Congressman praises Epoch Times for representing freedom during House session.

On the House floor, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) shared the remarkable story of The Epoch Times and its unwavering commitment to providing uncensored information to readers worldwide, despite facing oppression from the Chinese communist regime.

Mr. Norman began by recounting the journey of John Tang, the founder of The Epoch Times. In 1999, while pursuing a doctorate in physics at Georgia Tech, Tang unexpectedly decided to launch a newspaper. Little did he know that two decades later, he would be leading the fourth-largest American newspaper by subscription count.

Birth of The Epoch Times

In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal campaign against the spiritual discipline Falun Gong, which had millions of practitioners in China. The CCP, fearing the practice’s popularity, used state and private media outlets to demonize and isolate Falun Gong, spreading hate propaganda to justify its persecution.

From afar, John Tang witnessed the persecution of his friends and the amplification of CCP propaganda by Western media. Driven by a sense of duty, Tang established Dajiyuan, the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times, in his Atlanta basement. His goal was to provide uncensored information to people in China and worldwide. Despite the challenges, Tang’s endeavor attracted other Chinese Americans who abandoned their careers to join him.

The congressman then highlighted the CCP’s crackdown on The Epoch Times’ China operation. Chinese police invaded the newsroom, arresting all reporters and editors. Some faced harsh sentences and frequent torture. Despite this setback, the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times thrived outside of China, becoming a leading website for Chinese current events and reaching readers in America and over 30 countries worldwide.

The CCP has relentlessly tried to shut down The Epoch Times, threatening advertisers, launching cyberattacks, and targeting staff members’ relatives in China.

These attacks have not been limited to China. In 2006, assailants broke into the home of Chief Engineer Peter Li in Atlanta, beating him and stealing his computers. In Hong Kong, assailants set fire to the newspaper’s printing press in 2019, and armed men stormed the premises in 2021, damaging printing equipment with sledgehammers.

Despite these challenges, The Epoch Times remains steadfast in upholding the truth. It has also played a significant role in inspiring the “Quit the CCP” movement, with over 410 million Chinese people severing their ties with the party and its affiliated organizations.

Impact on the US

Recognizing the CCP’s infiltration efforts in the United States, particularly within media organizations, The Epoch Times launched an English edition in 2003 and established a print edition in New York.