"What made UFO literature less tolerated in China was the government’s decision to crack down on in 1999. Since Falun Gong also includes UFO themes among its beliefs and literature, any other groups mentioning contacts with the aliens [became deemed] suspicious. In the 21st century, discussing theoretically the possibility of extraterrestrial life was still permitted, but literature and groups who claimed that “contactees” were in touch with the aliens were much less tolerated and often labeled as xie jiao (“heterodox teachings,” sometimes translated as “evil cults”). …The new popularity of UFO theories and messages among young Chinese is part of their attempt to find answers to their questions, which they feel the [Chinese] Communist Party is not delivering. Some of these answers may appear to many as strange or even ridiculous. However, in democratic countries, stories about the UFOs are freely discussed, and those who tell them do not risk [being sent] to jail."