"Li Hongzhi Day"---- A Winter's Tale

By Qi Ren

The "Falun Gong" cult, founded by Li Hongzhi, was banned by the government for its countless crimes in July, 1999. As Li is known as a criminal wanted by the police, many people supposed that he would hide himself away in his US$580,000 luxury estate and live in the lap of luxury in the United States. Li is already notorious at home, but he has political ambitions abroad. His disciples stopped at nothing to get "Li Hongzhi Day" or "Li Hongzhi Week" observed in big cities such as Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Baltimore.

However, Americans are as wary of cults as Chinese are. So what wise mayor or city government would go against the will of the people and give the green light to a cult? As the nature of "Falun Gong" and the policy of the Chinese government banning the cult have been further understood by the American people, "Falun Gong" and its founder Li Hongzhi are being given the cold shoulder in the US. Governors of states and mayors of cities cancelled or revoked the giving of honorific titles to Li Hongzhi, and apologized to the Chinese people and government. At the same time, they pointed out that such honorific titles were obtained through fraud.

This proves that it is an inexorable trend of history for cults to be rejected by right-thinking people.

One of Li's henchmen criticized a Wall Street Journal journalist for exposing the fact that Li Hongzhi lives in a luxurious mansion. Nowadays, Li is at the verge of losing all standing and reputation. He boasted about acquiring the "Dafa of the Great Vehicle" at the age of eight, capturing a 100-year-old snake spirit, and postponing the destruction of the earth for 30 years. Now, these lies seem as fantastic as a winter's tale.

(Compiled by New Star Publishers, Dec., 1999)