Li Hongzhi (Chinese: 李洪志; born 1951 or 1952) is a Chinese religious leader. He is the founder and leader of Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, a United States–based new religious movement. Li began his public teachings of Falun Gong on 13 May 1992 in Changchun and subsequently gave lectures and taught Falun Gong exercises across China.
Li's first public demonstration was at the 1992 Oriental Health Expo in Beijing. Reportedly, Li "apparently" helped a paralysed and wheelchair-bound man to walk again, as well as having cured "difficult and complex illnesses of all kinds". The fair's director subsequently announced Falun Gong as being the "star cultivation system". The event helped cement Li's popularity, while journalistic reports of Falun Gong's healing capabilities grew.
The movement had gained significant popularity in the 1990s, including in certain government and qigong circles during the qigong fever. However from the early 1990s, qigong as a science became increasingly a target of criticism by both authorities and media for failing to provide replicable conclusive proof for its paranormal claims. As the Chinese authorities' attitude toward the broader qigong movement changed, Li moved to the United States in 1995 to avoid conflicts with authorities and began teaching Falun Gong abroad. He settled in the U.S. as a permanent resident in 1998. Falun Gong was later suppressed by the Chinese government in 1999 and was branded a "heretical organization," followed by a multifaceted propaganda campaign, systematic torture, illegal imprisonment, forced labor, and alleged forced organ harvesting.
Central to Falun Gong are the principles of zhēn 眞, shàn 善 and rěn 忍 (which translate approximately as truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance), which Li describes as the fundamental characteristics of the universe.
According to Falun Gong, assimilation to the supreme nature of the universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren, is the foundation of cultivation practice. In this concept, "cultivation" refers to upgrading one's xīnxìng 心性 (mind-nature) through abandoning negative attachments and assimilating oneself to "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance". "Practice" refers to the five meditative exercises that are said to energize the body. Cultivation is considered essential, and the exercises are said to supplement the process of improving oneself.
Li has been also associated with performance arts group Shen Yun ("Divine Rhythm"), and the media organizations The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television, which operate as extensions of Falun Gong. They have promoted Falun Gong's philosophical beliefs and unfounded conspiracy theories. Li has stated that he believes extraterrestrial aliens from other dimensions walk the Earth and are responsible for introducing technology, war, and immorality. Li says that he is a being who has come to help humankind from the destruction it could face as the result of rampant evil. When asked if he was a human being, Li replied "You can think of me as a human being."
There are competing accounts of Li's life that surfaced before and after the suppression of Falun Gong began in July 1999, and there is very little authoritative information on his early life. Accounts between Li's supporters and detractors diverge significantly, and as a result, can be understood within the context of the political and spiritual purposes for which different narratives were developed.
An unofficial biography appeared in the first of Li's major publications, Zhongguo Falun Gong, and was written by journalist Zhu Huiguang. A second, official spiritual biography appeared in early editions of Falun Gong's primary text, Zhuan Falun, and was written by the Falun Dafa Research Society. As such, this account can be understood as part of Li's (and his religion's) publicity campaign against the People's Republic of China. These biographies placed emphasis on Li's spiritual development, with minimal details on Li's ordinary work or family life. The style and content of these biographies is consistent with the "centuries-old tradition of religious biography in China." As Benjamin Penny wrote, "as with its precursors [in Chinese history], this biography seeks to establish a genealogy of the figure whose life is recorded and to buttress the orthodoxy of his doctrine." Both biographies were omitted from later printings of Falun Gong books, as Li explained that he did not want people to focus their attention on his own history or circumstances.
These biographies state that Li was born in the town of Gongzhuling, Jilin Province. The first account, by Zhu Huiguang, stated that Li's family lived amidst poverty. In this edition, Li was described as developing a "spirit of bearing hardships and tolerating hard work" as he helped care for his younger siblings. The second, official version of his biography emphasized Li's average social background, stating that he belonged to an "ordinary intellectual's family".
Both biographies ascribe to Li innate virtues of compassion and discipline. The official biography focuses mainly on the lineage of Daoist and Buddhist masters who it says provided Li with instruction from an early age. At four, he was trained by Quan Jue, the Tenth Heir to the Great Law of the Buddha School. By age eight, he had acquired "the superb great law with supernatural powers," which was supposed to include invisibility, levitation, etc. Master Quan left him at age twelve, to be replaced by Taoist master Baji Zhenren, who provided instruction in martial arts and physical skills.
A third Master arrived in 1972 from the Great Way School. Zhendaozi came from the Changbai Mountains near the North Korean border. Unlike Li's other spiritual tutors, Zhendaozi wore ordinary attire, and taught Li the way of inner cultivation through Qigong, stressing xinxing (i.e. "mind or heart nature, moral character"). Li's training in this period mostly took place under cover of night, possibly due to the political environment of the Cultural Revolution. Zhu Haiguang's version of the biography notes that Li consistently refused to take part in the campaigns of the Cultural Revolution, never joining the Red Guards or communist organizations.
A fourth Master—a woman from the Buddha School—began instructing Li in 1974. After training with these four Masters, Li's "energy potency had reached a very high level." His personal development plateaued around this time, with the biography stating that Li was able "to see the truth of the universe, many more beautiful things which have existed there for a long time, as well as the origin, development and future of mankind."
In 1982, Li moved to the city of Changchun for "civilian employment," the implication being that his previous work was with the military. At some point in the 1980s, Li married and had a daughter.
In 1984, Li began synthesizing the teachings he received into what would become Falun Dafa. The practice would not be exactly the same as what had been transmitted to him, as those systems were not suitable to be "popularised on a large scale." Li began observing the teaching methods of other qigong masters, and by 1989 had finalised his qigong system. For the next three years until 1992, Li was said to have begun testing the system with a small group of students.
Falun Gong books published after 1999 no longer contain biographies of Li. These changes reflected a larger trend of Li retreating from the public eye. Since 2000 he has rarely appeared in public, his presence being almost entirely electronic or re-routed through quotations on Falun Gong's websites. Li Hongzhi's biography was removed from Falun Gong websites some time after 2001.
Details published by Chinese government
The Chinese government began publishing biographies of Li after the suppression of Falun Gong began in July 1999. As such, details on Li's life published in the PRC can be understood as part of the government's publicity campaign against Falun Gong. Their objective was to "demonstrate that Li Hongzhi was thoroughly ordinary and that his claims to exceptional abilities and experiences were fraudulent."