For the first time since the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, a Chinese organisation has recognised Falun Gong's contributions to the Chinese culture and community.
On Sunday April 8, a Chinese consortium called the 'Chinese Cultural Freedom Movement' (CCFM) awarded Falun Gong the '2007 Special Spiritual Faith' award, which was accompanied by a fifty thousand dollar cheque.
CCFM members from Australia and Germany joined those in Auckland for the event, which was preceded by a performance by the Divine Land Band, a marching band made up of Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr Liu Yang, a senior member of the CCFM from Auckland and one of the event's organisers, said he felt Falun Gong represented the very best of Chinese culture, and that needed to be recognised.
"We should support and learn something from them," said Mr Yang.
"(Falun Gong) is truthfulness and kindness, I think in the future more and more people will join them, and more and more people will come to understand Falun Gong," he said.
Mr Yang also said it was important for people to support Falun Gong while it is suffering the persecution in China, and feels sorry that so many have been lead to a misunderstanding of Falun Gong by the Chinese communist regime's propaganda.
"We want to help people realise what Falun Gong really is. That would be a hugely good thing," he said.
Falun Gong spokesperson, Mr Erping Zhang travelled all the way from New York to attend the ceremony, which he saw as a major event.
"I think it's significant that the Chinese intellectual and business community, which is a consortium that advocates Chinese cultural freedom, recognises Falun Dafa in such an encouraging, positive way," said Mr Zhang.
"It shows that the Chinese community, for the first time, made up of intellectuals and business people from both inside and outside of China, are recognising that Falun Gong represents the authentic Chinese culture and also the spirit of the Chinese nationality in the face of the repressive communist regime and communist ideology prevailing in China for the moment," he said.
New Zealand Falun Dafa Association representative Sam Fang accepted the $50,000 cheque, and indicated that the money will go to help efforts to educate about the detention, brainwashing, torture and murder of Falun Gong adherents in China.
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