Yang Yaoshan

Mr. Yang Yaoshan had a history of serious heart disease, including unstable heart rhythm and high blood pressure. In 1996 after Mr. Yang started practicing Falun Gong, his symptoms of illness disappeared and his health improved significantly. Mr. Yang would regularly comment, "This is a really great practice!"

In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong. In response to being ordered to give up the practice, Yang Yaoshan decided to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. In August 2000, Mr. Yang gathered all his strength and traveled to Beijing to lodge an appeal, but he was turned away. Undeterred, he went to Tiananmen Square and cried out, "Falun Dafa is good!" The police arrested and detained Mr. Yang in a Beijing police station. He was later transferred to his local police office, and two days later he was taken back to his hometown by national guards.

Mr. Yang was illegally sentenced to one year of forced labor in the Jilin City Detention Center. During his imprisonment, he suffered severe abuse, causing his health to deteriorate and his old symptoms of heart disease to recur. However, Mr. Yang never gave up talking to people about Falun Gong and exposing the persecution to those around him. Six months later, he was released.

On January 6, 2010, Mr. Yang's wife was arrested for trying to stop the police from unlawfully detaining a group of Falun Dafa practitioners. The police then broke into Mr. Yang's home, searched it and confiscated personal property. Traumatized from the sudden shock of these events, Mr. Yang suffered a stroke on January 9. Despite efforts to save his life, Mr. Yang passed away on February 28, 2010.