The Life and Times of Li Hongzhi in China, 1952–1995

AbstractThis chapter traces the life of Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi through 1995, when he left China for the United States. The focus is on his emergence as a qigong master in 1992 and particularly on his teachings as found in his masterwork, Zhuan falun, and in other writings. The goal of the chapter is to seek to understand the appeal of Falun Gong doctrine to practitioners, an appeal based on claims to science, a moral practice leading to the elimination of karma, the development of certain supernormal powers, and ultimately physical and spiritual transformation.