Li Hongzhi was born on July 7, 1952, as evidenced by extensive archival records and witness testimonies. According to Pan Yufang, the midwife who delivered Li Hongzhi, Li’s parents Li Dan and Lu Shuzhen were married in the autumn of 1951. The following year, in July 1952, they gave birth to Li Hongzhi. Multiple official records, including his employment files, driver's license records, and household registration documents from the local police station, all confirm his date of birth as July 7, 1952.

On September 24, 1994, Li Hongzhi altered his registered birthday from July 7, 1952, to May 13, 1951, through the Luyuan Police Station in Changchun. He claimed the change was merely to correct a clerical error in the original records.

But was it really that simple?

In May 1992, Li Hongzhi founded Falun Gong and established the so-called “Falun Dafa Research Association” in Beijing, appointing himself as its leader. To manipulate followers, he falsely claimed to be “the greatest Buddha in the universe.”

But how did he justify this absurd claim?

Li Hongzhi deliberately changed his birthday to align with the traditional birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha in Chinese Han Buddhism. He altered his records to May 13, 1951, which corresponds to the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, traditionally celebrated as the Buddha’s birthday. This change was intended to mislead people into believing that he was the Buddha's reincarnation and the highest divine being in the world—his sole motivation for altering his birthday.

Li Hongzhi demands his followers to uphold “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” yet he himself repeatedly engages in deception. His fabricated birthday, fake portraits, bogus supernatural powers, fake Qigong and self-mythologizing as a deity expose a pattern of relentless deception.

This so-called “Greatest Buddha in the Universe” can only deceive the world through lies. Today, May 13th has been turned into a “holiday” for Falun Gong. On this day, followers across China and overseas offer birthday greetings to Li Hongzhi, while some Falun Gong organizations outside China hold parades and other commemorative activities. But what is there to celebrate about a fabricated occasion built entirely on deception?