(Clearwisdom.net) Before the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, Falun Dafa was very popular in Tangshan City. Nearly every park and square had a practice site. Since July 20, 1999, about 40 Falun Gong practitioners from Tangshan have died as a result of persecution.

During the Chinese Communist Party's six-year persecution, Falun Gong has not collapsed, but instead has spread to over 78 countries and regions. In Taiwan, the number of practitioners in 1999 was in the thousands, and this number has now increased to over 300,000. Falun Dafa books have been translated into over 30 languages and published around the world. As of May 19, 2005, governments and organizations have issued over 2516 proclamations and passed many resolutions to support Falun Dafa and its founder. This miracle in the human world demonstrates the enormous mighty power and inspiring power of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which transcends nationalities, boundaries, time and space.

The following are precious historical photos recording Falun Dafa's popularity in Tangshan before the persecution began.

Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference held in 1998 at the Xin District Gymnasium, Tangshan City

A reporter from Tangshan City TV Station interviews Falun Gong practitioners (at Tangshan Counter-Earthquake Monument Square)

Thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners practice the exercises on Sunday at Tangshan City Monument Square