Li Hongzhi

Li Hongzhi (Chinese: 李洪志; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhì) is the founder and spiritual master of Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa), a "system of mind-body cultivation" in the qigong tradition. Li Hongzhi began his public teachings of Falun Gong on 13 May 1992 in Changchun, and subsequently gave lectures and taught Falun Gong exercises across China. In 1995 Li began teaching Falun Gong abroad, and in 1998 he settled permanently in the United States. Falun Gong's teachings are compiled from Li's lectures, and Li holds definitional power in that belief system.

The movement gained significant popularity in the 1990s, including in high government and qigong circles, but was suppressed by the Chinese government in 1999.

Accounts of Li's early life differ between detractors and supporters. Official Chinese sources emphasize the mundane aspects of Li's life as an army grain clerk and trumpet player, while Li's spiritual biographies assert that he was trained by a Buddhist and Taoist masters from childhood and possesses extraordinary powers.