China & FalunGong

I'm reading a book called New Chinese Empire. In it, the author describes how China (or rather, the Communist Party within China) has a way of modifying history to fit its desire for stability and legitimacy. He includes a saying on page 81: "History is a maiden, and you can dress her up however you please." They'll gloss over the uncomfortable parts and only tell the verifiable truth focus in the areas where they've been wronged by others. Sound familiar?

In doing this, leaders end up planting lies that come to fruition in the next generation of misled patriots. Incorrect perceptions lead to bad decisions, and cause conflict later when people meet a reality that doesn't fit with their perception. Pre-war Japan and Germany, for example, spread propaganda about the superiority of their respective races, and ended up believing it, to their own demise. Even "the greatest country in the world" has its own propaganda for the young to consume....

Anyway, since the persecution of the Falun Gong(法轮功) movement started in 1999, I've always been curious why the CCP seems so threatened by it. After all, isn't it just some watered-down tai chi mixed in with elements from Buddhism and Taoism? What's so threatening about that?

To be sure, there's some kooky stuff in Falun Gong. In a May 1999 Times Asia interview, the Falun Gong leader explained that strife in the modern era was the result of aliens infecting the human mind. "They make earthlings have wars and conflicts, and develop weapons using science, which makes mankind more dependent on advanced science and technology." Source

However, the Chinese government would have known about kooky stuff, and yet they still supported Falun Gong in the early 1990s. They only started cracking down on it in July 1999, after they became concerned about Falun Gong's ability to organize demonstations. In 2001, they government even staged a self-immolation in Tiananmen Square to show how dangerous Falun Gong was to the people.

In a sense, both the CCP and Falun Gong have the same problem -- distorted perceptions of reality. They're not alone -- incorrect perceptions seem to be flying around a lot these days....