In the 1970s and 80s, there were hundreds of Qigong practices spreading across China. Falun Gong, a.k.a. Falun Dafa, caught on like wildfire partly because of the tremendous healing effects it brought to people and partly because its teachings went beyond regular qigong to elevate the mind & body to a higher realm of reality. Introduced to the public in 1992 by its teacher and founder Mr. Li Hongzhi, it won recognition as a top-rated qigong practice.
Throughout the 1990s, Falun Gong garnered support from numerous Chinese government agencies as a meditation practice deemed to improve public health and morality.