Li Hongzhi (13 May 1951-) was the founder and spiritual leader of the Falun Gong movement in China.
Biography[]
Li Hongzhi was born in Gongzhuling, Jilin, China in 1951, and he was trained by the ascetic "True Taoists" during the 1970s. He worked as a police trumpet player from 1972 to 1978 and then worked as a company clerk, but he later became a spiritual leader. In 1992, he publicized his religious beliefs, Falun Gong, a series of physical and spiritual exercises which he said could create personal wellness and better health. His movement grew to 100 million followers by 1999, and he moved to New York City in 1996. In 1999, the Chinese government cracked down on Falun Gong because of the threat which it posed to the government, and he became a permanent resident in the United States.