For more information and an excerpt, visit the Akashic Books site: http://www.akashicbooks.com/falungong.html
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Hundreds of practitioners of a meditation- and
exercise-based spiritual movement were rounded up in mid-July as they non-violently marked
the first anniversary of a Chinese government crackdown that has led, according to human
rights groups, to more than 24 deaths, 50,000 arrests, pervasive torture, and the burning
of as many as 7.8 million books written by the controversial founder of Falun Gong, Li
Hongzhi.
Tiananmen Square, in the heart of Beijing, where protesters demanded their rights in 1989,
is once again the scene of a dramatic challenge that has perplexed the world.
Why is this happening? What is Falun Gong and how has it attracted an estimated 70-100
million practitioners? Why has the Chinese government declared it an "evil cult"
and sought to "smash it", unsuccessfully so far, despite the involvement of
thousands of police and government officials. What is it that China's leaders fear? What
role has been played by the Internet in this crisis? What is the real story behind the
story?
This timely non-fiction book presents the inside story of China's crackdown on Falun Gong.
Based on the last interview given by Li Hongzhi before he went underground, as well as
information supplied by scores of practitioners and various independent third-party
sources, human rights journalist Danny Schechter describes the rise of an enigmatic and
sometimes mystical movement that has captured the imagination and loyalty of millions of
members of the Communist Party itself.
"Falun Gong's Challenge to China" relates these recent developments in the
context of the current crisis in China, providing an informative look at a dramatic, under
reported and unfolding story. In China, Falun Gong's point of view has been banned. Now it
can be heard.
Schechter's report is followed by an extensive reader offering documents on all sides of
the controversy including government studies, propaganda reports, and Li Hongzhi's own
writings. Schechter's careful monitoring of the situation cites experts, studies, human
rights activists, intelligence reports, and original research to make sense of a story
that has only been told episodically, and with little depth. He documents and details what
has happened and why.
"This is a fascinating story that challenges all of us, Americans and Chinese
alike," says Schechter. "Horrible abuses against people who have committed no
crimes have occurred with little condemnation, because money, not morality, defines US
policy towards China."