Mr. Gu was a 62-year-old practitioner from Anbiaofa Village, Dongmajuan Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin City. He began learning Falun Dafa in 1997 and greatly benefited from it, both physically and mentally. After the crackdown on Falun Dafa began, he went to Beijing three times to peacefully appeal for the rights of Falun Dafa practitioners, all in the year 2000. In December of the same year, he was reported while distributing pamphlets that revealed the truth about the persecution of his peaceful practice. Police from the Dongmajuan Police Station illegally arrested him at his home and detained him in the Wuqing County Detention Center.

During his detention, he courageously refused to go against his conscience by renouncing his faith in Falun Dafa. Because of this, he was sentenced to two years in a forced labor camp. Due to his treatment there, his body and mind suffered greatly. By March 28, 2002, he had become critically ill as a result of the torture he had received in the labor camp. In spite of emergency resuscitation he received in the hospital, he passed away.