05/14/2001

Three hundred supporters of Falun Gong rallied in Hong Kong on Sunday to protest the Chinese government's crackdown on the spiritual movement. Huizhi Mao was not one of them.

Mao, 54, a Falun Gong practitioner from O'Fallon, Mo., tried to enter the city last week, but instead Chinese authorities put her on a plane for Tokyo.

"I wanted to tell (Chinese president) Jiang Zemin to free Falun Gong followers from jail," she said Sunday outside the St. Louis Art Museum.

She joined a group of about 20 Falun Gong followers in Forest Park for a public celebration of the ninth anniversary of their spiritual movement.

Since its founding in 1992, Falun Gong has attracted millions of followers around the world with its blend of meditation exercises and teachings [...], according to the group at Forest Park on Saturday.

Because the local group is so loosely organized and has no official membership, it is difficult to estimate how many people in St. Louis practice Falun Gong, said Larry Liu, a graduate student at Washington University. He says 15 people normally show up every Saturday at 9 a.m. next to the Art Museum to perform the exercises.

As a few curious people looked on Saturday, the celebrants demonstrated a series of physical exercises, which resemble tai chi and are designed to promote spiritual and physical harmony. Organizers say they want to educate the public about the spiritual movement and refute accusations from Chinese authorities that Falun Gong is an [Chinese government's slanderous term omitted].

The size and popularity of Falun Gong has alarmed the Chinese authorities, who have criticized the group as a possible threat to the nation's stability. As a consequence, Falun Gong has been outlawed in China, and human rights groups say the government has arrested and detained thousands of followers.

Mindful of China's outlook, Liu said the group was neither a religion nor a political movement. There is no organized hierarchy of leaders, he said, and the group does not ask its followers for money, nor does it accept donations.

"All we want is to be left alone so we can do our exercises," said Liu.

"We ask the international community to give us its support," said Liu. "If more people stand up and say 'This is not right, this is unjust,' that would definitely be helpful."

Suzanne Bates of Overland has been practicing Falun Gong for three years, since she attended a local workshop. She said she was attracted to the movement because of its emphasis on self-improvement.

China's suppression of Falun Gong, said Bates, is "beyond comprehension."

"It's just terrible," she said. "There's just no reason for that. (We) just want to be healthy."