Mr. Li Hongzhi (born July 7, 1952, Jilin province, China), is the founder and spiritual Master of Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, a “system of mind-body cultivation” in the qigongtradition. 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 as a permanent resident in the United States. Falun Gong’s teachings are compiled from Li’s lectures, and Li holds definitional power in that belief system. Mr. Li Hongzhi has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Sakharov Prize For Freedom of Thought.