(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Hong Kong gathered at Edinburgh Place on February 5 to celebrate the Chinese New Year and to wish Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, a Happy New Year.

In front of City Hall, practitioners performed on waist drums and also celebrated the new year with song. Several practitioners also shared how they took up the practice of Falun Dafa and talked about their experiences.

Practitioners in Hong Kong gathered at Edinburgh Place on February 5 for a public new year celebration and wished Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, a Happy New Year.

Waist drum performance.

Practitioners in Hong Kong Wish Master Li a Happy Chinese New Year.

Improving Mind and Body

Ms. Liang started practicing Falun Dafa in 1997. When the persecution began in China in 1999, she was pregnant but nonetheless took part in activities to oppose the persecution. “Falun Dafa is special to me because I had been sick since childhood and relied on medication all the time. The practice of Falun Dafa gave me good health, and made me happy and energetic,” she explained. Influenced by Ms. Liang, her daughter Ms. Zou has also practiced Falun Dafa for more than 10 years. She did well in school and was praised by her teachers for her good demeanor, both of which she credits to Falun Dafa.

The Purpose of Life

Ms. Kuang, a college senior majoring in language, explained why she often takes part in events organized by practitioners. “When I was young, my father once asked me what was the purpose of life and I couldn't answer him. It wasn't until I was in middle school, when I heard Master Li's lectures, that I finally I understood that we came to this world for a reason—that is, to become a better person and return to the origin,” she said. Ms. Kuang always follows Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and is willing to help others. Although she wasn't particularly concerned about getting good grades, her hard work earned her the respect of other students and she also received an award from the dean for academic excellence.

Ms. Ma, a junior in college majoring in English, also started to practice Falun Dafa when she was very young. As an elementary school student, she began to read Zhuan Falun as well as Master Li's poems. Guiding herself with the Fa principles, she was able to treat others with compassion even during conflicts. Working part-time at a charity organization, Ms. Ma provides assistance to middle school students with their coursework. “From time to time, teenagers have some issues that are hard to deal with,” she explained, “but thanks to Falun Dafa, I learned to be tolerant and forgiving—which helps me a lot. I think I am very fortunate to be practicing Dafa.”

Letting Go of Selfishness

Yu Xiang, a high school student who learned Falun Dafa from her mother, said that the practice taught her how to let go of laziness and selfishness.

“About six months ago, I volunteered to be an art editor for a news media. I usually got to my editorial duties pretty late, after spending lot of time on schoolwork. That slowed down the entire process of proofreading and printing, which in turned resulted in increased typos in the newspaper. I was very frustrated,” she said.

In order to address this problem, Yu Xiang changed her schedule. Interestingly, as she overcame the issue of laziness and selfishness, she found that she became more efficient and productive. In fact, she now has more time for schoolwork.

Raising Awareness of the Persecution

Ms. Feng often distributes informational materials about Falun Dafa to area residents and volunteers in a bookstore that sells Falun Dafa books.

Ms. Feng said that she often distributes informational materials to area residents, providing updates on Falun Dafa. “Lots of people have been influenced by the communist party and they do not know what Falun Dafa is yet,” she explained.

Ms. Tan, another practitioner who often goes to tourist sites to reach out to tourists from mainland China, agreed. “Many people know how bad the communist party is. As long as we clarify the defamatory propaganda from the communist party, many people from the mainland understand and renounce their membership in the Party,” she said. At the February 5 event, about 140 people agreed to quit the communist party organization after talking with her.

Ms. Liu often helps out at the Falun Dafa booth during popular events like night markets, to help more people learn about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China.

Another practitioner at the event, Ms. Liu, said that she was happy to take part in the event because it helps lots of people break away from the influence of the communist party. “So many of them will have a great future instead of sinking with the communist party. I am so happy for them!” she explained. “Of course, ultimately, we all thank Master Li for these great developments.”