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Falun Gong, a qigong practice that combines meditation with the moral philosophy articulated by founder Li Hongzhi, first began spreading widely in China in 1992. Li's first lectures outside mainland China took place in Paris in 1995. At the invitation of the Chinese ambassador to France, he lectured on his teachings and practice methods to the embassy staff and others.〔David Ownby, Falun Gong and the Future of China (2008) Oxford University Press〕 From that time on, Li gave lectures in other major cities in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America. He has resided permanently in the United States since 1998. Falun Gong is now practiced in some 70 countries worldwide, and the teachings have been translated to over 40 languages.〔Falun Dafa.org, (List of languages ), Accessed 11-09-2013〕 The international Falun Gong community is estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands, though participation estimates are imprecise on account of a lack of formal membership.〔 Since 1999, the Chinese Communist Party has persecuted Falun Gong in mainland China. In response, Falun Gong practitioners around the world have conducted activities aimed at raising awareness about the related human rights issues. These include lobbying, passing out of flyers, participating in sit-ins in front of Chinese embassies and consulates, and staging parades and demonstrations.〔Noah Porter, (‘Falun Gong in the United States: An Ethnographic Study’ ), 18 July 2003.〕 They have established media outlets, have founded advocacy and research organizations to report information on the persecution in China, and launched lawsuits against the alleged architects and participants of the persecution campaign.〔 Several foreign governments, the United Nations, and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have expressed their concerns over allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China.〔Amnesty International, ("The crackdown on Falun Gong and other so-called 'heretical organizations'" ), 23 March 2000.〕 Nonetheless, some observers have noted that Falun Gong has failed to attract the level of sympathy and sustained international attention afforded to Tibetans, Chinese Christians or democracy activists. This has been attributed to the group's unsophisticated PR skills,〔Gutmann, Ethan. "(China's Gruesome Organ Harvest )" ''Weekly Standard'', 24 November 2008, Vol. 14, No. 10〕 the impact of the Communist Party's propaganda against the practice,〔Ownby (2000), p. 248〕 or the foreign nature of its teachings, which identify with Buddhist and Daoist traditions.〔Frank 2004, p. 241〕 ==History== From 1992 – 1994, Li Hongzhi traveled throughout China giving week-long seminars on Falun Gong's spiritual philosophy and exercises and meditation practices. In late 1994, he declared that he had finished his work of teaching the practice in China, and the content of his lectures was compiled in the book Zhuan Falun, published in January 1995.〔David Palmer, "Qigong Fever: Body, Science and Utopia in China." New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.〕 Later that year, Li left China and began teaching the practice overseas, beginning with a stop at the Chinese embassy in Paris in March 1995, followed by lectures in Sweden in May 1995. Between 1995 and 1999, Li gave lectures in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, and Singapore.〔 Falun Gong associations and clubs began appearing in Europe, North America and Australia, with activities centered mainly on university campuses.〔 As the practice began proliferating outside China, Li was the recipient of a measure of recognition in the United States and elsewhere in the western world. In August 1994, the city of Houston named Li as an honorary citizen and goodwill ambassador for his "unselfish public service for the benefit and welfare of mankind." In May 1999, Li was welcomed to Toronto with greetings from the mayor and the provincial governor general, and in the two months that followed also received recognition from the cities of Chicago and San Jose.〔Chan, Cheris Shun-ching (2004). "The Falun Gong in China: A Sociological Perspective". ''The China Quarterly'', 179 , pp 665–683〕 Translations of Falun Gong teachings began appearing in the late 1990s. Although the practice was beginning to attract an overseas constituency, it remained relatively unknown in the Western world until the Spring of 1999, when tensions between Falun Gong and Communist Party authorities became a subject of international media coverage. With the increased attention, the practice gained a greater following outside China. Following the launch of the Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong, the overseas presence became vital to the practice's resistance in China and its continued survival.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Falun Gong outside mainland China」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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