David Ownby is Professor of History and Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the Université de Montréal, in Montreal, Canada. He is the author of Brotherhoods and Secret Societies in Early and Mid-Qing China: The Formation of a Tradition, and the co-author, with Qin Baoqi and Susan J. Palmer, of The Millennium and the Turning of the Kalpa: The Historical Evolution of Apocalyptic Discourse in China and in the West.

Based on fieldwork among Chinese Falun Gong practitioners and on extensive readings of founder Li Hongzhi's writings, this volume offers a depiction of Falun Gong from the inside, at the same time offering a narrative depiction of Falun Gong and its origins in the history of Chinese popular religion. Such an account sets aside accusations that Falun Gong is a "dangerous cult" and allows for a clearer understanding of the conflict between the group and the Chinese state.

• Preface


• 1: Introduction


• 2: A History for Falun Gong


• 3: The Creation and Evolution of Qigong


• 4: The Life and Times of Li Hongzhi in China, 1952-1995


• 5: Falun Gong outside of China: Fieldwork Among Diaspora Practitioners


• 6: David Meets Goliath: The Conflict between Falun Gong and the Chinese State


• Conclusion: Unpacking Contexts


• Appendix 1


• Appendix 2


• Bibliography