Editing Falun Gong (section)

===1992–1996===
Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong to the public on 13 May 1992, in Changchun, [[Jilin]] Province.<ref name=Ownbyfuture/> Several months later, in September 1992, Falun Gong was admitted as a branch of qigong under the administration of the state-run China Qigong Scientific Research Society (CQRS). Li was recognized as a qigong master, and was authorized to teach his practice nationwide.<ref name="Ownby (2003)">{{cite journal |first=David |last=Ownby |jstor=23615141 |title=The Falun Gong in the New World |journal=European Journal of East Asian Studies |date=September 2003 |volume=2 |issue=2 |page=306|doi=10.1163/15700615-00202006 }}</ref> Like many ''qigong'' masters at the time, Li toured major cities in China from 1992 to 1994 to teach the practice. He was granted a number of awards by PRC governmental organizations.<ref name=Ownbyfuture/><ref name="pennyharrold"/><ref name="Zfl">{{cite journal |url=http://www.trinity.edu/rnadeau/Chinese%20Religions/Li%20Hongzhi.htm |title=A Short Biography of Mr. Li Hongzhi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041128133954/http://www.trinity.edu/rnadeau/Chinese%20Religions/Li%20Hongzhi.htm |archive-date=28 November 2004 |journal=PRC Law and Government |volume=32 |issue=6 |date=November–December 1999 |pages=14–23 |issn=0009-4609}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Zeng |first=Jennifer |year=2006 |title=Witnessing History: One Chinese Woman's Fight for Freedom |publisher=Soho Press |isbn=1569474214}}</ref>

According to academic David Ownby, Li became an "instant star of the qigong movement",<ref name="Ownby (2003)" /> and Falun Gong was embraced by the government as an effective means of lowering health care costs, promoting Chinese culture, and improving public morality. In December 1992, for instance, Li and several Falun Gong students participated in the Asian Health Expo in Beijing, where he reportedly "received the most praise [of any qigong school] at the fair, and achieved very good therapeutic results", according to the fair's organizer.<ref name=Ownbyfuture/> The event helped cement Li's popularity, and journalistic reports of Falun Gong's healing powers spread.<ref name=Ownbyfuture/><ref name=Pennyreligion/> In 1993, Li received a letter of appreciation from the Ministry of Public Security for providing treatment to around 100 police officers injured while on duty.<ref name="OW">{{harvp|Ownby|2008|p=89}}</ref>

Falun Gong had differentiated itself from other ''qigong'' groups in its emphasis on morality, low cost, and health benefits. It rapidly spread via word-of-mouth, attracting a wide range of practitioners from all walks of life, including numerous members of the Chinese Communist Party.<ref name=Lowe/><ref name="lum">{{cite report |first=Thomas |last=Lum |url=http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf |title=China and Falun Gong |id=Congressional Research Report #RL33437 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205064042/http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2012 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |date=11 August 2006}}</ref>

From 1992 to 1994, Li did charge fees for the seminars he was giving across China, though the fees were considerably lower than those of competing qigong practices, and the local qigong associations received a substantial share.<ref name=Schechter/> Li justified the fees as being necessary to cover travel costs and other expenses, and on some occasions, he donated the money earned to charitable causes. In 1994, Li ceased charging fees altogether, thereafter stipulating that Falun Gong must always be taught for free, and its teachings made available without charge (including online).<ref>{{harvp|Ownby|2008|p=86}}</ref> Although some observers believe Li continued to earn substantial income through the sale of Falun Gong books,<ref>{{cite journal |first=Dai |last=Qing |title=Members of Falungong in an Autocratic Society |journal=Asia Quarterly |volume=IV |issue=3 |date=Summer 2000 |url=http://asiaquarterly.com/2006/01/28/ii-45/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402115951/http://asiaquarterly.com/2006/01/28/ii-45/ |archive-date=2 April 2012 |access-date=2011-10-20}}</ref> others dispute this, asserting that most Falun Gong books in circulation were bootleg copies.<ref name=wildgrass/>{{rp|224}}

With the publication of the books ''Falun Gong'' and ''[[Teachings of Falun Gong#Zhuan Falun, the Main Book of Falun Gong|Zhuan Falun]]'', Li made his teachings more widely accessible. ''Zhuan Falun'', published in January 1995 at an unveiling ceremony held in the auditorium of the Ministry of Public Security, became a best-seller in China.<ref>{{harvp|Schechter|2001|p=66}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Ownby|2008|p=72}}</ref> With its presentation of Li's religious teachings, ''Zhuan Falun'' marked Falun Gong's transition to a new religious movement.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sun|first=Yanfei|title=Religious Change in Post-Mao China: Toward a New Sociology of Religion|date=2026|publisher=[[The University of Chicago Press]]|isbn=978-0-226-84585-2|location=Chicago}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=123}}

In 1995, Chinese authorities began looking to Falun Gong to solidify its organizational structure and ties to the party-state.<ref name=porterthesis/> Li was approached by the Chinese National Sports Committee, Ministry of Public Health, and China Qigong Science Research Association (CQRS) to jointly establish a Falun Gong association. Li declined the offer. The same year, the CQRS issued a new regulation mandating that all qigong denominations establish a Chinese Communist Party branch. Li again refused.<ref name=Palmer/>

Tensions continued to mount between Li and the CQRS in 1996. In the face of Falun Gong's rise in popularity—a large part of which was attributed to its low cost—competing ''qigong'' masters accused Li of undercutting them. According to Schechter, the ''qigong'' society under which Li and other ''qigong'' masters belonged asked Li to hike his tuition, but Li emphasized the need for the teachings to be free of charge.<ref name=Schechter/>

In March 1996, Falun Gong withdrew from the CQRS in response to mounting disagreements, after which time it operated outside the official sanction of the state. Falun Gong representatives attempted to register with other government entities, but were rebuffed.<ref>{{harvp|Palmer|2007|p=248}}</ref> Li and Falun Gong were then outside the circuit of personal relations and financial exchanges through which masters and their ''qigong'' organizations could find a place within the state system, and also the protections this afforded.<ref>{{harvp|Palmer|2007|p=295}}</ref>