On December 11th, 2008, Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen watched a short video from the Divine Performing Arts' world tour. Rep. Van Hollen was impressed with the high quality art the DPA presented and issued proclamations to the two sponsors of the 2009 DPA shows in Washington DC.

Every Falun Gong practitioner showed big smile in the sun. Many said they didn't feel tired at all, but very peaceful and happy. It was chilly a couple of days prior, but turned out to be a warm day. Though many wore thick blue coats and hats as planned, they didn't feel hot but were very comfortable.

On the morning of December 12th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners in Fukuoka City delivered an open letter to the Chinese Consulate. The letter was addressed to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and demanded that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong.

The 13th Spiritual Science Exhibition was held at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand from Dec. 5th to Dec. 7th, 2008. More than one hundred groups showed their products in the fields of health, qigong, medicine, and religion. The Falun Gong booth quickly became the focus of attention.

The Malaysian Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held on December 7th, 2008 in Kompleks Tabung Haji, a city in northern Malaysia. Practitioners from across Malaysia and Singapore attended the conference.

On December 6th, Falun Gong practitioners attended the Garland Asian American Festival at Saigon Mall in Garland, Texas.

Wu said people might mistake traditional Chinese dance for ballet, but "although it has some elements of ballet to it, there's acrobatics, such as flipping and tumbling." Performances of Chinese classical dance showcase ancient tales and legends, ethnic folk dances, and modern stories, as well. "The biggest difference is the emphasis on dancing one's inner feelings," Wu said.

On November 29th, Falun Gong practitioners in New Zealand took part in the Christmas Parade in Rotorua with the Divine Land Marching Band.

On December 7th, the 36th Annual Mayor's Christmas Parade was held in Baltimore, with one hundred and thirty groups taking part. The mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon, led the 3-hour, 2.5 mile long parade.

On the Sunday of December 7th, 2008, Falun Gong was invited to the annual Christmas Grand Parade in Perth City Australia. The Falun Gong 40-member waist drum group was the only Asian group participating in the parade.

At dusk on December 6th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners took part in a rally held by Amnesty International commemorating International Human Rights Day in Sakae, the busiest area in Aichi-Prov., Nagoya, Japan. December 10th, 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the "Universal Declaration of International Human Rights."

Deputy Minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong of the Ministry of International Trade & Industry went to the fair in the afternoon. Ms. Hsie also presented books on Falun Gong to him, and told him about Falun Gong and the CCP's persecution.

"The DPA had five shows in Kaohsiung in March this year. The performance impressed artists and VIPs in politics, business and artistic enterprises. Those who watched the show agreed that DPA is the pride of the Chinese people around the world..."

The 34th Christmas Parade in Brantford, Ontario, was held on November 29th. Nearly 100 groups participated. The Divine Land Marching Band, consisting of Falun Gong practitioners, was invited to perform in the parade for the third time.

On November 29th, Falun Gong practitioners from Sydney participated in the Earth Festival at Centennial Park. Many people learned the Falun Gong exercises at the practitioners' booth, and a lot of people learned about the persecution and signed their names to support the practitioners' efforts.

During the opening ceremony, the Divine Land Marching Band led the flags of the nation, city, and organisations participating in the event into the stadium. When the music "Falun Dafa Is Good" began, the crowd was energised.

Mr. Akarana pointed out that Christmas parades are a platform to celebrate all races, cultures and traditions and Barnett should not have denied Falun Gong's application to participate in the parade in order to keep the city's close relation with Beijing.

On the evening of November 28th, Falun Gong practitioners participated in the 26th Fort Worth Thanksgiving Parade, which attracts tens of thousands local residents.

The Ninth Fish Festival in Yong'an Town, Kaohsiung, was held on November 22nd and 23rd, and the Tianwai Drum Team, consisting of local Falun Gong practitioners, was invited to perform.

The Mid-USA Falun Dafa Association was again invited to perform at the 75th Annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago on November 27th, 2008. They were the only Chinese group in the parade. Falun Gong practitioners decorated a large float to promote the Divine Performing Arts New Year shows, which will be held on December 27th and 28th in Chicago.

On the evening of November 26th, 2008, a celebration for the first anniversary of the Tianti Bookstore was held in the store. The bookstore was the first in the world to specialise in selling Falun Dafa books. It is located in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Tianti Bookstore, which sells only Falun Dafa related books and videos, is now celebrating its one year anniversary. Manager Mr. Zhu said that the Tianti Bookstore opened for business on November 2007 in New Jersey.

The annual Christmas parade returned to Glenelg, a seaside city in Southern Australia, on November 23rd, 2008. Approximately eighty groups participated in the parade, including Falun Gong. The Falun Gong contingent was praised as one of the most beautiful processions in the parade.

On November 22nd and 23rd, members of the Falun Dafa waist drum team went to Alishan (Mount Ali), a tourist destination in southern Taiwan, to advocate the beauty of Falun Dafa and clarify the facts about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China to tourists from China.

On November 15th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners from Arizona and Los Angeles took part in an annual parade in Gilbert, Arizona. Falun Gong was the only Chinese group in the parade.

On November 22nd, Falun Dafa practitioners' Divine Land Marching Band participated in the Christmas Parade in Montreal. Legend has it that the parade started in 1925 to mark the date that Santa Clause visited the city. The parade attracts more than 300,000 spectators every year.

On the afternoon of November 19th, Hu Jintao and his delegation arrived in Peru. Practitioners held banners along the roads from the airport to his hotel. The banners read, "Falun Dafa," "Falun Dafa is great" and "President Hu Jintao is welcome to quit the CCP in Peru."

The opening of the International "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition was held in Toufen Town, Miaoli, Taiwan on November 15th, 2008. Many local council members, government officials, and the mayor of Miaoli attended the opening.

The Toronto Divine Land Marching Band received a letter of thanks from organisers of the Brampton Christmas Parade on November 19th, 2008. The letter express gratitude for the band's terrific performance during the Christmas Parade in the previous Saturday in spite of bad weather.

The "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" International Art Exhibition opened in Shili Taipei City. The uplifting nature of the more than 50 world-class paintings attracted the attention not only of art lovers but also of casual visitors.

"I think today's activity was helpful - it should be held more often, because we thought the Communist Party no longer existed, but it still does. Not only that, it is persecuting people."

On November 16th, the temperature dropped dramatically. Almost one hundred Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated in front of the Marriott Hotel. The peaceful protest attracted many people who asked for information. People who were organised by the Chinese Embassy to say goodbye to Hu were also watching practitioners' actions.

After learning about the persecution, one San Francisco resident said: "I think the persecution of Falun Gong should be stopped. Any persecution happening in this world should be stopped. People should have the freedom of belief and I support Chinese people who want to quit the CCP. Good luck."

From November 7th to 9th, 2008, Falun Dafa practitioners in Taiwan held a three-day group experience sharing and Fa study gathering in Douliu City, Yunlin County. Through intensive Fa study and experience sharing, practitioners created an environment that helped them to improve in their cultivation practice.

Since the parade was held on a Tuesday, a work day, most of the parading practitioners were older ladies and a few young practitioners who were students. But the practitioners looked so energetic that one Chinese spectator told his friends that he saw "many young people practising Falun Gong."

"Some paintings described bloody incidents, but real. I know that CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is cruel. The artists present the uncompromising courage in the paintings. I admire it and am touched. I hope the students learn it from the paintings."

On November 10th, 2008, nine Falun Gong practitioners in Australia, including plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit for torture against Zhou Yongkang in the New South Wales Supreme Court, delivered a letter to the leader of the shadow cabinet, Malcolm Turnbull MP, at his election office in Sydney.

On November 8th, Zhou Yongkang, Head of the 610 Office and Secretary of the Political and Judicial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), arrived in Canberra, Australia. Local Falun Gong practitioners were assembled to protest his visit.

On October 29th, Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the JFK Airport Multi-Cultural Festival. At the festival, the practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises. In addition, they performed a Lion Dance, gave a waist drum performance and presented several vocal solo pieces.

The Tokyo News is one of the five major newspapers in Japan. On October 25th, the News published a story which detailed the suffering of three Chinese immigrants' family members in China due to the ongoing brutal persecution of Falun Gong. The article pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party hadn't fulfilled its promise to improve human rights in China.

"I think it is important to get this message to the Australian Government because we are not only Falun Gong practitioners, but also Australian citizens. In order to protect this democratic country's principles, we are obligated to inform the Secretary of the Attorney General's Department about Zhou Yongkang's crimes."

On the afternoon of November 3rd, 2008, Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference in front of the Brisbane Provincial Parliament building and called on the Australian Government to deny entry to Zhou Yongkang, Head of the 610 Office and Secretary of the Political and Judicial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

On November 4th, 2008, one day after Director of (Mainland) China Straits Exchange Foundation Mr. Chen Yunlin arrived in Taiwan, about 3000 Falun Dafa practitioners held a large group exercise in front of the Liberty Gate in Taipei.

More than 1500 Falun Dafa practitioners from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and other areas attended the 2008 Asian Falun Dafa Conference held on November 1st in Seoul University Seoul, Korea.

On October 7th, the Divine Land Marching Band, consisting of Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, was invited to perform at the Dasara Festival in Mysore, India. More than 400 thousand people, including monks and lamas, attended this Buddhist event. The Divine Land Marching Band received a warm welcome.

In its October 22nd edition, The Albany Times Union published an article about Hongyuan "Annie" Li's successful effort to free her mother from a brainwashing centre in China, and her continuing attempts to persuade the Chinese authorities to grant her parents a passport so they can come to the United States.

On November 1st, the 2008 Asia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Seoul City University, Korea. More than 1,500 practitioners from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea attended this conference, in which sixteen practitioners shared their cultivation experiences.

The 18th annual Vancouver Health Fair was held on October 25th and 26th at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. As in previous years, local Falun Gong practitioners attended the event to raise awareness of Falun Gong. This was the ninth year that practitioners attended.

Falun Gong practitioners participated in the Iichan Cultural Festival of Iijima-Machi, Nagano Prefecture, which was held on October 25th-26th, 2008. They displayed and distributed many informational materials, and demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises.

The Falun Dafa Association of Malaysia hosted a three-day Fa-study from October 25th to 27th. About 100 practitioners from different areas of Malaysia attended the gathering to study the Fa, practise the exercises, and share experiences. The practitioners also shared how to coordinate group activities better.