(Minghui.org) Thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners gathered in Manhattan’s Chinatown on July 20, 2025, holding a grand march to protest the ongoing 26-year-long persecution in China, and voice their support for the 449 million Chinese people who have renounced the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.

It’s been more than a quarter of a century since the persecution began. Millions of Falun Gong practitioners in and outside of China continue to adhere adamantly to their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance regardless of the brutal suppression and defamation. For 26 years, they came up with all kinds of methods and did their best to expose the facts about the persecution to the world in the hope of ending it.

Senior Engineer and Wife: Hoping to Wake up Chinese People

Jiang Fan, a senior engineer, and his wife Li Xiaokui have attended various activities outside of China to protest the ongoing persecution.

Jiang Fan, a senior engineer at a power grid company, and his wife Li Xiaokui both joined the parade. After leaving China, they spent some time living in Singapore before immigrating to the U.S. in 2002.

Jiang visited the U.S. for a conference in 1996 while he was still a student in Singapore. During his stay, he was introduced to Falun Dafa. Two years later, he became a practitioner. “I'd had a cold for a month, and no medicine helped. I decided to try qigong. I watched Master Li’s online videos to learn the exercises and read the book Zhuan Falun. As soon as I did the exercises, I could feel the rotation of Falun (Law Wheel), and my cold disappeared soon after. My overall health improved, and I felt lighter. This boosted my confidence. In March 1998, I attended a Falun Dafa conference in New York, where I had the opportunity to hear Master speak in person. Over the next two months, my understanding of the practice improved dramatically,” he said.

When the persecution began on July 20 in 1999, he was still in Singapore. He recalled, “At first it was very stressful for me. Everything I heard in the media was the CCP’s propaganda maliciously attacking Falun Dafa. Our first response was that it was all fake news geared to slander Falun Dafa, so we held a press conference hoping that the media could truthfully report our voice. This was our first step in clarifying the truth.”

He explained that they attended as many activities as possible to help clarify the truth, ranging from making calls to China and exposing the facts about the persecution in online chat groups, to speaking directly with Chinese tourists at popular destinations. They contributed to practitioners’ news outlets and joined the Tian Guo Marching Band. “We believe that Falun Dafa is a righteous practice and that practitioners are victims of persecution. By participating in activities outside of China, we hope to alleviate the pressure faced by practitioners in China and help end the persecution soon,” she said.

Jiang added, “We benefit from the practice. This great practice brought us physical health, spiritual growth, and moral improvement. Meanwhile, it allowed us to know the meaning of life and where we came from, and teaches us how to be morally sound people. That is why we want to help people know Falun Dafa and help stop the persecution.”

New York Architect: Wish More Chinese People Know that Falun Dafa is Good

Christina Greaney and her five-year-old daughter came from upper New York to join the march.

Christina Greaney, an architect, traveled from Upper New York to Manhattan with her five-year-old daughter to join the march.

Years ago, she saw a group of Falun Dafa practitioners exercise in a park. Since then, she has become a practitioner and experienced wonders in both body and mind. “I believe in Falun Dafa, and I believe in Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. The practice has helped me in so many ways.” She was pregnant with her second child and didn’t experience any discomfort or morning sickness. She felt energetic the whole time.

Christina said that she came to the march because “I want to let the Chinese people in Chinatown know that they have a very good choice for the future. I want to help them understand Falun Dafa. This is a cultivation of body and mind, and helps to improve physical and mental health.”

She also hopes that by participating in the march, she can help end the persecution.