Source: The Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-falun-gong-19-jul19,0,1562578.story
When the peaceful melody of traditional Chinese instruments echoes through the courtyard of Hilliard Towers, a public housing complex, Peter Zheng and Helen Nie close their eyes and bend their bodies, confident that neighbors are watching with wonder, not reproach.
But when bystanders in Chinatown whisper as they walk by or shun them in the street, the couple worry that they might be spies who could threaten the well-being of their families back in Asia, fears that stem from the crackdown on Falun Gong that forced them to flee.
"The Chinese regime is taking the entire population hostage," said Nie, 40. "They are victims in this persecution. I think they have been completely brainwashed by propaganda. I think this is really sad."
A Chinese spiritual movement that draws on the ancient Asian traditions of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, Falun Gong refers to the meditation, breathing and exercises believed to improve health and ward off death. Its teachings, called Falun Dafa, emphasize truthfulness, tolerance and compassion.
China outlawed the practices and teachings seven years after Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi introduced them in 1992, charging that the group has political, not religious goals. Since then, some of the estimated 70 million practitioners worldwide have been granted political asylum in the U.S.
For many, the mission now is to tell their story. On Monday, the 10th anniversary of China's ban, Nie, Zheng and dozens of other Falun Gong practitioners will demonstrate across the street from Chicago's Chinese Consulate, 100 W Erie St., calling for an end to the reported persecution of practitioners in their homeland and their own exile.