Although Falun Dafa is deeply rooted in ancient Chinese culture, it was first introduced to the public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi, the practice's founder and teacher. Now, over 100 million　people worldwide practice the simple, graceful exercises while striving to conduct their lives according to Falun Dafa's fundamental guiding principles: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. 　　From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Li Hongzhi gave over 50 lecture series on the practice, typically consisting of a 2-hour class every day for 9 days. During the classes, generally 1 1/2 hours were used to lecture on the principles of Falun Dafa, and the last half hour was used to teach the five exercises. By the end of a lecture series, attendees would have received the essential teachings and learned all of the exercises. 　　In December 1994, the main text of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, was published. At this time the lecture series in China came to an end, as the book was a compilation of These lectures. This provided newcomers who had not attended the lecture series the opportunity to learn the practice on their own. Veteran practitioners benefited as well, as this book became the cornerstone text for continuous improvement, providing practitioners with guidance at every stage of their cultivation. 　　Because of its tremendous power to improve health, Falun Dafa stood out from the myriad of other qigong systems being taught and practiced in China at that time. Before July 1999, by early dawn, almost every Chinese park would be brimming with people practicing the exercises, which were always taught free of charge by volunteers in each city. Spread primarily by word of mouth, Falun Dafa grew very quickly. The practitioners came from different geographic regions and spanned all ages, social strata and walks of life. Many government agencies and mainstream media acknowledged and supported Falun Dafa.

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