Ms. Zhou Shanhui, 61, is a farmer from Xiangshui Village, Junyue Town, Pengzhou City. Ms. Zhou used to be weak, and she had many illnesses including gastritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis and hemorrhoids. She was suffering from severe edema and had gone to many places looking for treatment to no avail. She was to the point of feeling that the only option left was to wait to die, when one night in January 1999, she had a dream in which a middle-aged man told her that if she started practicing Falun Dafa, all of her illnesses would disappear within a week. The next day, she managed to get to a practice site and began practicing Falun Dafa. After a week of practice, her illnesses were virtually cured. Ms. Zhou felt the greatness of Dafa and often said that Master Li had given her a second chance at life.

Ms. Zhou has been arrested numerous times for practicing Falun Dafa by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. On May 24, 2008, they arrested her again and ransacked her home, confiscating Dafa books, a television and a video disc player along with other audio and video equipment. They wanted her to take a picture of all the confiscated items but Ms. Zhou refused. One of the officers grabbed a broom and hit her over the head with it so hard that it broke the broom.

The CCP personnel took her to the Pengzhou City Detention Center that day, and Ms. Zhou went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. The next day, the guards tied her to a chair with steel wire and force-fed her. The wire was so tight that they cut into her flesh, causing her intense pain and anguish. She was left in this situation for over an hour before the wires were replaced with strips of cloth.

Ms. Zhou was tied to the chair and force-fed for seven days and nights, and she was transferred to Factory No. 854 a few days later. One of the staff members there told her that they were going to bury her alive. Ms. Zhou tried to escape but was re-captured right after she passed through the front gate. Two guards then brutally beat her, and kicked and stomped on her.

On July 3, 2008, Ms. Zhou was taken to the Chengdu City "re-education center." One day, a female guard began beating Ms. Zhou and even removed her soiled sanitary pad and stuffed it into Ms. Zhou's mouth. The next day, she continued beating Ms. Zhou and stuffed soap into Ms. Zhou's mouth, bloodying her mouth in the process. The guard tortured her for several days by spraying her clothes, pants and blankets with water. On September 9, 2008, she went on a hunger strike to protest this abuse. She was force-fed a salty, contaminated solution and her entire body started aching immediately. The pain lasted all night and became so intense that she rolled around on the bed. The next morning, personnel at the center noticed that she appeared to be dying and took her to the hospital. The doctors diagnosed a lung disease and necrosis of the gall bladder.

Because the doctors thought that there was no hope of saving her, the authorities decided to release Ms. Zhou immediately to avoid responsibility for her death. She was taken to her son's home on September 10, 2008. At that point, Ms. Zhou was unable to eat, and was almost paralyzed. Her memory was reduced greatly and she could no longer take care of her own basic needs.

Ms. Zhou Shanhui has been home for over a month now. Her body has not yet recovered and she can no longer work on the farm to earn a living.