(Clearwisdom.net) Practitioners in the Greater Philadelphia Area held group exercises and photo exhibitions at Liberty Square and in Chinatown to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and to introduce the practice to the public on May 13, 2007. The photo exhibition showed the history of Falun Gong since it was first introduced to the public 15 years ago, including the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Many tourists watched the group exercises and visited the exhibition. Some learned the exercises then and there.

Dozens of practitioners did their exercises in a group in Chinatown for the first time. Many people stopped to watch. Several leaned the exercises on the spot. More than 20 photo display boards were set up along the street. Passersby all stopped to look at the photos. One practitioner took his TV to Chinatown to play the video Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. One young man stopped to see what it was about and eventually sat down on the ground and watched for a long time.

Falun Gong was first introduced to Philadelphia when a practitioner in New Jersey held a free eight-day workshop in February 1998. Falun Gong practitioners have done the exercises in parks on weekends ever since then. More and more people started practicing Falun Gong because of its philosophy of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance, including senior citizens, children, Chinese, Westerners, those from different countries, doctors, professors, students, engineers, laborers, and housewives, all of whom noticed improvements in their health and spirit.

Dr. Yang Jingrui said he used to be a heavy smoker but quit after practicing Falun Gong. Phil Randell, who works at Federal Security, said his Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was miraculously cured by practicing Falun Gong.

However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched an overwhelming persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. Many Chinese were appalled to hear that thousands of practitioners were killed for their organs. It has been confirmed that more than 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners have died thus far from the persecution.

Shocked at the evidence of such cruel persecution, some passersby quit all CCP-related organizations while others signed to condemn the CCP.