(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi on May 13, 1992 in Changchun City. Mr. Li Hongzhi held several series of seminars, during which he lectured on the principles of Dafa and taught the Falun Dafa exercises throughout China, including in Guangdong Province in the south.
From May 1992 to December 1994, Mr. Li Hongzhi gave a series of 54 10-day-seminars in China. In total, Beijing hosted 13 seminars, Changchun 7, and Wuhan and Guangzhou 5.
About 100,000 people attended Mr. Li Hongzhi's lectures during this period. According to internal documents from the Ministry of Public Security, about 70,000,000 people practiced Falun Dafa in China by the end of 1998, and there were about 100 million practitioners by April 15, 1999.
1. Seminars in Guangzhou
Mr. Li Hongzhi held a series of five seminars between April 13, 1993 and October 21, 1994 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. The Baolin Qigong School, which was an organ of the Guangdong Province Qigong Association, hosted the five seminars, with the first one held in the Guangzhou Rubber Factory from April 13 to April 22, 1993. About 200 people attended the lectures.
The second seminar was held in the auditorium of the provincial Central Labor Union and was attended by more than 700 people.
The fifth seminar was hosted by the Guangzhou Scientific Research Association of the Human Body and was held in the Guangzhou Gymnasium from December 21 to December 29, 1994. About 6,000 people attended.
A student who attended one of the Guangzhou seminars recalled his experience during this time: “During the seminar break, Master [Mr. Li Hongzhi, whom practitioners call Master] talked to the attendees near the stage. This was the first time I saw Master up close. I was surprised because he looked so radiant, young, and tall. He was very kind and easygoing, and he answered every question we raised.
“Master stayed in a small hotel and lived mainly on instant noodles. He wore nice, but inexpensive clothes. He noticed that I was dressed appropriately, praised me, and reminded us to pay attention to our image.
“After the 9-day lectures, I was completely changed. My ailments were gone and I no longer suffered from insomnia. My body was so light and I no longer needed medication. Most importantly, I found what I had been searching for—a cultivation practice that helps me become a truly good person as I was meant to be.
“Falun Dafa spread quickly in Guangdong. Many people started to practice it and found that their health improved. Even people with serious illnesses said that their illness symptoms disappeared and their health improved. They not only talked about the improvement in health, but many also said that they turned into morally upright people who became known for doing good deeds. They worked hard, no longer competed against each other, and let go of personal interests.”
2. Many Practitioners Have Amazing Stories
Dr. Gao Dawei, former Head of the Department of Light Chemistry and Food Science at South China University of Technology, was the youngest professor at this university. However, despite his age, he won numerous research prizes.
Dr. Gao was born in a remote village in Guizhou Province and could not finish school because his family was poor. The Cultural Revolution also set his family back. But, he was recommended to attend the university in 1977, when he was 23. He completed his high school courses within six months, took three years to finish his bachelor's degree, and then completed his master's and doctoral degrees.
He was offered a job at the university, excelled in his research, and won state-level research prizes. At the age of 37 he became the youngest professor at South China University.
However, during this time Dr. Gao's health deteriorated and he was diagnosed with many troubling illnesses.
A friend introduced Falun Dafa to him in August 1994. He attended Master Li Hongzhi's last series of seminars in Guangzhou. For the first three days after listening to Master for less than half-an-hour, he noticed a pool of water around his feet while the soles of his shoes were dry. The same situation occurred when he changed his seat.
Dr. Gao's health improved three months after he attended the lecture. The doctors were surprised at his change and said that his internal organs had become very healthy.
“It was not only I who fundamentally changed,” Dr. Gao said. “Many practitioners in China have their own similar health improvements they can attest to. Almost every practitioner has an amazing story to tell.”
There used to be many conflicts among the faculty in Dr. Gao's department. After he practiced Falun Dafa, he put Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance into practice, which helped him become calm and considerate. The friction among his faculty decreased. The faculty then began to cooperate with each other more willingly, and they won the title of “Guangdong Provincial Model Unit.”
Dr. Gao asked the professors and students in his department to do their best when it was time to apply for research funds and the title review. He reminded everyone to remain calm in their heart and accept whatever came their way. In this way, his faculty had the most people promoted to higher titles and the highest percentage of funds granted at his university.
3. Presenting Dafa Books to Former President Hu Jintao
Mr. Zhang Mengyue graduated from the Water Conservancy Engineering Department of Tsinghua University in the early 1960s. Later, he became a senior lecturer in the Guangdong Electric Power School. After he began practicing Falun Dafa, he recovered from late-stage scarring of his liver.
“I was diagnosed with acute hepatitis in 1979, which first turned into chronic hepatitis and then developed into late stage scarring of the liver,” Mr. Zhang said. “I spent a lot of money on Chinese and Western medication, as well as the ancient Chinese health care system called qigong, without any visible result. My life was at risk by 1994.”
He was told by a renowned liver specialist from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhongshan Medical University that his condition was incurable.
In the depths of Mr. Zhang's despair, in 1994, someone introduced Falun Dafa to him. After he practiced Dafa for eight months he no longer felt ill.
When Mr. Zhang attended a class reunion around April 25, 1999, he shared his cultivation experiences with his classmates, which included former China President Hu Jintao. During his sharing, he was given a big round of applause.
He later went to Zhongnanhai, the central government compound, and personally presented Falun Dafa books to Hu Jintao and his wife on April 25, 1999.
(To be continued)
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