(Clearwisdom.net) Clearwisdom correspondent Xu Jinzhi reports from Chicago: Every July, many cities in the US hold Independence Day Parades, and Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, is no exception. As the scale of the parade and the quality of the performances in Evanston ranked No. 3 in rankings of 2003 Independence Day Parades, more people came to watch the parade this year.

After wining "Best Float Award" in 2003, on July 4, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in Chicago participated in Evanston's Independence Day Parade for the fifth time. This year, practitioners made special preparations for the parade. In addition to showing an exercise demonstration on the float, we added a Tang Dynasty Costume exhibition and a Waist Drum performance to display the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa.

As the parade began, the beautiful music and Dafa practitioners' peaceful demeanor immediately attracted the attention of spectators on both sides of the street. Many people voluntarily shouted, "Falun Dafa," and "Falun Dafa is great!" Some commented, "So beautiful," "We love Falun Gong." One person said to the people around them, "I love these people." Practitioners' active cooperation with the parade organizers also brought praise from the staff members.

After Falun Gong participated in last year's parade, some Chinese people who saw Falun Gong in the parade --especially Chinese people who had just come to the US to visit relatives-- told practitioners with emotion that in China, the state-run media depicts Falun Gong practitioners as a group composed of elderly, weak, and disabled people who are ill and who have mental problems. In Chicago, people not only witnessed the vigorous elderly Falun Gong practitioners in the group, but they also saw many young people who practice Falun Gong, and they could not help being amazed. The propaganda and lies from China collapsed in the face of the truth. More and more Chinese people have learned the truth about Falun Gong this year, and many Chinese people on the street smiled at practitioners and called out "Falun Dafa is good."

After the parade ended, citizens of Evanston talked with some of the practitioners, expressing their appreciation and extending their gratitude for the practitioners' performance.