The baby seems fascinated as s/he watches these Falun Gong practioners at Darling Harbour on Sunday. Outlawed in China, Falun Gong - also called Falun Dafa - "comes out of the Chinese tradition of qigong, a system of cultivating one's inner energy and thoughts through exercises and meditation. The Falun Gong version comes from Li Hongzhi, known to his followers as Master Li. It is an exercise system based around a wheel, or falun, placed by Master Li into his followers' abdomens, and there is a morality system based around the central components of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance" [ABC Radio National story about the Chinese Government and Falun Gong believers]
So, harmless belief system, or dangerous cult?
How did you survive the scorching sun on Darling Harbour on Sunday ? And how did the street chalk artists go?
ReplyDeletehi Sally, I think it's an interesting question about cult or harmless belief, I've heard very different views from some neutral source, but it is surely making a presnce in other free countries. Can you believe it, even in HK, there are constantly some agressive demonstrations by Fu Long Gong followers here.
ReplyDeleteNathalie - well, we were there pretty early and out by midday. The temp wasn't so bad, it was the wind that drove me nuts! The pavement artists seemed to be coping at that time!
ReplyDeletelisi - I noticed quite a lot of proponents handing stuff out and showing graphic pictures of persecution around the Star ferry terminal.