“It’s a special day for us because this is when Mr. Li Hongzhi came out to spread, to give us the teaching of what we follow and what we find as truth to guide our life,” David Shi told The Epoch Times. “And he’s giving us all this in a very unselfish way.”
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, has five exercises, including a meditation, and spiritual teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
“Before I obtained Falun Dafa, I was in constant pursuit of what the meaning of life is, for example, what should really be my goals to achieve in life,” Shi said.
Born and raised in China, Shi had the opportunity to transfer to schools in Singapore as a high school student, was later admitted to a highly ranked university there, and had a good job after graduation.
“This seemingly small thing actually triggered a big change in my whole life,” Shi said, adding that he started to question all the indoctrination by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Shi said that reading the book “Zhuan Falun,” the main teachings of Falun Dafa, prompted him to reflect on his whole life and what he wanted to do in the future.
Shi started practicing Falun Gong in Singapore in 2020, before moving to the United States shortly after. He quit drinking alcohol and changed his habit of staying up late playing poker after he progressed in the practice.
Doing the Falun Dafa exercises makes him more energetic throughout the day, Shi said.
“When I’m not ruled by emotions, Falun Dafa can give me a sense of calmness, and I can really start seeing details and start having more thoughts at work,” Shi said.
“It makes me more productive, with more good ideas, etc. And also, I have a better relationship with my co-workers. Because instead of pursuing money or fame, instead of trying to take advantage of other people, I learned to really be a good teammate.
“I focus on getting things done. Focusing on the thing itself. Learn from each other, be humble.”
Shi has also changed his understanding of traditional Chinese culture, which he once questioned. He realized it’s the CCP culture that people look down on.
He is now a member of the Tian Guo Marching Band, playing trombone in music pieces such as “Falun Dafa is Good,” “Triumphant Return,” and “The Sacred Song.”
Yusef Masjedi, another participant in the parade, told The Epoch Times, “The practice is good. It’s something that brings stability and a perspective to my life.”
He started to practice Falun Dafa 10 months ago, after a series of events, including his 2-year-old son being burned in an accident, his father falling off a roof, and himself having a car accident.
Masjedi said these traumatic events drew him to take up Falun Dafa, a practice he had learned from his mother-in-law a long time ago.
“Following the three guiding principles [truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance], I can sometimes slow things down in my mind and know the right thing to do,” Masjedi said. “Lots of hard situations become easier.”
Tens of millions of people in China were practicing Falun Dafa when the CCP started its persecution against practitioners in 1999.
Part of the San Francisco parade on May 9, 2026, celebrating World Falun Dafa Day, which falls on May 13. (Gary Wang/The Epoch Times)
The parade started from the Ferry Building, along Embarcadero Street, through Fisherman’s Wharf, to the Maritime Garden on Jefferson Street.
Cultural teams such as dragon dancers and waist drum performers in the parade attracted the audience, who watched and photographed with their smartphones.
The dragon dancing leader, customized tour guide Yu Yang, was imprisoned by the CCP for a total of seven months in China due to his faith.
While being held in a detention center, he was forcibly tube-fed, which the CCP police usually do to torture Falun Dafa practitioners who refuse to eat while in detention, and was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries caused by the force-feeding.
Yu used to be the top salesperson for a company operating in northeast China, but was forced to leave his home for seven years due to the persecution.
Yu Yang, a Bay Area customized tour guide, leads the dragon dance in the Falun Dafa parade in San Francisco on May 9, 2026. (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times)
“It was Falun Dafa that gave me strength in tribulations, not giving up hope, and not being changed by resentment and fear,” Yu told The Epoch Times.
Yu escaped from China and immigrated to the United States in 2013.
Retired seafood business owner Wayne Hankins participates in the Falun Dafa parade in San Francisco on May 9, 2026. (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times)
Wayne Hankins, a retired seafood business owner who was touched when two young practitioners told him their experiences in China during the persecution a year ago, decided to join the parade.
“I support what this group, Falun Dafa, is doing. I find this a very kind group that is working to make themselves better people through their spiritual practice,” Hankins told The Epoch Times before the parade.
“It is a testimony to their courage, it is a testimony for their desire to see a better world, a world of love and compassion, and as the three [principles] that Falun Dafa has, it’s right in line with that.”
Pro-democratic activists and members of the Democratic Party of China attend the World Falun Dafa Day parade in San Francisco on May 9, 2026. (Gary Wang/The Epoch Times)
Seven pro-democratic activists, members of the Democratic Party of China, also attended the parade. They held banners with messages such as, “Support Falun Dafa,” “Thank You Falun Gong for Helping Us Bypass Internet Censorship,” and “Greetings Falun Gong.”
Guo Zhijun, who was aware of the persecution against Falun Dafa practitioners in China, told The Epoch Times: “The persecution practitioners are facing is unheard-of, unprecedented, and unmatched in any dynasties throughout China’s history.
“Falun Gong is a good faith, a faith with passion and love; the CCP’s persecution clearly demonstrates how evil and cruel the CCP’s governing is.”
He called upon the public to be aware of the reality of the CCP’s persecution and be vigilant against its infiltration into various democratic nations.
“I urge everyone to offer your full support to Falun Gong practitioners,” Guo said.
Crystal Lu and Gary Wang contributed to this report.
