(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners from Philadelphia attended the Chinese New Year celebration held at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on January 31, 2015.

Dozens of Chinese organizations participated in the event and presented calligraphy, Chinese painting, traditional dance, and Kung Fu. Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises and were warmly welcomed.

Attendees learn about Falun Gong.

Learning the Falun Gong exercises

Many people learned the exercises at the event, and some took home informational materials.

Marj, 74, said she felt wonderful after doing the exercises with practitioners. She especially liked the movements, which were slow, gentle, and peaceful. “All my worries disappeared when I was doing the exercises. I can feel the energy flow in my body,” she said. Marj believes that the Falun Gong exercises can help one's body and mind stay young.

Isse Elston-Phillips has come to this event five years in a row. She loves Chinese culture and has taught Tai Chi and Qigong for 14 years. After doing the Falun Gong exercises, she felt energetic. She said she appreciated the free instruction offered by the practitioners.

Isse added that she hopes the persecution of Falun Gong in China by the Communist regime will end soon.