PHOTOS BY JEFFREY LOWE / FOR THE PATRIOT-NEWS

Emily Kutolowski of Philadelphia, front, and Joyce Feng of China meditate in Reservoir Park yesterday, celebrating World Falun Gong Day.

40 celebrate freedom to meditate

By KELLY BOTHUM

OF THE PATRIOT-NEWS

"The number of people [who follow Falun Gong] far exceeds the number of Chinese Communist Party members. The government feels nervous because it wants to control People's minds and hearts." -- Shiyu Zhou, a University of Pennsylvania professor who learned about meditation from his family

 

A cool breeze sailed past Ningfang Chen as she sat cross-legged on a white carpet square in Reservoir Park yesterday afternoon. Instrumental music whispered from a nearby boom box.

The 60-year-old woman sat motionless, her eyes closed and her hands outstretched to her sides. Her movements mirrored those of the man and woman seated next to her on white mats. Before long, a serene smile settled on each of their faces.

Meditation is a daily pleasure for Chen and her husband, Rutang, 63. Sometimes they meditate together at home and other times in parks with groups of people.

But in their native Beijing, practicing the tranquil movements common to meditation could get them arrested.

The Chens are practitioners of Falun Gong, a blend of ancient spiritual and physical exercises similar to tai chi. It was introduced in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, who fled China in 1996 and lives in New York City.

About 40 people, including the Chens, gathered in Reservoir Park yesterday to celebrate World Falun Gong Day, the ninth anniversary of Hongzhi's announcement to the world.

The gathering featured demonstrations of Chinese calligraphy as well as meditation exercises.

Practitioners believe the five exercises of Falun Gong cultivate the mind and help them achieve the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. They also credit the spiritual and physical movements with improving their health and restoring their inner calm.

There are 70 million to 100 million followers of Falun Gong worldwide, said Shiyu Zhou, a University of Pennsylvania professor who learned about the meditation group from his family.

Rutang Chen does Chinese calligraphy for visitors in Reservoir Park yesterday.

Falun Gong is banned in China, where the government has deemed it superstitious and an "evil cult," according to The Associated Press.

Chinese government officials started a crackdown on Falun Gong believers in July 1999. More than 50,000 practitioners were arrested, and thousands of others were sent to labor camps and mental hospitals. At least 115 people have died, according to media accounts.

The danger posed to Falun Gong believers is what prompted the Chens to leave Beijing last year. They're in the United States on a six-month visa, staying with their daughter, Ying, in Marlton, N.J.

Their son, Gang, is not so lucky. He has spent almost a year in a Chinese labor camp because of his refusal to renounce his beliefs in Falun Gong. At times, he has bee beaten and deprived of sleep for 10-day stretches, his family said.

The Chens also were jailed in a Beijing detention center for a month when they tried to challenge the government.

One reason the Chinese government has been so intolerant of Falun Gong is because its popularity is a threat to communism, Zhou said.

"The number of people [who follow Falun Gong] far exceeds the number of Chinese Communist Party members," Zhou said. "The government feels nervous because it wants to control people's minds and hearts."

The Chens' daughter, Ying, 33, has been practicing Falun Gong for about three years. As an American citizen, she said she knows she is lucky for the freedom to practice whatever religious belief she chooses. She only wishes her brother could do the same.

"My brother believes he has the right to believe whatever he wants and not have to lie to anybody about it," she said, sitting in Reservoir Park yesterday. "We're feeling this is a choice. No one should be deprived of their choice."

Kelly Bothum may be reached at 255-8440 or kbothum@patriotnews.com .