of best-selling books in January and February, with Zhuan Falun on both lists.
1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi immigrated to the United States.
Since April 1996 The members of the former Chinese Falun Gong Research Association filed applications to the Ethnic Group Affairs Committee at the China National People's Congress, China Buddhism Association, and the United Front Bureau of the Chinese Central Government to establish a non-religious Falun Gong Academic Research Association. The United Front Bureau of the Chinese Central Government issued an official document stating that the application was denied and the agency didn't support the establishment of the Falun Gong association. The bureau also ordered the management of the six original applicants to relay the message in person to the applicants.
June 8, 1996 Beijing Daily announced April's best-selling book list, with Zhuan Falun as one of the best-sellers.
June 17, 1996 Guangming Daily, one of Chinese Communist government's official newspapers, published an editorial article titled, "A Loud and Long Alarm Must Be Sounded Against Pseudo-Science," which claimed Falun Gong to promote superstition, and to be "Pseudo-Science." This is the first time the Chinese Communist government attacked Falun Gong in public.
July 15, 1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in Hong Kong and answered Falun Gong practitioners' questions regarding cultivation. Approximately 100 people attended the meeting.
July 24, 1996 The Chinese News Publishing Bureau, which is under the Propaganda Bureau at the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist government, issued an internal order to in all cities and provinces, prohibiting the publishing of Zhuan Falun and China Falun Gong, and other Falun Gong books due to their nature of "promoting superstition."
August 3, 1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in Sydney and answered questions regarding cultivation. The lecture and Q&A were published as the book Falun Dafa - Lecture in Sydney.
August 20, 1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at the Narai Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Approximately 200 people attended the meeting.
October 12, 1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi made a public speech in Houston, Texas. Approximately 1,000 people attended the conference. Falun Dafa was officially introduced in the United States on that day. On that day, the Houston city government made Mr. Li Hongzhi an Honorary Citizen of Houston as well as a Goodwill Ambassador, and proclaimed October 12, 1996 as Li Hongzhi Day in Houston.
October 19, 1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at the Falun Dafa conference in New York, USA and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation. Approximately 2000 people attended the conference.
October 25 - November 2, 1996 The first international Falun Dafa Conference was held in Beijing, China. On November 2, Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at the conference.
November 26, 1996 Mr. Li Hongzhi answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation in Sydney, Australia.
The Beginning of 1997 The Chinese Public Security Ministry carried out an investigation throughout China trying to collect criminal evidence of Falun Gong as "an evil cult." But the police at all levels in China came back with the same report: "Haven't found any problem." Hence the investigation stopped.
March 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi's book, The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa was published.
1997 Falun Dafa (Lecture in Sydney) was published and distributed by Falun Buddha Fa Publishing Company
March 17, 1997 Dalian Daily, a local Chinese newspaper, published an article titled "The Elderly Good Samaritan Makes Contribution Quietly." The news article described how an elderly man, Sheng Lijian, built a road that was over 1,100 meters long for his village on his own after he started to practice Falun Gong.
March 22 - 23, and April 6, 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave Fa lectures and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation in New York and San Francisco, USA. Approximately 2,500 people attended the Fa conference in San Francisco. The lectures were included in Falun Dafa - Lectures in the US.
April 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi published Falun Buddha Law Essentials for Further Advancement, a collection of Mr. Li's 56 articles written from June 1992 to February 1997.
July 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi's Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa is published. It is a collection of Mr. Li Hongzhi's speeches at a ceremony held in Beijing announcing the publishing of Zhuan Falun, and Q&A's from Falun Dafa Nine-Lecture classes in the cities of Changchun, Zhenzhou, Jinan, Yanqin and Guangzhou.
July 1997 Falun Dafa (Lectures in the United States) published and distributed by Falun Buddha Fa Publishing Company
July 14, 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in Hong Kong and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation. Approximately 150 people attended the lecture.
September 1997 The Chicago Times published a series of articles, "Humans and Science: The Enlightenment of Falun Gong." The articles said that Falun Dafa inspired mankind to explore new science.
November 16, 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at the Sixing Elementary School in Taipei, Taiwan and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation. It marked Mr. Li Hongzhi's official introduction of Falun Dafa to Taiwan.
November 20, 1997 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at Wufeng Technical School in Taiwan and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation.
November and December of 1997 Members of the former Falun Gong Research Association filed a report to the Chinese Ministry of Civil Administration and the Chinese Public Security Ministry. The report indicated that they had agreed to abide by the decision made by the government and would not continue to pursue their application to form a formal Falun Dafa Association.
December 25 - 31, 1997 Falun Gong practitioners from North America, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and many countries and regions attended the international Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Beijing, China.
February 21, 1998 Dalian Evening, a Chinese newspaper, published a story that praised the courageous action of Yuan Hongcun, a Falun Gong practitioner at the Dalian Naval Vessels Academy. He rescued a child who had fallen under a crack in ice that was 3-meter thick in the Dalian Freedom River.
March 29 - 30, 1998 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture in New York, USA. Approximately 3,500 people attended the conference. The Fa lecture and Q&A was published as Falun Dafa (Lecture at the First Conference in North America).
March 30, 1998 Beijing Daily reported a story where a Falun Gong practitioner made an anonymous donation of 180,000 RMB to science and technology research in China.
May 30 - 31, 1998 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in Frankfurt, Germany. The Fa lecture and Q&A was later published as Falun Dafa (Lecture at the Conference in Europe).
May 1998 The Chinese National General Athletic Bureau conducted an overall investigation on Falun Gong. In September 1998, a group of medical experts did a statistical sampling survey of the 12,553 Falun Gong practitioners in Guangdong Province. The results showed that the healing effect of practicing Falun Gong was as high as 97.9%.
May 1998 Beijing TV's "Fast Forward" program aired an interview with He Zuoxiu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Science, who attacked Falun Gong as being superstitious in the same segment where a reporter from the station interviewed practitioners at an exercise site in Beijing's Yu Yuantan Park and had practitioners describe the benefits of Falun Gong. After the show aired, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners from Beijing and Hebei province either wrote letters or directly visited the TV station to point out that He Zuoxiu's attack on Falun Gong was inaccurate.
May 1998 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference at Toronto University in Toronto, Canada, and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation.
June 2, 1998 After performing an internal investigation, Beijing TV acknowledged that its previous negative program on Falun Gong was the biggest mistake that the station had ever made since its establishment. Beijing TV station later broadcast another TV program with a Falun Gong practitioner's interview in order to correct the mistake. The producer of the previous program was let go.
June 20 - 22, 1998 After Qilu Evening News published an article slandering Falun Dafa, over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Jinan went to the newspaper to clarify the truth about Falun Gong.
July 19, 1998 China Economy Times published an article titled, "I Can Stand Up!" This article reported a story of Xie Xiufen, a housewife from Handan city in Hebei province, who had been paralyzed for over 16 years, but was able to walk after she started practicing Falun Gong.
July 21, 1998 The 1st Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security issued Document [1998] No. 555, "Notice of the Investigation of Falun Gong," which claimed that Falun Gong was an "evil cult." The Ministry of Public Security carried out a series of investigations on Falun Gong that were known as "finding [Falun Gong] guilty first and then collecting evidence." These actions included, but were not limited to, tapping Falun Gong assistants' phones, tailing Falun Gong assistants, closing down Falun Gong practice sites, forcefully dispersing the practitioners during group exercise practice, ransacking practitioners' houses, confiscating their personal properties, and other things.
July 26, 1998 Mr. Li Hongzhi met Falun Dafa Assistants at the Assistants' Fa Conference at Changchun, where he gave a Fa lecture and answered questions regarding cultivation. The lectures and Q&A were compiled and later published in the book, Falun Buddha Fa (Lecture at the Changchun Assistants' Fa Conference).
August 11, 1998 Beijing Daily published an article describing Beijing citizens practicing various exercises, especially Falun Gong, in the morning. The article included a photo of Falun Gong practitioners practicing the Falun Gong exercises.
August 22 - 23, 1998 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture at a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Singapore and answered Falun Dafa practitioners' questions regarding cultivation. The Fa lecture becomes the book, Falun Dafa - Lecture at the Singapore Fa Conference.
In the second half of 1998 In response to letters from people who reported the police's unjust treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, Qiao Shi, the formal chairman of the People's National Congress, led other retired senior members of the congress to perform a thorough investigation on Falun Gong that lasted several months. The investigation concluded that "Falun Gong has hundreds of benefits for the Chinese people and China, and does not have one single bad effect." The retired leaders submitted the investigation report to the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee.
August 23, 1998 The China Youth Daily published an article titled, "The Festival of Life," which introduced a Falun Gong team of 1,500 people who gave an outstanding demonstration of Falun Gong at the 1998 Shenyang Asian Sports Festival. The article also described Falun Gong's good effects on its practitioners' health and included two photos that showed Falun Gong practitioners participating in the commencement ceremony.
September 4 - 5, 1998 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in Geneva, Switzerland. The Fa lecture and Q&A was published as Falun Dafa (Lecture at the Conference in Switzerland).
October 20, 1998 The Chinese National Sports Bureau sent a team to Changchun and Harbin to investigate Falun Gong. After the investigation, the leader of the team confirmed Falun Gong's effects on good health and its positive role in improving social stability and spiritual civilization.
November 1, 1998 China Leshan Evening published a photograph report that said over 1,300 Dafa practitioners participated a Falun Dafa experience-sharing conference in Leshan and Meishan.
November 10, 1998 China Yangcheng Evening published an article titled, "Both the Elderly and the Young Practice Falun Gong," that reported 5,000 practitioners participating in the large-scale morning exercises. The article also told a story about Ms. Lin Chanying, a statistician at Guangzhou Leather Diwei Co. Ltd., who had been paralyzed and lost control of 70% of her body but had her walking ability restored after she started to practice Falun Gong.
November 24, 1998 A Shanghai TV station broadcast two reports on Falun Gong's immense popularity in Shanghai as well as other countries in all over the world. In one of the reports, the TV station said that there were already one hundred million people practicing Falun Gong in China.
December 1998 The Inner Mongolia Cultural Publishing Company published Falun Dafa, which is a compilation of two books, Zhuan Falun and The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa.
December 31, 1998 Shenxin Times devoted a whole page of the newspaper to a special report on Falun Gong. The headlines in the page included the summary of Falun Gong, "Falun Gong's Mind Body Cultivation Becomes Popular in Pengchen; 3,000 Practitioners Enjoy Practicing Falun Gong," "Falun Gong Group Practice Sites in College; College Professors and Students Want to Learn Falun Gong," "Falun Gong's Miraculous Healing Power; Many Patients Benefited from Falun Gong," etc. The stories were accompanied by seven color photos of Falun Dafa experience-sharing conferences and group practices.
January 1999 Falun Dafa (Lecture at the First Conference in North America) was published and distributed by Qinghai People's Publishing Company.
January 1999 Falun Buddha Fa (Lecture at the Conference in Europe) was published and distributed by Qinghai People's Publishing Company.
January 1999 Hong Yin was published and distributed by Qinghai People's Publishing Company. Hong Yin is a collection of 72 poems that Mr. Li Hongzhi wrote from December 1976 to November 1998.
February 21 - 22, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in Los Angeles, USA. The Fa lecture and Q&A were published as Falun Dafa (Lecture at the Western United States Fa Conference).
March 4, 1999 The main Falun Dafa Assistant Center in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province was named "An Organization Outstanding for Returning Lost Items."
March 27 - 28, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in New York, U.S.A. The lecture and Q&A were later published in the book, Falun Dafa Lecture in East America.
March 1999 Falun Buddha Fa (Lecture at the Assistants' Fa Conference in Changchun) was published and distributed by Falun Buddha Fa Publishing Company
March 1999 Falun Buddha Fa (Lecture at the Conference in Singapore) was published and distributed by Falun Buddha Fa Publishing Company
March 1999 Falun Buddha Fa (Lecture at the Conference in Switzerland) Published and Distributed by Falun Buddha Fa Publishing Company
April 11, 1999 He Zuoxiu published an article titled "Teenagers Should Not Practice Qigong" in Teenager Expo, quoting cases that had been included in a prior Beijing TV program and had already been found to be untrue.
April 18 - 24, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin went to the Tianjin Teacher's College (the publisher of Teenager Expo) and other related organizations to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. Within several days, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners arrived in Tianjin to help clarify the truth.
April 23 - 24, 1999 The Tianjin Public Security Bureau sent in 300 S.W.A.T. policemen, who used violence and excessive force to disperse Falun Gong practitioners who had gone to the Tianjin Teacher's College to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. The police arrested 45 Dafa practitioners. Some practitioners were injured by the police.
April 25, 1999 Over ten thousand Dafa practitioners from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and other areas went to the National Appeal Bureau near Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leadership compound. Zhu Rongji, the Premier at the time, met with Falun Gong representatives. The Falun Gong representatives made three requests: 1) release the detained practitioners in Tianjin; 2) provide Falun Gong practitioners with an environment to practice Falun Gong freely; 3) allow the publishing of Falun Gong books. The detained Tianjin practitioners were released on the same day. All the Falun Gong practitioners who had gone to the National Appeal Bureau left around 9 PM without any incident.
The evening of April 25, 1999 Jiang Zemin, the then General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, wrote a letter to the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, claiming, "If the Chinese Communist Party cannot defeat Falun Gong, it will be the biggest joke on earth." This letter was passed on internally from the highest level of the Chinese Communist government to the bottom units.
April 27, 1999 Over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Dalian City gathered at the practice site at the Huabei Road in Dalian and held a group practice as a peaceful way to support fellow Falun Gong practitioners' appeal to the National Appeal Bureau in Beijing on April 25, 1999.
May 1 - 2, 1999 Approximately 2,500 Falun Gong practitioners from 12 countries attended the 1999 Australian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Sydney. Founder of Falun Dafa, Mr. Li Hongzhi, graced the conference with his presence. He gave a Fa lecture and answered Falun Gong practitioners' questions regarding cultivation practice. The Fa lecture's and Q&A were published as Falun Dafa (Lecture at the Australia Fa Conference.)
May 2, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi was interviewed by Chinese and English media at the Darling Harbour International Conference Center in Australia where he answered reporters' questions.
May 8, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in New Zealand. The lecture and Q&A were later published in the book Falun Dafa: Teaching the Fa in New Zealand.
May 23, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in Toronto, Canada. The lecture's and Q&A were later published in the book Falun Dafa Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Canada.
May 30, 1999 Overseas Falun Gong practitioners launched the Chinese (Minghui.org) and English (ClearWisdom.net) Falun Gong websites.
June 6, 1999 The Chinese Communist government interrogated over 100 Dafa practitioners who had attended the group appeal at the National Appeal Bureau on April 25, 1999.
June 7, 1999 Jiang Zemin gave a speech at the conference of the Political Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee claiming "The issue of Falun Gong has deep social and complex international implications" and "is the most serious political conflict since 1989's Student Movement at Tiananmen Square." This speech was secretly transmitted within the Chinese Communist Party on June 13, 1999.
June 10, 1999 "The 610 Office" was established to plan and execute a large-scale oppression against Falun Gong. After the persecution was launched, "the 610 Office" became a permanent organization at the ministerial level in the Chinese Communist government. There are over ten thousand local "610 Offices" of all levels all over China, which employ nearly one million people to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. These local "610 Offices" are heavily funded, and their authority overrides those of ordinary government agencies such as the public security offices, prosecutor's offices and people's courts. The local "610 Offices" only report to the local Chinese Communist Party Committee, and answer directly to their superior "610 Office." The duties of all "610 Offices" are to "instruct and coordinate public security, prosecuting, law, judicature, investigation, and security organizations to investigate, arrest and try Falun Gong practitioners in court."
June 14, 1999 The head of the Chinese Communist Party Central Affair's Office and the National Appeal Bureau issues statements that said people had the right to believe or not to believe in a Qigong practice, and said it was a false rumor that the government was about to oppress Falun Gong.
June 18, 1999 Over one thousand Falun Gong practitioners left Benxi, Liaoning Province, for Beijing to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to the National Appeals Bureau. The Benxi police set up layers and layers of roadblocks to stop them from entering Beijing. As a result of the blockade, the No. 28 train to Beijing was stuck in Shenyang for over an hour. The police conducted an extremely thorough search, but more than 500 Falun Gong practitioners managed to break through the blockade and arrived in Beijing on Jung 19. The 500 some Falun Gong practitioners went to the National Appeals Bureau. Their action shocked the authority in the Chinese Central Government. This incident was later called "The 6.19 Incident."
June 25, 1999 The Mayor of Chicago, U.S.A. proclaimed June 25 "Chicago's Master Li Hongzhi Day."
The Governor of Illinois issued a letter of commendation to Mr. Li Hongzhi. The Treasurer of the State of Illinois honored Mr. Li Hongzhi with an Outstanding Service Award.
The Mayor of Chicago welcomed Mr. Li Hongzhi with a welcome letter. Mr. Li Hongzhi expressed his gratitude to the city and state officials in a public speech.
June 26, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a Fa lecture and answered questions about cultivation in Chicago, USA. The Fa lecture and Q&A were later published as Falun Dafa (Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa Conference).
July 3 - 4, 1999 The 1999 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Paris, France.
July 14, 1999 Practitioners from Weifang made a peaceful appeal at Weifang's Appeal Bureau. On the morning of July 15, 1999, the municipal government in Weifang gave an official reply with the official seal, which stated that the Weifang government would refrain from publicly attacking Falun Gong in the newspaper, allow people to practice Falun Gong in public, allow Falun Gong practitioners to pass Falun Gong-related information by themselves, and would not attack or retaliate against those practitioners who went to appeal.
May 1992 - July 1999 People in more than 40 countries practice Falun Gong. The total number of Falun Gong practitioners increased from 7,000 to 100,000,000.
July 19, 1999 At a secret high-level government meeting, Jiang Zemin made an official announcement that he wants to comprehensively eradicate Falun Gong.
July 20, 1999 The Chinese Communist Party started to arrest Falun Gong practitioners, ransacked their homes, and confiscated their property nationwide, starting with Falun Gong assistants. On the same day, several tens of thousands Falun Gong practitioners who had heard the news went to the National Appeals Bureau to appeal for Falun Gong, but were arrested and detained in Beijing Fengtai Stadium, Shijingshan Stadium, and some other stadiums in the area.
Since July 20, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners from U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan and China rushed to Washington D.C., the capital of USA, to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to the Chinese Embassy and the embassies of other countries, international organizations, the American congress, and call for their moral support for Falun Gong practitioners.
July 21, 1999 Practitioners from eastern Japan went to the Chinese Embassy in Japan and handed in an urgent appeal letter.
July 22, 1999 The persecution against Falun Gong officially began. The Chinese Communist Party newspaper, People's Daily published a long article entitled, "The Truth about Li Hongzhi" that slandered the founder of Falun Gong. The Ministry of Civil Administration made an official announcement to ban the Falun Dafa Research Association. The Ministry of Public Security announced "Six Prohibitions," including "prohibiting anyone, in any location to hang or post Falun Dafa banners, emblems, pictures and other types of Falun Gong signs; prohibiting anyone from distributing or promoting Falun Gong books, video and audio materials and other types of materials; prohibiting people from gathering to practice Falun Gong, promote Falun Gong, or engage in any other type of Falun Gong activities on any occasion; prohibiting the use of meditation, appeal, and other methods to protect or promote Falun Gong in gatherings, marches, or demonstrations; prohibiting anyone from making up or distorting facts, deliberately spreading rumors, or using other methods to stir up and damage societal order; prohibiting anyone from organizing, connecting with, or leading activities that are against the government's decisions." The Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee officially announced that, "The Communist Party members are forbidden to practice Falun Dafa." The Chinese Police nationwide continued to arrest Falun Gong practitioners, or abducted Falun Gong practitioners to local police stations, where they were made to watch brainwashing TV programs. The police also continued to ransack Falun Gong practitioners' homes, confiscated their Falun Gong books, burned Falun Gong books, videotapes, audio materials, etc. In the meantime, millions of Falun Gong practitioners began to walk towards Beijing and local government offices to peacefully appeal for Falun Gong. They ended up being either dispersed or arrested.
July 22, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "A Statement", calling governments all over the world, international organizations, and kindhearted people to help resolve the crisis that Falun Gong practitioners are experiencing. On the same day, Mr. Li Hongzhi was interviewed by BBC.
July 22, 1999 The International Human Rights Committee strongly condemned the Chinese government's oppression of Falun Gong.
July 1999 The 1999 Japan and U.S. Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Fa Conferences were held respectively while the Chinese Communist Government started to ban Falun Gong in China. Falun Gong practitioners participating in the Fa conferences in Japan and the U.S. urged the international community to offer practitioners in China immediate humanitarian support.
July 23, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a speech at a press conference in New York. The Canadian government sent a letter to the Chinese Foreign Affairs Department, protesting the Chinese government's oppression of Falun Gong.
July 23, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners in Japan held a press conference in Tokyo that attracted dozens of media outlets
Since July 23, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners all over Germany wrote letters to the Chinese Embassy in Germany. The practitioners urged the Chinese government to stop the persecution against Falun Gong and called on Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for support. They also held a press conference in Berlin.
July 24, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in Washington, DC near the Chinese Embassy. Many Chinese and Western reporters came to the press conference. Meanwhile, over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered at the National Mall between the National Gallery of Art and the Space Museum, and were interviewed by Chinese and English media.
July 24, 1999 The 1999 U.S. West Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in San Jose, California. More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world and approximately 400 non-practitioners that wished to understand about Falun Dafa attended the conference. Reporters from more than 10 media outlets also attended the conference for news reports and interviews.
July 25, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi was interviewed in New York by the French International Radio Broadcasting Corporation.
July 27, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi sent a signed letter to the Chinese Embassy in the United States and asked it to forward the letter to the Chinese Communist government. The letter urged the Chinese government to immediately stop the persecution against Falun Gong and resolve the issue with peaceful talks.
July 27, 1999 The U.S. State Department made a statement, urging the Chinese Communist government to restrain its attitude toward Falun Gong.
July 27 - August 1, 1999 More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut gathered at the public square in front of the United Nation's building in New York City, calling for the immediate end of the persecution against Falun Gong.
July 28, 1999 The Chinese Public Security Bureau issued an international arrest warrant for Mr. Li Hongzhi, accusing him of usurping the Chinese Communist regime. INTERPOL refused to cooperate with the Chinese Communist government. More than 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the Dalian City Government, calling for an end of the persecution against Falun Gong.
July 29, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S. gathered in Washington, DC to hold a press conference, calling the Chinese Communist government to end the persecution of Falun Gong.
July 29 - August 6, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners in Vancouver, Canada gathered in front of the Vancouver Art Museum for nine consecutive days, calling the world to learn the truth about Falun Gong. More than ten news media organizations came to interview practitioners and provided positive coverage for the event.
July 31, 1999 Mr. Li Hongzhi published a statement expressing his grave regret that the Chinese Government had issued an arrest warrant for him through the International Operative Organization.
July 31, August 7 - 8, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners in France gathered at the Human Rights Square across from the Elf Tower, calling the world to support and help Falun Gong. French Television, French Radio, International Radio Broadcast and RFA came to cover the story.
August 4, 1999 The United Citizens' Association of the United Nations condemned the Chinese Communist government's violations of human rights and fundamental freedom.
August 6, 1999 25 Congressmen in the United States co-signed a letter to Jiang Zemin, demanding him to stop persecuting Falun Gong.
August 7, 1999 The first Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference using English as the primary language was held in New Hampshire, the United States. Approximately 60 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
August 8, 1999 The Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, USA became the first mayor in the world to proclaim "Mr. Li Hongzhi Day" since Jiang Zemin started to persecute Falun Gong on July 20, 1999.
August 8, 1999 138 Falun Gong practitioners practiced Falun Gong together at the Wanlu Park in Haiko City, Hainan Province. Under the siege by the Chinese police, they insisted on finishing practice Falun Gong. This is later known as the "August 8th Incident in Haiko."
Mid-August of 1999 200 to 300 Falun Gong practitioners held a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference in Nanshang Village, Fangshan District, Beijing. The police abducted coordinators of the conference, including Mr. Yu Zhou and Ms. Xu Na after the conference.
August 14, 1999 More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate the peaceful Falun Gong exercises to the public and held an experience sharing conference in public on the lawn of the National Mall. The Mayor of Washington, D.C. proclaimed the week from August 9 to 13 of 1999 as "Falun Dafa Week." The Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland proclaimed August 13, 1999 as "Mr. Li Hongzhi Day." The Governor of Maryland honored Mr. Li Hongzhi as an "Honorary Citizen of Maryland" and issued the honorary certificate on August 14, 1999. The Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania proclaimed August 16, 1999 as "Falun Dafa Day."
August 16, 1999 Chen Ying, a 17-year-old female student at Shuren High School, Jiamusi City, Heilongjian Province, was arrested by the police on her way to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa. Due to the pressure from the police's verbal abuse, battering and threats, Chen Ying was forced to jump out of the train and died. This is the first case reported on Minghui.org where a Falun Gong practitioner was persecuted which resulted in death. This news was published on Minghui.org on October 25, 1999.
August 1999 The second Falun Dafa conference in Germany was held in Berlin.
August 29, 1999 The 1999 England Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. More than 300 Falun Gong practitioners from England, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and France attended the conference.
September 1999 Over 2000 Falun Gong practitioners from New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and other countries gathered in New Zealand to protest to Jiang Zemin during the APEC meeting in New Zealand.
September 18 - 19, 1999 The first Russian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners from Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Sweden and China attended the conference.
October 9, 1999 The first Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference using English as the primary language in New Jersey and Philadelphia was held in Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Over 100 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
October 12, 1999 The 1999 Houston Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. Over 100 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
October 16, 1999 Minghui.org published the first case where a perfectly sane Falun Gong practitioner was thrown into a psychiatric institution as a form of persecution. Cheng Zhong, a Falun Gong practitioner from Jiangsu Province, was abducted to the Third People's Hospital (a psychiatric hospital) in Wujin City, where he was subjected to injection of neurotoxic drugs and electric shock.
October 16 - 17, 1999 The 1999 Metropolitan New York Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in New York on the 3rd Anniversary of Teacher Li Hongzhi's Fa lecture in New York. Nearly 600 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
October 24, 1999 The first Northern Europe Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden. About 100 Falun Gong practitioners from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway attended the conference.
October 25, 1999 Chinese Central Television's News Network program broadcast a French reporter's interview with Jiang Zemin, who claimed that, "Falun Gong is an evil cult." After the interview was broadcast on TV, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners went to Tiananmen Square and the People's Congress Hall to appeal for Falun Gong and were arrested by Chinese police.
October 26, 1999 All major Chinese Communist government media published Jiang Zemin's speech on October 25, 1999 under the title of "Falun Gong is an Evil Cult." It is regarded as the official announcement of the Chinese government against Falun Gong. Nearly 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners went to Tiananmen Square at the National Appeal's Bureau and were arrested.
October 27, 1999 People's Daily published the article "Falun Gong Is An Evil Cult" by a "special" commentator. About 600 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested when they displayed banners which said "Falun Dafa is good" on Tiananmen Square. Seventeen Falun Gong practitioners went up to the front gate of Tiananmen Square to hang Falun Gong banners. Fifteen of them were Falun Gong practitioners from Beijing. They were sentenced to four months to two years in jail. The other two Falun Gong practitioners were sent to the prisons in the cities of their residence.
October 28, 1999 About 30 Falun Gong practitioners held a secret press conference in Beijing where they identified themselves with their real names. They were photographed and interviewed by Western media outlets such as the AP, Reuters, RFA, and The New York Times. On the same day AP and Reuters published news articles about the interview. The New York Times, South China Morning News and several European newspapers published the interviews with large photos on the following day. Many of the Falun Gong practitioners who appeared at the secret press conference were later arrested. Ms. Ding Yan and Mr. Cai Mintao were tortured to death in year 2000. Ms. Gu Lina was sentenced to four years in jail. Mr. Jiang Chaohui and Ms. Zhang Ke were sentenced to three years in prison. Ms. Liu Dongmei was sentenced to three years in a forced labor camp. Ms. Lei Xiaoting was sentenced to two years in prison. The whereabouts of the other practitioners who attended the news conference is currently unknown.
October 30, 1999 The Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Congress passed legislation, "Banning Evil Cults, as well as Preventing and Punishing the Activities of Evil Cults." All the major media outlets in China published the Supreme Court and the Supreme People's Legislative Court's "An Explanation on How to Prosecute Criminal Activities of the Evil Cults with Existing Law." Although Falun Gong was not mentioned in the explanation, the general publishers were given the impression that the explanation would be used as a basis to oppress Falun Gong.
November 1, 1999 The legislative organizations in China made an announcement through the media that four members from the former Falun Dafa Research Association, including Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen, Ji Liewu, and Yao Jie, who had been in detention for several months were formally arrested.
November 6 - 7, 1999 The first Australian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference using English as the primary language was held in Gold Coast. More than 250 Falun Gong practitioners from Australia, Guangzhou (China), Hong Kong, Canada, and New Zealand attended the conference.
November 12, 1999 Four Falun Gong practitioners, including Song Yuesheng, Cheng Yuan, Jiang Shilong, Liang Yulin, were given two to twelve years in prison. Hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to three years in forced labor camps. It was the first time that China sentenced Falun Gong practitioners to prison in public.
November 18 - 19, 1999 The United States House and Senate Congress passed Resolutions 217 and 218, respectively, urging the Chinese Communist government to end the persecution of Falun Gong.
November 19 - 25, 1999 Hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners from thirteen provinces in China, the United States, Sweden, and other places gathered in Guangzhou, China for a Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference. On November 25, a day before the Fa conference, the police broke into the home of one of the practitioners and arrested seventeen Falun Gong practitioners. One practitioner emailed all the experience-sharing papers to Minghui.org and threw the laptop containing the information out of the building before the police were able to get their hands on the laptop. The 15 Falun Gong practitioners' experience-sharing papers, as well as the opening speech and the closing speech for the Fa conference, were later published at Minghui.org and widely circulated among Falun Gong practitioners worldwide. The closing speech was written by a practitioner while in prison.
November 28, 1999 The 1999 Seattle Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Seattle. More than 700 Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world attended the conference and held a joint press conference [to call for the end of the persecution against Falun Gong in China.]
December 3, 1999 Falun Gong practitioners learned that the Mid-Level People's Court in Beijing would try Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen, Ji Liewu, Yao Jie in court. Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners went to the courthouse asking to be allowed to listen to the trial proceedings and were arrested.
December 4 - 5, 1999 The first Melbourne Australia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held.
December 6, 1999 52 Falun Gong practitioners in Fangshan District, Beijing were thrown into to the Zhoukoudian Psychiatric Institution in Beijing.
December 12, 1999 More than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from 20 some countries attended the 1999 Hong Kong Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference, the group appeal [to end the persecution against Falun Gong in China],and the group demonstration of the peaceful Falun Gong exercises to the public. They also delivered a letter of appeal to the Chinese government.
December 18, 1999 About 108 Falun Gong practitioners in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China held the 1999 Guangzhou Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.
December 25, 1999 The 1999 Singapore Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. About 130 Falun Gong practitioners from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, as well as non-practitioners interested in Falun Gong, attended the conference.
December 25 - 26, 1999 The 1999 Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in the sports stadium of Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan. Approximately 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, the United States, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as many non-practitioners interested in Falun Gong, attended the conference.
December 26, 1999 The First Mid-Level People's Court announced the members of the former Falun Dafa Research Association, including Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen, Ji Liewu, and Yao Jie, guilty of "Obstructing Justice with an Evil Cult Practice" and sentenced them to 18, 16, 12 and 7 years in prison respectively. On the same day, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners went to the courthouse asking to be allowed to listen to the trial proceedings and were arrested.
December 31, 1999 - January 1, 2000 Several thousands of Falun Gong practitioners from all over China, 40 some Falun Gong practitioners from Japan, as well as dozens of Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan and Australia, were arrested while practicing Falun Gong exercises and displaying Falun Gong banners on Tiananmen Square.
January 1, 2000 The 2000 Boston Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. About 500 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
January 3, 2000 Despite tight security, a Falun Gong practitioner successfully hung a Falun flag above Mao Zedong's oversize portrait on the front gate of the Tiananmen Square for two minutes.
January 5, 2000 AFP reported that the Chinese intelligence network overseas has collected a blacklist of more than 1,000 overseas Falun Gong practitioners.
January 9, 2000 Three westerner practitioners from Australia delivered an appeal letter to headquarters of the Xinhua News Agency in Beijing. Afterwards they were detained, interrogated, and deported by the Chinese police. This is the first case of western Dafa practitioners going to China and appealing for Falun Gong.
January 19, 2000 Minghui.org published a photo of Mr. Li Hongzhi mediating amidst mountains. The annotation of the picture wrote: "Master Li quietly watching the world from amidst the mountains after leaving New York following July 20th, 1999. (Photo published on January 19, 2000)"
January 19, 2000 More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners from all over China and overseas gathered in Beijing and held the 2000 Beijing Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in downtown Beijing.
February 4 - 5, 2000 Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners from different area of China, the United States, Japan, Australia and many other countries went to Tiananmen Square to peacefully appeal for Falun Gong and were arrested by the Chinese police using excessive violence.
February 12, 2000 The 2000 Latvia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Riga, its Capital City.
February 12 - 13, 2000 The 2000 Canada Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Montreal, Canada. More than 260 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
February 19 - 20, 2000 The 2000 northern California Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference and group Fa study was held in University of California, Berkeley. Nearly 400 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
February 20, 2000 The 2000 southern California Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held.
March 20 - 21, 2000 Over 500 Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world gathered outside the United Nations in Geneva during the 56th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, practicing the Falun Gong exercises and calling for the end of persecution against Falun Gong. They also held a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference and a press conference.
March 23, 2000 The Amnesty International in Hong Kong strongly condemned China's oppression against spiritual movements in China, including Falun Gong.
April 2000 On behalf of the World Citizens Association, Falun Gong practitioners made a keynote speech on the issue of the Chinese government's oppression against female Falun Gong practitioners at the 56th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
April 13, 2000 At least 200 Falun Gong practitioners gathered on Tiananmen Square urging the U.N. Commission on Human Rights to pass a resolution to condemn China's human rights abuses. The practitioners were all arrested.
April 15, 2000 Several tens of Falun Gong practitioners held the 2000 Hebei Province Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference at an undisclosed location.
April 16, 2000 More than 90 Falun Gong practitioners in in undisclosed city in Hubei Province, China held the 2000 Hubei Province Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference at an undisclosed location.
April 22, 2000 The first New York Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in 2000 was held in the Sheraton Hotel in Mahatton of New York City. Over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
April 25, 2000 3,000 policemen were dispatched to patrol Tiananmen Square. More than one hundred Dafa practitioners went to Tiananmen Square to appeal and were arrested. Dafa practitioners overseas held various activities to commemorate the anniversary of April 25, 1999's group appeal.
May 13, 2000 Falun Dafa Associations in more than ten countries and cities overseas decided to make May 13 "World Falun Dafa Day." Hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners who went to appeal on Tiananmen Square were arrested.
May 22, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published his first poem since the persecution began, "The Knowing Heart," which was written on October 12, 1999.
May 2000 Falun Gong practitioners launched a new web site, XinSheng.net.
June 16, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Towards Consummation" on Chinese Minghui.org.
June 17, 2000 The 2000 Chicago Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held.
June 18, 2000 Nearly 500 Falun Gong practitioners in Daqin City, Heilongjian Province practiced Falun Gong exercise together in front of the Daqin Petroleum Administration Bureau.
June 25, 2000 The 2000 Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in the sports stadium of Sanxing Elementary School, Taipei, Taiwan. Over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference. The founder of Falun Dafa, Mr. Li Hongzhi, faxed a letter of congratulations on the success of the conference.
June 29, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "In Reference to a Prophecy" on Minghui.org.
July 2, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Using at Will" on Minghui.org.
July 5, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Drive Out Interference" on Minghui.org.
July 21, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "An Announcement" on Minghui.org.
July 22, 2000 Over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 10 countried, including Canada, Singapore, Australia, Japan, France, Taiwan and the United States, attended the 2000 Washington, DC Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.
July 2000 Adrienne Clarkson, the Governor General of Canada, wrote a letter in support of Falun Dafa Week.
August 10, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Rationality" on Minghui.org.
August 12, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Drive Out Interference" on Minghui.org.
August 12 - 22, 2000 Falun Dafa books were featured in an annual book fair in New Delhi, India.
August 2000 The Falun Dafa Information Center was established in New York, USA.
August 2000 Herb Gray, the Deputy Prime Minister, Sheila Copps, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, A. Anne McLellan, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and many other Canadian government officials wrote a total of 70 letters of congratulations for Falun Dafa Week in Canada.
August 26 - 27, 2000 The second Russian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Over 300 Falun Gong practitioners from nearly 20 cities of Russia and Sweden attended the conference.
August 29, 2000 Beijing Falun Gong practitioners Zhu Kemin and Wang Jie filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court in China against Jiang Zemin, Zen Qinhong, and Luo Gan for violating the Chinese Constitution and persecuting Falun Gong. In the lawsuit, they also made six demands, including withdrawing the arrest warrant against Mr. Li Hongzhi, withdrawing Ministry of Public Security's "Six Prohibitions," releasing illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners, and bringing Jiang, Zen and Luo to justice.
September 4, 2000 The second New York Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in 2000 was held in the Marriott Hotel in the World Trade Center of Mahatton, New York City. Over 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners from North America, Asian and Europe attended the conference.
September 7, 2000 Zhu Keming and Wang Jie were arrested in Beijing.
September 2000 Nearly 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 30 countries gathered in New York, appealing in front of the Chinese delegates during the U.N. Millennium Summit. They held a series of activities, including a press conference, a march and group practices of the Falun Gong exercises.
September 17, 2000 The 2000 Pan-Australia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Sydney, Australia. More than 400 from Australia, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, New Zealand, Taiwan and China attended the conference.
September 22 - the dawn of 23, 2000 Falun Gong practitioners in all districts and counties of Beijing simultaneously posted a notice "Jiang Zemin cannot escape the historic consequences of persecuting Falun Gong" all over urban, suburban, and greater Beijing.
October 1, 2000 Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China were arrested at Tiananmen Square for appealing for Falun Gong.
October 6, 2000 Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China were arrested at Tiananmen Square for appealing for Falun Gong.
October 8, 2000 World Falun Dafa Radio, a radio station created by Falun Gong practitioners, began to broadcast from San Francisco, USA.
October, 2000 In order to force detained Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith in Falun Gong, The Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in Shenyang, Liaoning Province stripped female Falun Gong practitioners naked and threw them into male inmates' cells.
October, 2000 More than thirty congressmen and college professors in the US and UK nominated Mr. Li Hongzhi and his Dafa disciples as the candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mid-October of 2000 More than 80 Falun Gong practitioners in an undisclosed county held a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference.
October 15, 2000 The 2000 Houston Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held on the 4th Anniversary of "Mr. Li Hongzhi Day" in Houston, Texas, the United States.
October 21, 2000 More than eight hundred Falun Gong practitioners held a Falun Dafa cultivation experience-sharing conference in San Francisco, USA. It's the first time that Mr. Li Hongzhi appeared in public since the summer of 1999 and gave a Fa lecture at a Fa conference. This speech was included in his book Guiding the Voyage.
October 22, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Suffocate the Evil" on Minghui.org.
October 16 - 22, 2000 The 2000 U.S. West Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. The week of October 16, 2000 was proclaimed as "Falun Dafa Week."
October 26, 2000 On the 1-year anniversary of Falun Gong being labeled as an evil cult by the Chinese Communist government, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners went to appeal on Tiananmen Square and were arrested.
October 26, 2000 Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore held the first 2000 Singapore Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference with the theme of "Clarifying the Truth and Promote Falun Dafa to Governments Worldwide." Nearly 200 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
October 28, 2000 Falun Gong practitioners produced FGM TV programs and broadcast them via satellite and cable TV in North America. These TV programs could be viewed in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
October 29, 2000 The 2000 Seoul Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Seoul, Korea. More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners from Seoul, Taegu (Korea) and Guangzhou attended the conference.
October 30, 2000 Channel 30, an international TV channel in Virginia, U.S.A broadcast "Falun Gong, the Real Story, Part One" for the first time.
November 2, 2000 The People's Court in China sentenced Liang Jiantian to life in prison and Liu Jinsong to 20 years in prison for printing and selling Falun Gong books.
November 3, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
November 18, 2000 To welcome the new epoch, Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing held a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference in Beijing. The Falun Dafa Association in Singapore held the a Singapore Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference aimed to clarify the facts about Falun Gong to the general public. More than 500 people attended the conference.
November 19, 2000 Zhengjian.org web site was launched.
November, 2000 "Friends of Falun Gong USA" was founded.
November 19, 2000 Falun Gong practitioners in Shandong Province, China held the 2000 Shandong Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference. Several tens of Falun Gong practitioners from nine different areas attended the conference.
November 29, 2000 "Australian Friends of Falun Gong" was founded.
December 2000 Falun Gong's Challenge to China was published. The author of the book, Danny Schechter, is a veteran journalist and an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster. This is the first English book that explores the issues of Falun Gong in depth.
December 9, 2000 The Great Lakes Fa Conference in North America was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. Li Hongzhi appeared at the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture. The lecture was included in his book Guiding the Voyage.
December 18, 2000 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the Great Lakes Fa Conference in North America" on Minghui.org.
December 23, 2000 More than 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from 18 countries and regions attended a Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference in Taipei, Taiwan. This is the first international Fa conference held in Taiwan. Taiwan's Vice President Ms. Luu Xiulian attended the conference and gave a welcome speech.
December 23 - 26, 2000 The 2000 Pan-Asia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. More than 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from the Five Continents attended the conference. The Vice President of Taiwan, Ms. Luu Xiulian attended the conference and gave a welcome speech. After the conference, Falun Gong practitioners had a parade, held a candlelight vigil and had a formation to form words "Falun Dafa" and "Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance" in Chinese characters.
December 28, 2000 The 3rd German Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Erbach, Germany.
December 30 - 31, 2000 The 2000 Western Canada Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Vancouver, Canada. More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
December 31, 2000 Dozens of Falun Gong practitioners in China unfurled a giant-size yellow banner that measured 99 meters wide and 1.5 meter tall with Mr. Li Hongzhi's 72 poems in Hong Yin in red print. On the same day, 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners appealed on Tiananmen Square and were arrested.
January 1, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Beyond the Limit of Forbearance" on Minghui.org.
January 1, 2001 Over 700 Falun Gong practitioners in China appealed on Tiananmen Square and were arrested.
January 4, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners launched "The Dragnet of the Law" (or Fa Wang Hui Hui in Chinese) web site dedicated to expose and record the depraved people assisting in the persecution against Falun Gong and their crimes at http://www.fawanghuihui.org.
January 10, 2001 Zhang Kunlun, a Falun Gong practitioner and a Canadian citizen, was released after serving two months of a three-year sentence in a forced labor camp. This is the first case where overseas Falun Gong practitioners successfully rescued a Falun Gong practitioner from China.
January 2001 "Friends of Falun Gong in Canada" was established.
January 13, 2001 The first "solemn declaration" declaring that his words and deeds under forced brainwashing are null and void using his real name was published on Minghui.org.
January 13 - 14, 2001 The 2001 Hong Kong Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. More than 1,200 Falun Gong practitioners from 23 countries worldwide attended the conference. After the conference, they had a parade to call for the end of the persecution, demonstrated the peaceful Falun Gong exercises in public, and had a formation to form the words "Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance" in Chinese characters.
January 14, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "A Congratulatory Message" to celebrate the Fa conference in Hong Kong on Minghui.org.
January 14, 2001 Over 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from 23 countries attended a Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference in Hong Kong and held a march protesting the persecution of Falun Gong.
January 23, 2001 The Tiananmen Self-Immolation Incident took place. The Xinhua News Agency, the official media of the Chinese Communist government, broadcast the news one hour after the self-immolation occurred, claiming that five Falun Gong practitioners set themselves on fire. Later they changed the number of people who had set themselves on fire from five to seven. On the same day, the Falun Dafa Information Center made an announcement entitled, "China Staged Self-Immolation Act; Xinhua News Framed Falun Gong with Slanderous Lies," calling for a third-party independent investigation to uncover the truth.
January 23, 2001 The first Kiev Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Kiev, Russia. More than 80 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
January 24, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners in Saipan held the 2001 Saipan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.
January 27, 2001 The first Virginia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Virginia, the United States. More than 200 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
January 27 - 28, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners in Orlando, Florida held the first Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference using English as the primary language in Orlando, Florida, the United States.
February 1, 2001 The Falun Dafa Association in Ireland was established.
February 4, 2001 The Washington Post published a report titled "Human Fire Ignites Chinese Mystery Motive for Public Burning Intensifies Fight Over Falun Gong" written by Philip P. Pan. The article pointed out that no one had ever known Liu Chunlin as a Falun Gong practitioner. Liu Chunlin was one of the people who died in the self-immolation in Tiananmen Square.
February 12, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Rectifying the Colossal Firmament" on Minghui.org.
February 17 - 18, 2001 The 2001 U.S. West Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, the United States. More than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
March 3 - 4, 2001 The 2001 Pan-Japan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Osaka, Japan. More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners from all over Japan attended the conference.
March 4, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Coercion Cannot Change People's Hearts" on Minghui.org.
March 10, 2001 The 2001 New England Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, Massachusetts, the United States. Nearly 200 practitioners and guests from the New England area attended the conference.
March 14, 2001 Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom honored Mr. Li Hongzhi and the Falun Dafa Association, along with four other groups, as "defenders of religious rights."
March 19, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "A Message" addressed to the European Fa conference on Minghui.org.
March 18 - 20, 2001 The 2001 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 1,300 practitioners from Europe, Australia, Asia and North America attended the conference. Approximately 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Geneva, appealing for Falun Gong during the annual United Nations Human Rights Commission.
April 2001 "Friends of Zhao Ming," a non-profit rescue organization, was established. It started to collect signatures, and hold marches to call for the release of Zhao Ming, a Falun Gong practitioner and a postgraduate student in the Computer Science Department at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
April 5 - 6, 2001 Falun Gong spokesman, Mr. Zhang Erping, made a speech as the representative of Freedom House and the World Citizens' Association at the 57th Session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
April 10, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "A Suggestion" on Minghui.org.
April 10, 2001 Psychiatrists from the United States and the United Kingdom held a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, condemning the Chinese Communist government of imprisoning Falun Gong practitioners in psychiatric institutions.
April 15, 2001 The second Melbourne Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Melbourne, Australia. Nearly 200 practitioners from Melbourne and Sydney, as well as guests, attended the conference.
April 16, 2001 Ian Johnson, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, won a Pulitzer prize for international reporting for a series of stories written about the suppression of Falun Gong by the Chinese government. Zhang Xueling, a Falun Gong practitioner who had been featured prominently in Ian Johnson's reports, was sentenced to three years in prison that same week.
April 2001 The Baltic Falun Dafa Association was founded.
April 18, 2001 Four Falun Gong practitioners in Baiguo, Hebei Province, including Wang Huajun, Li Xuechun, Huang Jianyong and one unknown practitioner, were battered and tortured to death. Wang Huajun was first beaten unconscious, dragged to Jinyuan Square in front of the local city government, and was set on fire with gasoline. The police declared the crowd that had gathered that the crime this was a self-immolation suicide. The police dragged Li Xuechun and Huang Jianyong behind motorcycles that were driving at high speeds until they died.
April 22, 2001 The 2001 New York Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in the New York Ballroom at Sheraton Hotel in New York City, the United States. More than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong attended the conference.
April 24, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts Are Powerful" on Minghui.org.
April 25, 2001 The PureInsight website was launched.
April 27, 2001 Falun Dafa books were featured in the annual international book fair in Geneva, Switzerland.
May 3, 2001 Mr. George Bush, the President of the United States, condemned China for the first time for its religious persecution of Falun Gong.
May 2001 About 600 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Hong Kong to protest against Jiang Zemin, who was in Hong Kong for a meeting. In addition, 95 Falun Gong practitioners were blocked from entering Hong Kong.
May 9 - 10, 2001 The 2001 Russian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Moscow, Russia. Nearly 100 Falun Gong practitioners from 23 cities and regions from the former Soviet Union attended the conference.
May 11, 2001 Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting (CIPB) honored Emmy-award winning producer Danny Schechter for his 56-minute documentary "Falun Gong's Challenge to China." The film opened in a theater in New York. A New York Times film critic said, "The film provides ample testimony that, contrary to China's position, Falun Gong is not an evil cult."
May 12, 2001 The first Missouri Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Saint Louis, Missouri, the United States in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day on May 13. Falun Gong practitioners from Saint Louis, Columbia, and James attended the conference and celebrated the "World Falun Dafa Day" the next day (May 13, 2001) at Art Museum of Forest Park in Saint Louis with caravan parade and demonstration of the peaceful Falun Gong exercises to the public.
May 13, 2001 About 300 Falun Gong practitioners appealed on Tiananmen Square and were arrested.
May 13, 2001 The 2001 Pan-Korea Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Taegu, Korea in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day.
May 19, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Disciples' Magnificence" on Minghui.org. Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners held a Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference in Ottawa, Canada. Mr. Li Hongzhi appeared at the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture. The Fa lecture was published in Guiding the Voyage. This is the first time that Mr. Li Hongzhi taught his students about "sending forth righteous thoughts."
May 20, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the 2001 Canada Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
May 23, 2001 The Peru Falun Dafa Association was founded.
May 24, 2001 Asia Week ranks Mr. Li Hongzhi as number one among the 50 most powerful people in Asia
May 27, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners worldwide started to send forth righteous thoughts on a unified schedule for the first time.
May 30, 2001 The Amnesty International named Jiang Zemin one of its human rights "scoundrels" of 2000.
May 30, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners in northeastern China held the 2001 Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in an undisclosed city in northeastern China. More than 100 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
June 2 - 10, 2001 Falun Dafa books were featured in the 16th world book fair in Singapore.
June 4, 2001 In response to Falun Gong practitioners distributing truth-clarification materials in China, the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Legislative Court published "An Explanation on How to Prosecute Criminal Activities of the Evil Cults with Existing Law," and announced that those who distribute or produce truth-clarification DVDs, VCDs, and CDs, will be prosecuted for "promoting the split of the country" and "subversion."
June 6, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "No Politics" on Minghui.org.
June 9, 2001 The 2001 Canadian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in the Earth Science Physics Center at Toronto University in Toronto, Canada. More than 500 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
June 10, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners worldwide started to send forth righteous thoughts every Sunday morning (Beijing time).
June 12, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Two Hand Positions for Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts" on Minghui.org.
June 14, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "What Are Supernormal Abilities" on Minghui.org.
June 14, 2001 The 2001 Nordic Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.
June 15, 2001 Over 600 Falun Gong practitioners from 23 countries gathered in Gothenburg, Sweden during the European Summit to have a parade in Gothenburg and a press conference. This day marked the beginning of a new worldwide appeal called, "SOS! Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners Being Persecuted in China," to raise international awareness and concern about the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China.
June 2001 Falun Gong practitioners in Zhoukou City, Henan Province held a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference in an undisclosed hotel in Zhoukou, Henan Province, China.
June 17, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "To All Students at the Nordic Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
June 20, 2001 "The Wanjia Atrocities" took place in Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China. Three Falun Gong practitioners, including Li Xiuqin, Zhang Yulan and Zhao Yayun, were persecuted to death. Another eight practitioners lost consciousness during the torture and were sent to a hospital secretly. Four other practitioners were transferred to a men's prison in isolation. Because Wanjia Forced Labor Camp sealed the news, all fifteen practitioners were once believed to have died during the atrocities.
June 20 - 22, 2001 Falun Dafa books were featured in the annual national book fair in Australia.
June 23 - 24, 2001 The 2001 Chicago Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois.
June 24, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Dafa Is Indestructible" on Minghui.org.
June 24, 2001 Tan Yongjie, a Falun Gong practitioner who escaped from a forced labor farm with severe injuries in Bolo, Guangdong Province, stowed away in a boat for half a month and landed in Long Beach, California. A Chinese policeman heated an iron rod until it had turned red, and pressed the rod against his legs in more than a dozen places, resulting in severe burns. His injuries and miraculous escape attracted a lot of media attention.
Since July 2001 Overseas Falun Gong practitioners embarked on a "Global SOS Walk," and car and bicycle tours with the theme, "SOS: Urgent Rescue of Falun Gong practitioners in China." The main route went across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Falun Gong practitioners traveled dozens of countries and regions, and hundreds of cities. They walked several tens of thousands miles. Some of the routes were: from Toronto to Vancouver; Montreal and Ottawa to New York; from Toronto and Ottawa to New York. These walking routes totaled 4,500 miles. The walking route from Washington, DC to Los Angeles totaled 4,828 miles. The walking route from Seattle to San Francisco measured 1,440 miles. The walking route from Los Angeles to San Francisco measured 800 miles. The walking route from New York to Washington, D.C. measured 400 miles. The walking route from Boston to Washington, D.C. measured 720 miles. The route from Cincinnati to Cleveland, Ohio measured 580 miles. The walking route across Michigan State from Detroit, Michigan to Muskegon, Michigan, measured 355 miles. The walking route from Lima, Peru to Inca measured 300 miles. The walking route across Europe measured 3,200 miles. There were three different routes: 1) From Iceland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and many other European countries: 4,594 miles; 2) Fly from United States to Estonia. From Estonia, walk to Lativa Russia and Poland, to Bulgaria: 2007 miles; 3) Fly from Canada to Lisbon, Portugal to Spain, Italy and the Vatican: 5,135 miles.) The route across France, the route across Ireland, and the route from Edinburgh to London (727 miles). The route from London, England to Brussels, Belgium, crossing three European countries, totaled 386 miles. The route from Birmingham, England to London totaled 350 miles. The route from Falun City, Sweden to Stockholm totaled 250 miles. The route from Sydney, Australia to Brisbane totaled 1,086 miles. The route from Sydney, Australia to Canberra totaled 307 miles. The route from Auckland, New Zealand to Wellington totaled 660 miles. The route across Taiwan from the north to the south totaled 400 miles. The route across the islands of Japan totals 2,300 miles. The route from Pezhou to Pusan, Korea totaled 530 miles. The route from Banden to Jakarta, Indonesia totaled 180 miles. The car tour around Australia totaled 16,000 miles. The car tour starting from Montreal, Canada measured 7,500 miles. There was a car tour from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. There was a car tour from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. The car tour around England measured 3,194 miles. There was a car tour from New Brunswick to Quebec Province. The bike tour in Russia totaled 800 miles. There was a bicycle tour from Moritzburg to Berlin, Germany. There was a bicycle tour from Auckland to Washington, D.C. There were many other walks, car tours and bicycle tours.
July 5, 2001 The U.S. State Department made a press release on July 5, urging China to release incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners.
July 8, 2001 The 2001 Thailand Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand.
July 17, 2001 Peng Liang, a Falun Gong practitioner from Wuhan, filed a landmark lawsuit at a U.S. federal court in New York against Zhao Zhifei, the head of Public Security Bureau and the second-in-command of the 610 Office in Hubei Province, for torturing his brother, Peng Liang, and his mother, Li Xiuyin, to death. Zhao Zhifei was charged with violating the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Claims Act. He was served with the civil complaint at a New York hotel. At the end of August of 2001, a massive manhunt was launched for the plaintiff, Mr. Peng Liang, and other Falun Gong practitioners in Hubei Province, particularly for those were believed to have assisted Peng Liang in transmitting information over the internet. Peng Liang has been missing ever since then.
July 8, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Fa-Rectification and Cultivation" on Minghui.org.
July 17, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Effects of Righteous Thoughts" on Minghui.org.
July 20, 2001 The Amnesty International issued a press release, calling for the end of the torture and murdering of Falun Gong practitioners.
July 21, 2001 Nearly 4,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 30 countries worldwide attended a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing conference in Washington, D.C. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference with his presence and gave a Fa lecture. The Fa lecture was included in his book Guiding the Voyage.
July 26, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
End of July 2001 About 130 Falun Gong practitioners detained at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp started a group hunger strike to protest the refusal of the labor camp to release Falun Gong practitioners who had already complete their original sentence.
Since August 2001 Falun Gong practitioners worldwide held hunger strikes or performed sitting meditation in front of Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide to appeal for Falun Gong, support Falun Gong practitioners detained at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, and to protest the persecution against Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners in Vancouver, Canada have been holding appeals in front of the Chinese Consulate 24 hours a day.
August 2001 The North America Falun Dafa Associations jointly edited the book Consonantia: Reflections of Respect: Honors Awarded Falun Dafa (ISBN: 1-931035-09-1) and had it published by Golden Lotus Press. It is a partial compilation of over 600 proclamations awarded to Falun Dafa since 1992 from local governments and organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Russia, and Japsn.
August 14, 2001 The International Educational Development (IED) made a statement at the 53rd session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, pointing out that the Tiananmen Self-Immolation Incident was a staged act directed by the Chinese Communist government, and condemned China for its state-run terrorism against Falun Gong.
August 16, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples" on Minghui.org.
August 19, 2001 The 2nd Pan-Japan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Tokyo, Japan.
August 23, 2001 The Italy Falun Dafa Association (or Associazione Italiana della Falun Dafa) was founded.
August 27, 2001 Zhou Yongkang, the General Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party of Sichuan Province, was served with a complaint, accusing him of violating the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Claims Act. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois.
August 30 - September 5, 2001 Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern raised human rights issues with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji during Zhu's tour in Ireland, including the case of a Chinese student at a Dublin college detained in China for links to the Falun Gong movement.
September 1, 2001 Minghui.org announced that the European Falun Dafa Association had been founded.
September 7, 2001 Several tens of Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing held the 2001 Beijing Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in an undisclosed location in Beijing.
September 9, 2001 The 3rd Saipan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held.
September 9, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners launched another Falun Dafa web site, Yuanmingeurope.net, for European practitioners.
September 13, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, was nominated for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
September 15, 2001 The 2001 Houston Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Houston, Texas, the United States.
September 23, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Path" on Minghui.org.
September 29 - 30, 2001 The 2nd Russian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Moscow, Russia.
September 30, 2001 The first Irish Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Dublin, Ireland. Falun Gong practitioners from UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, the US, Canada and Australia attended the conference.
October 2, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "To the Second Fa Conference in Russia" on Minghui.org.
October 5 - 7, 2001 The 2001 Asia Pacific Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Brisbane, Capital City of Queensland, Australia. More than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
October 2001 Falun Gong practitioners in Shangdong Province overcame China's information blockade, and held a provincial conference sharing information on producing truth-clarification materials for Falun Dafa.
October 8, 2001 The 2001 Washington, DC Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. More than 600 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
October 15, 2001 The Denmark Falun Dafa Association was founded.
October 23, 2001 The Austria Falun Dafa Association was founded.
October 25, 2001 The Belgium Falun Dafa Association was founded.
October 26, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Chill of Autumn's Winds" on Minghui.org.
October 20, 2001 Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien met with leaders of China during his trip to the APEC conference in Shanghai. During the meeting, Chretien raised his concerns about the human rights situation in China, especially about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
November 11, 2001 The 2001 Thailand Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand.
November 11, 2001 The Israel Falun Dafa Association was founded.
November 20, 2001 36 western Falun Gong practitioners from 12 countries went to Tiananmen Square and appealed for Falun Gong. They were arrested and deported from China, forbidden to re-enter China for five years.
November 30, 2001 The Holland Falun Dafa Association was founded.
December 1, 2001 The 2001 Southeast Asia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Singapore. Nearly 600 Falun Gong practitioners from Southeast Asia (including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Australia attended the conference.
December 6, 2001 Falun Gong practitioners in Canada filed a lawsuit against Overseas Chinese Times, a weekly Chinese newspaper based in Montreal, Canada, for publishing articles that slandered Falun Gong. On December 10, the court ordered Overseas Chinese Times to stop publishing news that slandered Falun Gong.
December 13, 2001 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Foretelling the Fa's Rectification of the Human World" on Minghui.org.
December 13, 2001 Six Falun Gong practitioners at Qinhua University were sentenced from 3 to 12 years in prison for distributing Falun Gong materials on the Internet.
December 15, 2001 The first Ukraine Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Kiev, Ukraine, Russia.
December 21, 2001 The first "Falun Dafa Day" in China was established in Changchun. Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun hung Falun Gong banners on the main streets of Changchun and broadcast the programs from the World Falun Dafa Radio Station. Falun Gong practitioners all over the world sent them congratulatory messages.
December 21, 2001 Mr. Denise Cote, the United States Court Judge in New York, entered a default judgment against Zhao Zhifei in the $50 Million civil lawsuit against him The lawsuit charged Zhao with wrongful death, torture, false imprisonment, crimes against humanity, and other violations of international human rights laws that have been carried out against Falun Dafa practitioners in his home province of Hubei.
December 21, 2001 The 2001 Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Taipei's World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwanese President Mr. Chen Shui-Bian and Taiwanese Premiere Mr. Chang Chun-Hsiung congratulated the conference with telegrams.
December 29, 2001 Over 600 Falun Gong practitioners held a Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference in Florida. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture. Many cities in Florida proclaimed a "Falun Dafa Day" or "Falun Dafa Week."
December 30, 2001 The 1st Falun Dafa Art Festival was held in Tampa, Florida. Nearly 100 Falun Dafa artists from all over the world joined together to put on a wonderful performance dedicated to our benevolent Teacher Mr. Li Hongzhi, and for all the practitioners from the U.S. and abroad who have participated in the Fa rectification.
January 1, 2002 Hiroyoshi Sawa, a Falun Gong practitioner from Kyoto, Japan, was arrested and deported after appealing for Falun Dafa at Tiananmen Square.
January 1, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners in Chongqing City broadcast TV programs that clarified the truth about Falun Gong on local cable TV networks in Chongqing City. Afterwards, the four Falun Gong practitioners who were responsible for the broadcast were sentenced from seven to sixteen years in prison. One of them died while in detention.
January 6, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A." on Minghui.org.
Since January 11, 2002 Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in some 30 cities worldwide held press conferences and started a 3-day-long candlelight vigil, protesting the 20 cases of murder by torture of Falun Gong practitioners within 22 days.
January 12, 2002 The first Central Japan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Nagoya on this south central island in Japan.
January 23, 2002 Connie Chipkar, a Western Falun Gong practitioner from Canada, was arrested and deported after appealing for Falun Gong at Tiananmen Square.
January 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published a new book, Essentials for Further Advancement II, a collection of 47 short articles, poems, comments on Falun Dafa practitioners' experience-sharing papers, messages to Fa conferences worldwide, photographs with special meaning, and illustrations of Mr. Li Hongzhi demonstrating the hand signs to send forth righteous thoughts. The articles were originally published from the period of May 1999 to December 2001.
January 2002 The 1st Israel Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Tel Aviv. More than 50 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
January 2001 - January 2002 A total of 54,700 "solemn declarations" had been published on Minghui.org, declaring their words and deeds under forced brainwashing to be null and void. An average of more than 140 Falun Gong practitioners made "solemn declarations" on Minghui.org per day, with the record being 470 "solemn declarations" in one day.
Beginning of 2002 The police in Jianbei District, Chongqing City, shot a Falun Gong practitioner who was distributing Falun Gong truth-clarification materials on the street. A female pedestrian was accidentally shot by the policeman as well.
Beginning of 2002 Taiwan FGM TV was established and published its first video program, "Falun Dafa in Taiwan."
January 9, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners in the city of Dalian named it Falun Dafa Day.
January 16, 2002 The first public trial against Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun was held. Some Falun Gong practitioners sprayed and posted Falun Gong messages and flyers. Nearly 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners, their family members and attorneys walked into the People's Court in Nanguan District in Changchun City, demanding the release of the illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners, causing the trial to end.
February 1, 2002 The 2002 New York Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan, New York City. More than 1,300 Falun Gong practitioners from the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Hong Kong attended the conference. Founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi, sent a congratulatory statement to the conference.
February 2, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published the "Congratulatory Statement to the New York Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
February 4, 2002 "Falun Dafa Day in Liaoning," "Falun Dafa Day in Achen, Heilongjiang Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Jianxi Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Gansu Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Hebei Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Chengdu City," "Falun Dafa Day in Henan Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Guangzhou," "Falun Dafa Day in Qiqihar," "Falun Dafa Day in Qindao," "Falun Dafa Day in Yunnan Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Ninxia Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Hubei Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Shenjun," "Falun Dafa Day in Wuhan," "Falun Dafa Day in Guiyang," "Falun Dafa Day in Lanzhou," "Falun Dafa Day in Shangdong Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Chongqing," and "Falun Dafa Day in Beijing" were established. Falun Gong practitioners all over China celebrated Falun Dafa Day locally by hanging Falun Dafa banners, spraying or writing Falun Dafa messages on walls, distributing truth-clarification flyers, etc.
February 4 - 10, 2002 "Falun Dafa Week in Shijiazhuang," "Falun Dafa Week in Princess Ridge," and "Falun Dafa Week in Shenyang" were established.
February 4 - 11, 2002 "Falun Dafa Week in Jixi City," "Falun Dafa Week in Anshan," "Falun Dafa Week in Shanghai," and "Falun Dafa Week in Jiamusi" were established.
February 7, 2002 Six Falun Gong practitioners, including two Chinese citizens, one American citizen, two Swiss citizens and a French citizen, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Federal District Court for Northern California against the former Mayor of Beijing, Mr. Liu Qi, for overseeing severe human rights abuses against Chinese and international Falun Gong practitioners. Charges against the mayor include "Torture; Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment; Arbitrary Detention; Crimes Against Humanity; and Interference with Freedom of Religion and Belief."
February 9, 2002 "Jilin Falun Dafa Day" was established.
February 9, 2002 The 2002 U.S. West Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 500 Falun Gong practitioners from the United States, Canada and Taiwan attended the conference.
February 11, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "All Dafa disciples around the world, Happy New Year!" and "The Big Stage" on Minghui.org.
February 11, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners from North America, including Levi Browde and Jason Loftus, were arrested and deported after appealing at Tiananmen Square.
February 11, 2002 "Yantai City Falun Dafa Day" was established.
February 12, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Just A Play" on Minghui.org.
February 12, 2002 Mr. Jiang Honglu, a Falun Gong practitioner from Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province, was preparing to hang a Falun Gong banner on the street when a policeman recognized him as a Falun Gong practitioner and shot him. Mr. Jiang Honglu was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
February 12, 2002 "Falun Dafa Day in Jiangsu Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Shuangchen City, Heilongjian Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Daqin," "Falun Dafa Day in Hulan, Heilongjiang Province," "Falun Dafa Day in Wudalianchi City," and "Falun Dafa Day in Beian City" were established.
February 13, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Cleaning" on Minghui.org.
February 14, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Catastrophe" on Minghui.org.
February 14, 2002 More than 40 westerner Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and deported for appealing at Tiananmen Square for Falun Dafa.
February 15, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Foretelling" on Minghui.org.
February 16, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Cleaning Out" on Minghui.org.
February 16, 2002 The police in Anshan City, Liangnin Province chased three Falun Gong practitioners and shot them. One of the police officers shot at the practitioners four times. One of the shots hit a practitioner in the thigh.
February 19 - 24, 2002 Falun Dafa books entered the international book fair in Taipei, Taiwan.
February 23 - 24, 2002 The 2002 Los Angeles Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference and Radiant Spring Art Gala were held.
March 2002 The police in Changchun City received a secret order that instructed them to shoot at Falun Gong practitioners if they were seen hanging Falun Dafa banners or distributing flyers. Later, the police in Liaoning and Shangdong Province received the same secret order.
March 2, 2002 The 1st Indonesia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. More than 700 Falun Gong practitioners from ten countries attended the conference.
March 5, 2002 Two Falun Gong TV programs, including "Falun Dafa Worldwide" and "Self-Immolation or Staged Act," were broadcast on eight cable channels in Changchun City, Jilin Province. The broadcast lasted 40 to 50 minutes. Afterwards, the police arrested more than 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun. Ms. Li Rong, Ms. Shen Jianli, Mr. Liu Haibo, Mr. Liu Yi, and Ms. Li Shuqin were beaten to death in police custody. Another 15 practitioners participating in the March 5 Video Broadcast in Changchun City were sentenced from 4 to 20 years in prison.
March 2002 Falun Gong practitioners in northern China held a local Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference at an undisclosed location, and dedicated March 21 (vernal equinox) as the local "Falun Dafa Day." [Equinox: either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere of equal length.]
March 6, 2002 "Xinjiang Falun Dafa Day" and "Yantai Falun Dafa Day" were established.
March 7, 2002 Ten western Falun Gong practitioners from Australia were arrested and deported from China for appealing for Falun Dafa at Tiananmen Square. Among them is Jan Becker, who won a silver medal in swimming during the1964 Olympic Games.
March 8, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Look at Things with Righteous Thoughts" on Minghui.org.
March 9, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners held the first Future Science and Culture Congress in Cambridge, England. Many scholars and scientists from Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, the USA and UK gathered at the Guildhall in Cambridge to report and share their understandings and achievements in their own scientific areas. The speeches were divided into four categories: biology and medicine; new scientific views; social and environmental science; human science and culture. Many speakers talked about the close relationship between matter and spirit from various scientific angles.
March 10, 2002 Two western Falun Gong practitioners from Australia were arrested and deported from China for appealing for Falun Dafa at Tiananmen Square.
March 14, 2002 Police in Hong Kong arrested 16 Falun Gong practitioners for protesting outside the Hong Kong Chinese liaison office, accusing them of assaulting and obstructing police. Among the practitioner arrested were four Swiss practitioners and one New Zealand practitioner.
March 15 - 17, 2002 The 2002 Malaysia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at Tanah Rata Garden. Over 100 practitioners from across Malaysia attended the conference.
March 19 - 22, 2002 Over 700 Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world gathered outside the United Nations in Geneva during the 58th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, calling for an end of the persecution against Falun Gong. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Canada, Holland, and Germany condemned China for its persecution of Falun Gong.
March 23, 2002 Because of the rescue efforts from the Irish society, Zhao Ming was released from the Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp in Beijing and returned to Ireland.
March 23, 2002 The 2002 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 1,000 practitioners from nearly 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe attended the conference.
March 30, 2002 Guangzhou Daily, a newspaper belonging to the Guangzhou City Committee, published two of Mr. Li Hongzhi's poems. The editor responsible for this publication was arrested.
April 3, 2002 51 Falun Gong practitioners in the United States filed a landmark civil lawsuit in the United States Federal Court in Washington, D.C. The civil lawsuit was filed against the People's Republic of China's Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Public Security, and China Central Television (CCTV), along with affiliated individuals, for a systematic -- and often violent -- campaign of criminal activities in the U.S. designed to deprive American citizens and residents of their constitutional rights to practice Falun Gong.
April 5, 2002 In memory of the 8th Anniversary of Mr. Li Hongzhi teaching the Fa in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, Falun Gong practitioners in Jinzhou held the 2002 Jinzhou Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference at an undisclosed location.
April 2002 Jiang Zemin visited Germany. Over 400 Falun Gong practitioners from some 20 different countries and regions gathered in Germany to protest the persecution of Falun Gong.
April 15, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Touring North America to Teach the Fa" on Minghui.org.
April 16, 2002 The Argentina Falun Dafa Association was founded.
April 18, 2002 The Saipan Falun Dafa Association was founded.
April 20, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners played truth-clarifying TV programs on various cable TV stations in the cities of Harbin, Daqin, Shuangchen, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jiamusi, Hegan, Shuangyashan, Jixi in Heilongjiang Province. The program played 75 minutes without interruption.
April 25, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published Touring the U.S. to Lecture the Fa
April 25, 2002 A representative of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom condemned China for its persecution of Falun Gong during the 58th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
April 27, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Dafa Is Good" on Minghui.org.
April 27, 2002 Over 1,300 Falun Gong practitioners held a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference with his presence and gave a Fa lecture.
May 8, 2002 Minghui.org editors' announcement: Starting on May 8 Beijing time, every day at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., plus every day at noon and midnight, at the top of each of these four hours, each time for 5 to 10 minutes, all Dafa disciples from all over the world, including those who are illegally imprisoned in Mainland China, will collectively send forth righteous thoughts.
May 9, 2002 "Friends of Falun Gong" was established in Ireland.
May 9 - 19, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners in Hubei Province, China held two local Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conferences at an undisclosed location. In memory of the 10th Anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public, local practitioners clarified the truth to the local residents by posting truth-clarification flyers on the streets, hanging Falun Dafa banners, distributing truth-clarification materials and VCD's, and explained the truth about Falun Dafa on a person-to-person basis. On May 10, 2002 alone, practitioners in Hubei Province hung over 1,000 truth-clarification signs and small banners.
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May 11, 2002 The 2002 Northwestern U.S. Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
May 12, 2002 While broadcasting the CCTV's evening news program via a TV satellite, more than 10 TV channels in the provinces of Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Henan, Hunan, Qinhai, Shangxi and Gansu had their signals interrupted for 3 minutes while the evening news program was airing a segment slandering Falun Gong.
May 12, 2002 Zhang Xiaochen and Zhang Bo, Falun Gong practitioners in Shanko Village, Zhaungpu Town, Laixi City, Shangdong Province, were shot by police officers on their way to hang Falun Dafa banners.
May 13, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners worldwide celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Falun Gong's introduction to the public. More than 30 city governments in America, Canada, Australia, among others, issued proclamations, public praises, and congratulatory letters to celebrate the World Falun Dafa Day. Martial Bachoffner, a French Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested and deported after appealing for Falun Dafa on Tiananmen Square.
May 14, 2002 Maria Salzman, a Boston resident and practitioner of Falun Dafa, was invited to a semi-private mass of about 30 people after which she was granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II. During the meeting, the Pope offered a blessing for Falun Dafa around the world.
May 18, 2002 The 2002 Canadian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Toronto, Canada. More than 2,300 Falun Gong practitioners from Canada, Europe, Singapore, the United States, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Germany and Sweden attended the conference. Several dozen congratulatory messages sent by MP's (Member of Parliament) of the Canadian Parliament, provincial MP's and non-governmental organizations and recognitions issued for Falun Dafa were also announced. In the afternoon, the conference began with a short film entitled, "Heaven and Earth Celebrate Together -- the 10th Anniversary of Falun Dafa's Public Introduction."
May 19, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Blessing from Dafa" at Minghui.org.
June 1, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Entering the Gate of No-Life" at Minghui.org.
June 1 - 9, 2002 Falun Dafa books were featured at the World Book Fair in Singapore.
June 2, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions" at Minghui.org.
June 3, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Difficult Path to Godhood" at Minghui.org.
June 7, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston" at Minghui.org.
June 2002 Jiang Zemin visited Iceland. Over 70 Falun Gong practitioners who had planned to protest the persecution against Falun Gong in Iceland, were stopped at the Icelandic border, and moved to a school building-turned detention center. Morgunbladid, Iceland's largest daily, ran a full-page ad in Chinese, English and Icelandic apologizing to members of Falun Gong and foreign visitors of Asian descent. More than 450 Icelandic people from all walks of life--from Congressmen to poets, from blue-collar workers to students-- signed the declaration. Nearly 3,000 Icelandic people initiated a parade, protesting China's persecution against Falun Gong and Icelandic government's ban of Falun Gong practitioners from entering Iceland.
June 2002 Falun Gong practitioners from an undisclosed city in northern China held several local Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conferences in June.
June 15 - 16, 2002 The 2002 U.S. Mid-West Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois.
June 16, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Heavens Become Clear Again" at Minghui.org.
June 18 - 21, 2002 Falun Dafa books were featured at the 2002 APA Australian Book Fair in Sydney, Australia.
June 19, 2002 Spain Falun Dafa Association was founded.
June 21, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "A Righteous God" at Minghui.org.
June 23, 2002 The 2002 northern Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Taipei, Taiwan. More than 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
June 23 - 30, 2002 Falun Gong truth-clarification programs were broadcast on CCTV's nine sets of satellite TV channels, as well as ten provincial TV channels. Some of the programs contained scenes of Falun Gong practitioners' group exercises and the message of "Falun Dafa Is Good."
July 1, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Tathagata" at Minghui.org.
Since July 2002 Falun Gong practitioners worldwide held activities in 16 countries and regions to rescue the family members of Falun Gong practitioners who have been undergoing persecution in China. Several dozen Falun Gong practitioners who had been detained in China were rescued and went to Europe, Australia and North America.
July 6, 2002 The 2002 San Francisco Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Falun Gong practitioners from Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and the San Francisco Bay area attended the conference.
July 17, 2002 The Czech Falun Dafa Association was founded.
Falun Gong practitioners launched another Falun Dafa web site, Guang Ming web site at http://www.xinguangming.org for Australian practitioners.
July 22, 2002 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended a Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference with his presence, and gave a Fa lecture.
July 24, 2002 By a vote of 420-0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 188, which urges the Chinese government to cease its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
July 29, 2002 The Venezuela Falun Dafa Association was founded.
August 1, 2002 The International Human Rights Organization passed Resolution 13, condemning China's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
August 6, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
August 10, 2002 The first Latin American Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held in Mexico City.
August 15, 2002 The Hong Kong court found sixteen Falun Gong practitioners guilty of seven charges, including "blocking the street," "attacking police officers," and "obstructing justice" as well as four other charges. The sixteen Falun Gong practitioners filed an appeal.
August 16, 2002 Talentvision, a Chinese-language TV station, had been airing news program from Mainland China that slandered Falun Gong. After receiving complaints, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) found that the news item relating to murders committed in Mainland China was unfair and improper in its method of linking the murderer to Falun Gong. The CBSC decision stated that Talentvision breached four articles of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Code of Ethics and Violence Code and the Radio and Television News Directors Association Code of (Journalistic) Ethics. Mo Ruoxiang, the president of Talentvision, said that he would accept this ruling.
Around August 17, 2002 A Falun Gong truth-clarification program, Historical Trial, was played on cable TV stations in Xinin City, Minhe County, and other areas in Qinhai Province.
August 17 - 18, 2002 More than 50 Falun Gong practitioners in an undisclosed city in Hebei Province and its neighboring areas held a local Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.
August 2002 A cable TV in the Fanshan area of Beijing was intercepted twice by a Falun Gong truth-clarification program; It happened three times in the city of Baoding. Each interception lasted more than 70 minutes.
August 21, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Hurry Up and Tell Them" on Minghui.org.
August 23, 27, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners successfully broadcast Falun Gong truth-clarification TV programs, including Witness and Falun Dafa Worldwide, around 7 and 8 P.M, the most popular hours to watch TV in northern Baodin, Laisui, Yixian, Zhuozhou, Gaobeidian, and Xusui of Hebei Province. Each broadcast lasted over 70 minutes.
August 25, 2002 The 4th U.K Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom.
August 27, 2002 The police in Xushui County, Baodin City, Hebei Province sent many police cars and armed police officers to apprehend the Falun Gong practitioners who had broadcast Falun Dafa truth-clarification TV programs in the surrounding areas. The police shot at the Falun Gong practitioners and smashed their van. The public security officers arrested six Falun Gong practitioners.
August 27, 2002 The World Psychology Association decided to send a team to China to investigate the Chinese Communist government's abusive use of psychiatric treatment to persecute dissidents.
September 6, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners successfully played a truth-clarifying TV program on a cable TV network in Baiyin County, Baiyin City, Gansu Province. The program lasted 15 minutes.
September 7 - 8, 2002 The 2002 Asia Pacific Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held in Seoul, Korea. More than 1,100 Falun Gong practitioners from over 10 countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, attended the conference. During the two days of the conference, practitioners participated in a parade, held group practice, made formations to form the words "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance" in Chinese characters, distributed truth-clarifying materials, and held a vigil for fellow practitioners who have died from the persecution in China. All of these activities exposed the crimes of Jiang and his regime against Falun Dafa. Practitioners from each country shared their experiences in clarifying the facts of Falun Dafa and saving sentient beings worldwide.
September 14, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Be Clearheaded" on Minghui.org.
September 15, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "The Net Is Tightening" on Minghui.org.
September 27, 2002 The Japan Falun Dafa Association was founded.
September 28, 2002 More than 50 people from more than 10 countries founded the "Global Committee To Rescue Our Family Members."
September 28 - 30, 2002 The 3rd Russian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Moscow, Russia. Falun Gong practitioners from Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic Sea area nations attended the conference.
September 29, 2002 The 4th Saipan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held.
Since October 2002 The Refugee Commission of the United Nations granted six Falun Gong practitioners in Japan the United Nation refugee status.
October 6, 2002 The 3rd Atlanta Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
The 2002 Melbourne Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Melbourne, Australia.
October 14, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Righteous Thoughts" on Minghui.org.
October 17, 2002 Seven Falun Gong practitioners from Canada, America, France, Australia, Ireland, and Hong Kong filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, Zen Qinhong, and Luo Gan in the United Nations' Anti-Torture Committee and the Human Rights Committee.
October 22, 2002 During his stay in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., Jiang Zemin, the Secretary General of China's Communist Party, was sued under United States Human Rights Statutes (Alien Tort Claim Act & Torture Victims Protection Act) for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. A legal complaint alleging torture and genocide was filed at the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois and was served on October 22, 2002 to security officers guarding Jiang at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered in Chicago to protest the persecution against Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners started to send forth righteous thoughts worldwide on every set hour around the clock.
October 23, 2002 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered at places that Jiang Zemin stayed at or visited in Houston, protesting the persecution of Falun Gong, such as the Inter-Continental Hotel, the Ellington Airport, and the NASA. They also held a candle vigil in front of the Inter-Continental Hotel and stayed all night sending forth righteous thoughts.
October 24, 2002 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered near the George Bush Library at Texas A&M University, protesting Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference and the Canadian House of Commons unanimously passed a Private Members Motion submitted by Canadian Member of Parliament Scott Reid. The motion expressed the opinion of the House of Commons that in the interest of better trade relations between Canada and China, the Canadian Prime Minister should meet with Jiang Zemin at the APEC meeting and urge him to release 13 imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners who had close family ties to Canada,
The Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva passed Resolution R461, concerning violations of human rights, including the inhuman treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
October 25, 2002 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in Crawford, Texas, U.S.A. and sent forth righteous to protest the persecution against Falun Gong.
October 26, 2002 The police in Nonan County, Jilin Province shot at Falun Gong practitioners during a pursuit.
October 29, 2002 Officers of the Luyuan Police Branch in Changchun City, Jilin Province, shot at Mr. Liu Yuxin, a Falun Gong practitioner, during a pursuit.
November 2, 2002 A Minghui.org editor's announcement: The global activity of sending forth righteous thoughts hourly worldwide has concluded and will be recorded in the annals of the Fa-rectification.
November 2002 Ms. Wang Yuzhi, who was subjected to atrocious torture at the Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, fled to the United Arab Emirates with a visitor visa. She was forced to leave the United Arab Emirates within 5 days due to pressure from the Chinese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates. Upon hearing the news, Canada issued Ms. Wang a special visa promptly. On November 6, Ms. Wang received a special visa and arrived safely in Vancouver on November 11. Ms. Wang has been living in Canada ever since.
November 6, 2002 The Mayor of Chicago and the City Council unanimously passed a resolution condemning Jiang Zemin's regime for its persecution of Falun Gong. The resolution requests the US government to investigate allegations of illegal activities in the United States conducted by the government of the People's Republic of China and its representatives and agents. The allegations also included unlawful harassment of United States citizens and residents who practice Falun Gong, and officials of state and local governments who support Falun Gong. The resolution also requested the US government to take appropriate actions, including but not limited to the enforcement of immigration laws against any such representatives or agents who engage in such illegal activities.
November 10, 2002 The 2002 Australian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Sydney, Australia.
November 23, 2002 The 2002 Eastern Canadian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference using English as the primary language was held in Toronto, Canada.
November 24, 2002 The 2nd Irish Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Dublin, Ireland. Falun Gong practitioners from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Demark, Belgium, Austria and Hong Kong attended the conference.
November 30, 2002 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Philadelphia, USA. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference with his presence and gave a Fa lecture.
December 2, 2002 Four Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against Li Lanqin, the Head of the 610 Office and Vice Premier of China.
December 7, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A." on Minghui.org.
December 2002 Falun Gong practitioners in an undisclosed city in northern China held a local Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference at an undisclosed location. More than 40 practitioners attended the conference.
December 21, 2002 Falun Gong practitioners in an undisclosed city in northeastern China held a local Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference at an undisclosed location. More than 80 practitioners attended the conference.
December 28 - 29, 2002 The 2002 Florida Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
December 29, 2002 The 2002 Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at the National Taiwan University stadium in Taipei, Taiwan. Vice Interior Minister Mr. Hsu, Ying-Shen; the Mayor of Taipei, Mr. Ma Ying-Jeou; and the President of Taiwan National University, Mr. Chen Wei-Jao all came in person to give speeches to show their respect and support for Falun Gong practitioners. Later, the Vice President of Taiwan, Ms. Lu Hsiu-Lien, sent her congratulatory telegram and best regards to Falun Gong practitioners.
December 31, 2002 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "New Year's Greetings from Master" on Minghui.org.
January 4 - 6, 2003 The 1st Italian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Bergamo, Italy.
January 11, 2003 The 2003 Singapore Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. Falun Gong practitioners from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and the United States attended the conference.
January 20, 2003 "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" was founded. Their first investigation was "The Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation Incident."
January 21, 2003 The Philippines Falun Dafa Association was founded
January 22, 2003 Dr. Charles Li, a U.S. citizen, was arrested at Guangzhou Airport in China. Ms. Nancy Chen, an Australian Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested while she visited her family in China.
January 30, 2003 Nancy Chen returned safely to Australia, due to intervention from the Australian government.
January 31, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "New Year's Greetings to Dafa Disciples in 2003" and "Descending to the Earthly World" on Minghui.org.
February 6, 2003 The Russian Falun Dafa Association was founded.
February 9, 2003 The 1st Peruvian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in its capital Lima.
February 15, 2003 Over 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners held a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing conference in Los Angeles. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference with his presence and answered questions about cultivation at a large-scale Fa conference for the first time since the persecution against Falun Gong began.
February 21 - 22, 2003 Nearly 80 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners, who flew to Hong Kong for the Falun Dafa experience-sharing Fa conference there, were detained and deported with excessive force by Hong Kong Customs officers.
February 22, 2003 The 2003 Hong Kong Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held. Approximately 700 Falun Gong practitioners from 20 countries and regions attended the conference.
February 26, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
March 1, 2003 The 1st Austrian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Hallein, Austria. Among the participants were practitioners from various parts of Austria and the Bavarian region of Germany.
March 1 - 2, 2003 The 2003 Southeast Asian Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Melaka, Malaysia. Falun Dafa practitioners from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Norway and the United States attended the conference.
March 6, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
March 2003 The Greece Falun Dafa Association was founded.
March 16, 2003 The 2003 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 40 countries attended the conference.
March 18, 2003 A Swiss-based international non-governmental organization, "Track Impunity Always," and the Swiss Falun Dafa Association, jointly conducted a press conference at the Hotel Cornavin in downtown Geneva to announce that they will file a lawsuit in Switzerland against the former President of China, Jiang Zemin. Jiang was sued for torture, genocide, and other crimes against humanity.
March 19, 2003 The European Branch of "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" was founded.
March 20, 2003 In a meeting with a procedural unit of the United Nations Human Rights confidential monitoring apparatus, Fa Wang Huihui, a human rights watch group, submitted two reports on the persecution of Falun Gong in China, totaling over 4000 pages. The first report contained a list of names of more than 11,000 agents of the 610 Office, police and others involved in the persecution of Falun Gong along with details of the crimes committed. The second report contained a list of almost 20,000 victims of the persecution and detailed accounts of the sufferings that they had endured.
March 20, 2003 Mr. Rob Anders, a Canadian Member of Parliament from Calgary West, introduced a new bill in the House of Commons - "No Foreign Aid to Countries That Do Not Respect Religious Freedom." This bill is an act to amend "The Special Economic Measures Act." Anders said, "Some of the largest recipients of Canadian foreign aid are the worst abusers of human rights in the world." He also said, "A bill such as I have introduced today in the House of Commons would mean that Canada would no longer abet tyrants who flagrantly abuse human rights."
March 21, 2003 The People's Court in Yangzhou, China sentenced Dr. Charles Li to three years in prison for "intending" to sabotage TV broadcast equipment. Overseas Falun Gong practitioners started a series of rescue activities.
March 26, 2003 The Australian Branch of "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" was established.
March 28, 2003 The 2003 northern Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Jiantan, Taipei, Taiwan. More than 1,400 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
April 3, 2003 The Germany Falun Dafa Association and several Falun Gong practitioners from Germany and the United States held press conferences in three German cities, Berlin, Dresden, and Hanover, to officially announce lawsuits filed at the administrative courts of Berlin and other areas for the police's transgressions against Falun Gong practitioners during Jiang's visit to Germany in April 2002. The goal of the lawsuits was to prevent such acts from occurring again in the future. Falun Gong practitioners also filed lawsuits against German Federal Authorities from Brandenburg, Niedersachens and Sachsen.
April 7, 2003 Four Taiwanese and one Hong Kong Dafa practitioner sued Hong Kong's Immigration Office for punitive damages over mistreatment when a group of 80 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners were denied entry into Hong Kong in February 2003. They requested a review of the decision of Immigration Office and asked for compensation.
Mid-April 2003 34 Falun Gong practitioners in Jidong County, Heilongjiang Province, were arrested for providing evidence of the persecution to be used in the overseas lawsuits against Jiang Zemin.
April 19 -20, 2003 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in New York. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture.
April 24 - May 5, 2003 Falun Dafa books were featured in the Sixth International Book Fair at Santo Domingo.
April 30, 2003 The 1st Benelux Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference is held in Brussels, Belgium. Falun Gong practitioners from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Ireland attended this conference.
May 3, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
May 4, 2003 The 1st Argentina Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference is held in Buenos Aires. Practitioners from Tucuman, Cordoba, Santiago Estero, Catamarca and Formosa traveled more than a dozen hours to attend the Fa conference.
Till the end of May 6, 2003 95 cities in Japan passed resolutions asking the Japanese government to immediately rescue Yoko Kaneko, a Falun Dafa practitioner detained in China.
May 7, 2003 Friends of Falun Gong - India was founded.
May 10, 2003 The 1st Rostov Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
May 13, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners in dozens of countries and regions celebrated the 11-year anniversary of Falun Dafa's official introduction to the world. Dozens of states and towns in the United States and Canada announced the day as "World Falun Dafa Day" or passed a resolution proclaiming Falun Dafa Day.
May 14, 2003 The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong held a press conference in Washington, DC, announcing the result of its investigation on the Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation Act. The National Taiwan University Speech Processing Laboratory reached the conclusion that the "Wang Jindong" (one of the alleged Falun Gong practitioners who set themselves on fire) who appeared on the first Focus Interview program isn't the same person as the "Wang Jindong" who appeared on the second and third programs that aired in China.
May 16, 2003 The Hong Kong Branch of "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" was founded.
May 19, 2003 Over 1,500 Falun Gong practitioners attended the Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture.
May 21, 2003 Members of The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) held a news conference in front of the Chinese Consulate at San Francisco to condemn the Chinese government's psychiatric abuses and strongly urge the Chinese government to unconditionally allow the WPA's independent inspection.
May 30 - June 1, 2003 Falun Dafa books were featured in the American Book Fair" in Los Angeles, the largest book fair in North America.
May 31, 2003 The 2003 Indonesian Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held the Island of Bali. Attending the Fa conference were Dafa practitioners from different places in Indonesia, including Medan, Batam, Payakumbuh, Jakarta, Thoreau, Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Tulungagung, and also practitioners from Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.
June 5, 2003 Iceland's Data Protection Authority announced that Icelandic Ministry of Justice's use of blacklist to stop Falun Gong practitioners from entering Iceland was illegal.
June 2003 The U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward M. Chen in San Francisco recently denied foreign sovereign immunity to Beijing Party Secretary and former Beijing Mayor Liu Qi and Deputy Governor of Liaoning Province, Xia Deren. Judge Chen found both Chinese officials guilty of overseeing the torture of Falun Gong practitioners.
June 18, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003" on Minghui.org.
June 19 - 22, 2003 Nearly 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 30 countries held activities such as group meditation and parade in Chicago to support the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin.
June 22, 2003 Nearly 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Chicago. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture.
June 27, 2003 The Montreal-based Chinese newspaper La Presse Chinoise repeatedly published materials defaming Falun Gong. Later Canadian Falun Gong practitioners sued La Presse Chinoise and the author of the articles, Chinese secret agent Ms. He Bing, in Quebec Superior Court. The Court issued a safeguard order to prohibit La Presse Chinoise and Ms. He from publishing any similar materials defaming Falun Gong. However, after the safeguard order had been issued, the La Presse Chinoise newspaper continued to slander Falun Gong. It published a 12-page long "special edition" on February 2, 2002, identical to the previous edition. Falun Gong practitioners again sued the newspaper, this time for "contempt of court." This case stemmed from the main "defamation lawsuit." On April 15, 2002, the judge on duty decided to throw out the case, saying that the previous court prohibition order was not "clear." Falun Gong practitioners were not convinced and appealed. On June 27, 2003, a senior judge in the Appeals Tribunal of the Canadian Quebec Superior Court adjudicated to cancel the previous decision and ordered the court to proceed with the contempt of court case.
July 6, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
July 6 - 7, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia held the first Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference on Bataam Island, Indonesia.
July 19 - 22, 2003 Over 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 60 countries attended the Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference, a march, and a mock trial against Jiang Zemin in Washington, DC to protest the persecution of Falun Gong over the past four years. Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the Fa conference and gave a Fa lecture.
July 28, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Washington DC Fa Conference" on Minghui.org.
August 1, 2003 According to a Minghui.org news announcement: Falun Gong practitioners in a rural area in Huanan successfully broadcast Falun Gong truth-clarification TV programs including Witness and Falun Dafa Worldwide, with a timed high-power transmitter for several minutes. Tens of thousands of Chinese people watched these truth-clarification TV programs. All Falun Gong practitioners who helped with the broadcast withdrew from the area safely prior to the broadcast. According to the news, Falun Gong practitioners in China have designed and produced a large quantity of TV transmitters and FM broadcasting transmitters. They have internal timers and a large emissive power for more Falun Gong practitioners in China to broadcast Falun Dafa truth-clarification TV programs.
August 4, 2003 The representatives of Falun Gong practitioners made a keynote speech at the 55th session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, regarding the persecution targeting female Falun Gong practitioners.
August 12, 2003 According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, Mr. William Bourdon, one of the lawyers responsible for the trials against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, announced that a French criminal court has begun legal proceedings in a lawsuit charging the former Vice-Prime Minister of China, Li Lanqing, with crimes of torture.
August 12 - 13, 2003 Chinese Education TV, CCTV and ten Chinese provincial TV stations' programs were intercepted with the message "Jiang Zemin has been sued" and photographs chosen by Falun Gong practitioners.
August 16 - 17, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, Finland, and the USA attended the 2003 Southeast Asia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference. This was the first time that such a large-scale conference was held in Thailand.
August 17, 2003 The 2003 northern Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Taipei. More than 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended the conference.
August 20, 2003 Six Falun Gong practitioners in Belgium filed a civil lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan and Li Lanqin, the head of the 610 Office, with charges of genocide, anti-human rights violations and torture.
August 24, 2003 The 5th UK Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Birmingham, the United Kingdom. Falun Gong practitioners from the UK, Holland and Ireland attended the conference.
August 31, 2003 Falun Dafa practitioners from Calgary and Edmonton held their first Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
September 8, 2003 Criminal complaints were filed in Iceland charging Luo Gan, the head of the 610 Office, the Gestapo-like agency of China, for committing crimes of torture and genocide while Luo Gan was traveling in four European countries.
September 11, 2003 Criminal complaints were filed in Finland charging Luo Gan, head of the 610 Office with committing genocide and torture.
September 12, 2003 The Chicago Court dismissed the lawsuit filed against Jiang Zemin on the grounds that a former head-of-state has immunity for crimes as serious as genocide and torture, and that the 610 Office doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the United States.
กก The 2003 Australia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at Camberwell Civic Center in Melbourne. More than 700 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the United States and across Australia attended. Leaders from the Australian Democratic Party and Labor Party and the Queensland Provincial Councilor sent congratulatory letters. The "Sound of Brilliance" concert to an audience of about a thousand people was acclaimed as "world-class" by Councilor Dennis Whelan from the city of Harmony. Falun Gong practitioners also held a large-scale parade and candlelight vigil to call for the immediate end to the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China.
September 15, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi published "Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art" on Minghui.org.
September 15, 2003 Terri Marsh and representatives of Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference on September 15 at the National Press Club in Washington DC, stating that they are planning to file a Motion for Reconsideration to the District Court and an Appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
September 16, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit at the court of Yerevan, suing Luo Gan, the leader of the Chinese regime's 610 Office for committing torture and genocide. Armenia previously signed a UN document agreeing to oppose genocide.
September 18, 2003 "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong," "Rescue Our Family Members," and the European/St. Petersburg Falun Dafa Associations filed a class action lawsuit charging Luo Gan with torture, genocide and other crimes. Luo Gan, head of the Gestapo-like 610 Office was visiting Moldova when the lawsuit was filed against him.
September 21, 2003 The 2003 Western U.S. Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in the City of Los Altos, California. Nearly 1,000 Falun Dafa practitioners from all over the United States came to attend the conference.
September 23 - 28, 2003 Falun Dafa books were featured in the 23rd Indonesia Book Fair in Jakarta. It is the largest book fair in Southeast Asia.
September 27, 2003 The 4th Russian and former Soviet Union countries Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Moscow, Russia. Practitioners from Russia, the Ukraine, White Russia, Kazakhstan, America, Taiwan, Germany, Sweden, France and Romania attended the conference. During the conference, an Arts and Culture performance named "The Righteous Way" was presented, along with a press conference.
September 27, 2003 The 3rd New Zealand Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Auckland.
September 29, 2003 Plaintiffs in Falun Gong v. Jiang Zemin (and the 610 Office) filed legal papers charging the former leader with crimes of extensive corruption and urged the Court to hold him responsible for committing genocide against Falun Gong for his own private benefit - to consolidate his power base, enhance his stature, and increase his personal wealth.
September 30, 2003 The Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice formally announced its establishment at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Coalition is committed to embodying all righteous forces and exposing all the crimes of Jiang Zemin. The Coalition will ensure that Jiang is brought to justice in the Court of Conscience, the Court of Morality and the Court of Law. To date, over 100 organizations and individuals have joined in to support the Coalition.
October 6, 2003 A Falun Gong practitioner in an undisclosed city in China filed a lawsuit against two local policemen for handing him an illegal sentence to serve time in a forced labor camp.
October 7, 2003 The judge for the U.S. Federal District Court in the Northern District of Illinois decided to keep his original verdict after listening to the lawyer's appeal at a court hearing on October 7. Terri Marsh, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, stated that they would continue to appeal to the higher courts.
October 9, 2003 Belgium prosecutors decided not to process the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin. World-renowned human rights lawyer Mr. Georges-Henri Beauthier and the Belgian Falun Dafa Association held a press conference to announce their decision to continue the lawsuit.
October 12, 2003 The 2003 U.S South Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. More than 1,700 Falun Gong practitioners from North America, Taiwan, Europe and Australia attended the conference.
October 2003 The 2003 Israeli Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held.
October 13, 2003 Zhuan Falun was exhibited at the world's largest book fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Zhuan Falun has been translated into more than thirty languages to date. There were twenty-five versions put on exhibition at the book fair, including the Slovakian, Croatian, and Hebrew versions.
October 15, 2003 Fifteen Falun Gong practitioners from China, the United States, Australia, Belgium, and Spain filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan in Spain's High Court, charging them with the genocide and torture of Falun Gong practitioners. They held a press conference later that day, announcing the lawsuit.
October 15, 2003 Due to international pressure, the "610 office" changes its name to "Purge the Evil Cult Office" and claims that the "610 Office" was "disbanded."
October 16, 2003 U.S. congresswoman Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen introduced Resolution 304 that urged China to immediately stop interfering in the exercise of religious and political freedoms within the United States, such as the right to practice Falun Gong, that are guaranteed by the United States Constitution; to cease using the diplomatic missions in the United States to spread falsehoods about the nature of Falun Gong; to release from detention all prisoners of conscience, including practitioners of Falun Gong who have been incarcerated in violation of their rights as expressed in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China; and to immediately end the harassment, detention, physical abuse, and imprisonment of the individuals who are exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of religion, including the practice of Falun Gong, freedom of expression, and freedom of association as stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Resolution 304 also urged the American President, in accordance with section 401(a)(1)(B) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)(1)(B)), and with the intention of dissuading the Chinese Government from attempting to stifle religious freedom in the People's Republic of China and the United States, take action such as 1) issuing an official public demarche, a formal protest, to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in response to the repeated violations by the Chinese Government of basic human rights protected in international covenants to which the People's Republic of China is a signatory; and 2) the Attorney General should investigate reports that Chinese consular officials in the United States have committed illegal acts while attempting to intimidate or inappropriately influence Falun Gong practitioners or local elected officials and, in consultation with the Secretary of State, determine an appropriate legal response.
October 21, 2003 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Lin Hsiao-Kai traveled to Shanghai on September 30, 2003. All contact with him was lost beginning October 8, 2003. Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners and Lin's wife called a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan, pleading for help to rescue her husband, urging the mainland authorities to release Lin immediately, and urging the Legislative Yuan to pass a resolution to call for an end to the persecution.
October 25, 2003 The Taiwanese Bar Association, the largest attorneys' association in Taiwan, became the first association in the legal arena in the world to openly support Falun Gong. The Taiwanese Bar Association made a joint announcement to support Falun Gong practitioners' international lawsuits against those Chinese political leaders who persecute Falun Gong and to call for the immediate release of incarcerated Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners.
October 26, 2003 The 2003 Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference in France was held in Paris.
October 27, 2003 Cypriot human rights attorney Mr. Laris Vrahimis, representing persecuted Falun Dafa practitioners, filed the lawsuit against Mr. Wu Guanzheng, former Provincial Secretary of Shandong Province and current member of the CCP Politburo's Standing Committee. Wu is one of the key figures in the persecution of Falun Gong and is being tried in Cyprus for crimes against humanity, torture and genocide.
October 27, 2003 Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Lin Hsiao-Kai was released back to Taiwan after 21 days of illegal incarceration in Shanghai.
October 28, 2003 In order to rescue Falun Gong practitioners currently being detained and sentenced by Chinese authorities, the Taiwanese Falun Dafa Association had launched a two-week Bicycle Tour Across Taiwan entitled, "Let kind and innocent Taiwan citizens return home! Stop China from trampling upon Taiwan's human rights." The tour set off on the morning of October 28, 2003 from the front gate of Chong Cheng Memorial Temple in Taipei. The group divided into East and West branches to travel across the whole island. Before leaving, the practitioners heard the news that Mr. Lin Hsiao-kai was released, but there are still many other Falun Gong practitioners suffering from illegal detention. Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan share the same understanding: As long as the persecution is not ended, their rescue efforts will not stop.
November 1, 2003 The 2003 Asian region Falun Dafa experience sharing conference was held in Tokyo, with approximately 800 practitioners from Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan attending the conference. The theme of this Fa conference was, "Strive forward together, a bright future lies ahead."
November 1, 2003 The Malaysian Falun Dafa Research and Training Center was officially established in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur on November 1, 2003.
November 3, 2003 In Nahe City, Heilongjiang Province, Dafa practitioners successfully aired truth clarification videos through the local cable TV system. About 600 households viewed the program, which included the truth about the persecution against Dafa and Dafa practitioners.
November 3, 2003 A Quebec Court of Appeals reinstated Falun Gong practitioners' Motion for Contempt of Court against the Montreal Chinese Newspaper La Presses Chinoises and the author Mr. He Bing. The decision will be recorded in the most prestigious law journal -- Dominion Law Reports.
November 8, 2003 New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV), a non-profit, privately owned Chinese TV station, won a Certificate of Honorable Mention at the 51st Columbus International Film & Video Festival with the movie "False Fire: China's Tragic New Standard in State Deception" which analyzes the Tiananmen Square "Self-immolation Incident" in 2001. The awards ceremony was held in the Kansas Center, Columbus Arts College, Columbus, Ohio. Another Movie from NTDTV, "Lily Ye's Legend," which talked about a Chinese artist who used public art to improve an African American community in the United States, won the bronze plaque.
November 9, 2003 The 3rd Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference was held at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The mayor of Ballylinan and district county Laois, Ireland, Ms. Josephine Leahy, declared November 9, 2003 as Falun Dafa Day.
November 14, 2003 AMinghui.org announcement suggests for practitioners in China to collect physical evidence that the media in China created and spread slanderous news to defame Falun Gong and evidence of the persecution, and suggests to them to send collected evidence to the Evidence Collection Committee overseas if they are certain that mailing such evidence will not be a safety risk.
November 15, 2003 Taiwan Falun Gong practitioners will file a lawsuit in a Taiwanese High Court on November 17, 2003 accusing Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, and Luo Gan of their genocide of Falun Gong practitioners. To express support for the lawsuit, about ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners from various places in Taiwan gathered in front of the President's Office on the morning of November 15 and held a public rally with the theme, "Call for the Ending of the Persecution against Humanity; Safeguard Basic Human Rights; Support the Global Trial against Jiang Zemin." Lawmakers from the Democracy Progressive Party and Kuo Min Tang, as well as representatives from the Legislative Committee, the Taiwan Human Rights Association and Chinese Human Rights Association attended the rally. The cloth bearing the signatures of about 100,000 people to support this campaign was displayed at the conference site.
November 17, 2003 Seven Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners, including Mr. Lin Hsiao-Kai and a teenager filed a lawsuit in a Taiwanese High Court on November 17, 2003 accusing former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, former Chinese vice Primer Li Lanqing and member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Luo Gan with genocide.
November 21, 2003 A total of 39 victims of this persecution, the German Falun Dafa Association and dedicated citizens who support an end to the terror campaign against Falun Gong in China filed a criminal lawsuit in Germany's highest court in Karlsruhe against the former president of China, Jiang Zemin, and other functionaries of the PRC. This is the first time that the police officers in China's forced labor camps assisting in the persecution against Falun Gong have faced a criminal lawsuit outside China.
November 21, 2003 Falun Dafa practitioners withdrew a lawsuit filed at the Administrative Court against the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Germany's state of Sachsen/Saxonia, because the district government of Braunschweig has issued a public apology for police infringement of Falun Gong practitioners' basic human rights when Jiang Zemin visited Goslar in 2002. The German Falun Dafa Association and the appealing plaintiffs acknowledged the official apology and expressed thanks for their sincere promise to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
November 22, 2003 More than 600 Falun Gong practitioners from countries throughout Europe gathered in Germany at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin to support the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin.
November 23, 2003 More than 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from over 10 countries including Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Holland, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Spain, Russia, the United States, Australia, and Israel, gathered in Berlin, Germany for the 2003 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference. The 2003 Inaugural Malaysia Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was successfully convened in Kuala Lumpur.
November 24, 2003 About 50 Falun Gong practitioners from an undisclosed city in northeastern China held a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference.
November 26, 2003 The Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice held a rally outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The coalition submitted printed documentation about the lawsuit against Jiang from different countries to the presiding judge of the International Court and requested that Jiang be tried.
November 29, 2003 About 1,500 Falun Dafa practitioners from North America and other countries gathered at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, to attend the 2003 Southeast US Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference. The founder of Falun Dafa, Mr. Li Hongzhi graced the event with his presence. He gave a Fa lecture and answered Falun Gong practitioners' questions regarding cultivation practice.
December 1, 2003 Motion No. 704 was passed in the Australian senate to rescue the family members of Australians, which indicated Australia's commitment to supporting the close relatives of Australian citizens who are detained on the basis that they practice Falun Gong, and calls on the Australian Government to raise the issue in the context of the human rights dialogue.
December 8, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners, joined by many international organizations, formed a Preparatory Committee to Establish International Special Tribunal (CIST) to try the persecutors of Falun Gong. They will work together with all international righteous forces to establish the special court as soon as possible. The special court would mirror the Nuremberg Trials and bring the criminals who launched or participated in the persecution of Falun Gong to justice.
December 16, 2003 Belgium human rights lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier and Falun Gong practitioners in Belgium held a joint press conference in Brussels to announce they would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in the hopes that the court would accept their case to file charges against the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.
December 26, 2003 The Korean Falun Dafa Association held a press conference in Seoul's Plaza Hotel and announced that the Seoul Local Court had formally accepted the Genocide Lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and Luo Gan.
December 26, 2003 Mr. Liu Chengjun, one of the main participants in the March 5, 2002 video broadcast of Falun Dafa truth-clarification programs in Changchun, Jilin Province, died in police custody after 21 months of torture in prison. As of December 26, 2003, eight Falun Gong practitioners participating in the March 5 video broadcast in Changchun have died as a result of torture at the hand of Chinese police.
December 27, 2003 The 2003 Inaugural Overseas Young Practitioners' Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held in Taipei, Taiwan. Approximately 1,200 young Falun Gong practitioners, their parents and other guests from Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and other countries attended this conference.
Starting December 28, 2003 Minghui.org started to publish 2004 New Year's greetings to revered teacher Mr. Li Hongzhi from Falun Dafa Practitioners as well as non-practitioners who are Chinese state security officers or public security officers from inside and outside China.
December 28, 2003 The 2003 Singapore Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Singapore. Organized by the Singapore Falun Dafa Association, this conference was attended by practitioners from Singapore, Canada, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Starting December 29, 2003 Falun Gong practitioners around the world started to hold memorial services for Mr. Liu Chengjun.
December 31, 2003 Mr. Li Hongzhi's new article, "Master's New Year's Day 2004 Greeting to Dafa Disciples" was published at Minghui.org.
January 11, 2004 The 2004 Taiwan Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Taipei's International Conference Center. More than 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners from around the world including Taiwan, Europe, America and other countries in Asia attended the conference. Taiwan's President Chen Shui-Bian, vice-president Lu Hsiu-Lien, Lien Chan, presidential candidate of the Nationalist Party and Ma Ying-Jeou, the Mayor of Taipei, sent congratulatory letters to wish the conference a complete success. Huang Chu-wen, the President of Taiwan's Joint Party delivered a speech at the conference.
January 15, 2004 Falun Gong, the introductory book to the practice and principles of Falun Gong, has now been officially published in the Slovak language.
January 17, 18, 2004 Upon the invitation of New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), Falun Gong practitioners from more than 20 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, presented art performances at the Inaugural Chinese New Year Global Gala Manhattan Center, New York.
Starting January 19, 2004 Minghui.org started to publish the 2004 Chinese New Year's greetings from Falun Gong practitioners inside and outside of China to the revered founder of Falun Dafa, Mr. Li Hongzhi.
January 19, 2004 Around the date of the Spring Festival [Chinese New Year], Falun Gong Practitioners successfully broadcast documentaries explaining the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong through a wireless TV network at Xingtai City and Shahe City, Hebei Province. The 75-minute long video documentaries including "False Fire", "Globally Putting Jiang on Trial", "Falun Dafa Around the World", truth-clarification music televisions videos, etc. were broadcast.
January 20, 2004 An interview with Mr. Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Gong, was aired exclusively on New Tang Dynasty TV. This is the first time that the founder of Falun Gong has accepted a media interview in the more than four years since July 20, 1999.
January 20, 2004 Terry Marsh, lead attorney in the lawsuit against former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and the "610 Office" for persecuting Falun Gong, filed a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago. The brief asks the Circuit Court to reverse the decision of the U.S. District Court and allow the case to go forward. The court formally accepted the appeal at 11:15 a.m. on January 20, 2004.
January 20, 2004 Representatives of the Canadian Falun Dafa Association and renowned international human rights lawyer David Matas jointly held a press conference at Parliament Hill in Canada. The press conference revealed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has a list of Chinese officials from each level of the Party Committees, "610 Offices," local governments and forced labor camps that are responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong. By the end of January 2004 the list, which has been increased to 45 names, includes those of Jiang Zemin, Li Lanqing, Luo Gan, Wang Maolin and Liu Jing, among other well-known officials. If anyone on the list attempts to enter Canada, a prompt investigation could take place, potentially resulting in refusal of visas to Canada, cancellation of their Canadian citizenship, deportation, charges and punishments based on Canada's laws governing crimes against humanity and war crimes.
January 21, 2004 Mr. Li Hongzhi's new article, "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference," was published at Minghui.org.
January 22, 2004 In order to let villagers of Yanbian, Jilin Province see the truth of Dafa, the local Dafa practitioners cooperated as a whole body on the first day of the new year and hung up more than 1,000 truth-clarification banners. They hung the banners at the airport, forced labor camps, prisons, nearby bridges, highways and major roads in the district. The banners displayed the following words, "Falun Dafa is good," "Falun Dafa is the Righteous Fa," "Falun Dafa is Indestructible," "Falun Dafa Practitioners Wish all the Villagers a Happy New Year," "Remember that Falun Dafa is Good, You Will Be Safe and Good Year After Year," and "The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Some banners were up to 10 meters long (32 feet).
January 24, 2004 Founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi's new article, "Master's Fa Taught in the International Teleconference," was published at Minghui.org.
January 24, 26, 2004 On January 24 and 26, prior to the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Hu Jintao's visit to France, several dozen Falun Gong practitioners from England, Germany, France, Taiwan and Norway were distributing truth-clarification leaflets or simply wearing yellow scarves embroidered with the words "Falun Gong" on the streets of Paris. They were taken to a police station and detained for a few hours.
January 26, 2004 The first day of the international conference on "Genocide in the New Era" was successfully held in Stockholm, Sweden. Friends of Falun Gong Europe and International Advocates for Justice were joint sponsors of the event. With the persecution against Falun Gong in China as the example of genocide in the new era, participants held comprehensive discussions from multiple perspectives concerning the symptoms of and possible responses to various forms of genocide in today's world.
January 28, 2004 Four Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit with the prosecutor's office in Paris against the visiting Chinese Culture Minister Mr. Sun Jiazheng for "incitement of massacre and persecution."
February 3, 2004 The Ontario Superior Court began proceedings for the libel lawsuit filed by Toronto Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Joel Chipkar against the Deputy Consul General of China in Toronto, Mr. Pan Xinchun. Defendant Pan Xinchun was convicted of libel and ordered to compensate for the losses he caused to the plaintiff. This is the first time a Falun Gong practitioner has brought and won a lawsuit against a Chinese diplomat for persecuting Falun Gong outside of China. This is also the first court case where a Chinese diplomat was sued for slander and spreading hatred against Falun Gong.
February 12, 2004 In the genocide lawsuit filed by seven Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioners against Luo Gan, Li Lanqing and former Chinese head of state Jiang Zemin, Taiwan's High Court reached a verdict of "jurisdictional error." The attorney representing the Falun Gong practitioners expressed her disagreement and appealed the case to the Taiwanese Supreme Court. This was the first lawsuit in history ever to be filed by a Taiwanese citizens in the Taiwanese community against former Chinese leaders for their crimes against human rights.
February 15, 2004 Founder of Falun Gong Mr. Li Hongzhi's new article, "Stop the Evil Acts with Righteous Thoughts," is published at Minghui.org.
As of February 25, 2004
  • Falun Gong has spread to more than 60 countries all over the world.
  • Zhuan Falun and other Falun Dafa books have been translated in more than 30 languages and published all over the world.
  • There are approximately 110 Falun Dafa web sites.
  • Falun Dafa has received more than 1,000 proclamations and resolutions.
  • The number of Falun Gong practitioners that have been confirmed as having been tortured to death by the Chinese Communist government has reached 935.
  • According the Chinese Communist Party's internal statistics at the end of October 2001, the number of Falun Gong practitioners that have died in detention has reached 1,600.
  • The number of Falun Gong practitioners tried and sentenced guilty by the Chinese Communist government has exceeded 6,000. [Note: The trials were against the Chinese Constitution that warrants the freedom of personal belief and assembly.]
  • The number of Falun Gong practitioners detained in forced labor camps without trial has exceeded 100,000.
  • The deputy head of a forced labor camp in China revealed that there were a total of 210,000 imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners in 2001.
  • According internal information from the Public Security Bureau in Beijing, there have been a total of 830,000 arrests of Falun Gong practitioners for appealing for Falun Dafa in Beijing. This does not include those who refused to give their names or were not recorded by the police at the time of arrest.
  • The number of Falun Gong practitioners committed to psychiatric institutions and subjected to forced injections and the administering of drugs that are damaging to the central nervous system has reached several thousands.
  • Countless Falun Gong practitioners were thrown to forced brainwashing classes.
  • Countless Falun Gong practitioners were forced to leave their homes to escape persecution.
  • Hundreds of millions of Falun Gong practitioners' friends, families and colleagues were subjected to different degrees of persecution and forced brainwashing.
  • 1/4 of China's national revenue has been used to persecute Falun Gong in the following, but not limited to the following:
  • The Chinese police that work exclusively to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, as well as the staff "610 Office," a Gestapo-like agency in China, totaling several millions, taking hundreds of billions of RMB from Chinese peoples' taxes.
  • In February 27, 2001, the Chinese Communist government approved a budget of 4 billion RMB to install surveillance devices to spy on and watch Falun Gong practitioners.
  • In December 2001, the Chinese Communist government approved a budget of 4.2 billion RMB to build forced brainwashing centers.
  • According information from the Public Security Bureau in China, the cost of patrolling Tiananmen Square and arresting Falun Gong practitioners at Tiananmen Square in 2001was averaged between 1.7 and 2.5 million RMB a day, totaling 620 to 910 millions RMB.
  • According to internal documents in Beijing's Treasury, a budget of 32 million RMB was approved to "handle Falun Gong" from January to October of 2001.
  • Haidin District of Beijing approved a budget of 3.6 million RMB in June 2001 to run forced brainwashing classes.
  • The Treasury of the Shapinba District of Chongqin City spent 2.02 million RMB to "handle Falun Gong."
  • To prevent Falun Gong's truth-clarification TV program from being aired on CCTV, the Chinese Communist government spent more than one billion RMB to replace its satellite broadcast system with fiber cable transmission systems.
  • From March to June 2002, Changchun City put a large number of government organizations into action and hired additional 800 people to watch the telephone poles 24 hours a day, spending more than one million RMB to prevent Falun Gong's truth-clarification TV programs from airing on cable TV channels in Changchun.
  • A forced labor camp in Shannxi Province spent 19.37 million RMB moving from one location to another.
  • The Chinese Communist government has been encouraging the Chinese people to help persecute Falun Gong practitioners with monetary incentives. For example, the Head of Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, Su received 50,000 RMB as a bonus; Shao, the Deputy Head, 30,000 RMB. Everyone who reports a Falun Gong practitioner will receive a bonus in the range of several thousands to several tens of thousands RMB.
  • The number of policemen watching and controlling Internet communications and information totals several hundred thousand.
  • The Chinese Communist government sent a large number of special agents overseas to spy on Falun Gong practitioners overseas. In Southern California alone, there are several hundred to one thousand special agents.
  • The Chinese Communist government offered developing countries a large sum of zero-interest economic aid in trade for their votes at the assembly of the United Nation's Human Rights Committee, to vote against resolutions condemning China for its human rights abuses.
  • The Chinese Communist government directly controls or has influenced independent media that have business trades with monetary incentives, to allow the government to purchase air time. Government officials were hired to work inside independent media as double agents as well as many other means to influence or control the Chinese media in developed Western countries.

Source: http://www.pureinsight.org/pi/articles/2004/3/15/2097.html

Translated from
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2004/3/2/26013.html