Burlington County Time: Evesham family hopes president conveys strong message in China on Falun Gong

EVESHAM - Ying Chen was surfing the Internet about a year and a half ago. When she read that members of the spiritual group to which her family belonged had been arrested in China, she called her mother in Beijing to ask what was happening.

Her mother said, "I guess that's why your brother didn't come home."

It was July 20, 1999, two days before the Chinese government officially banned the practice of Falun Gong. Yet persecution of its members had already begun.

Also known as Falun Dafa, Falun Gong is an ancient Chinese practice that involves slow, gentle exercises and meditation similar to Tai Chi. It has three main principles - truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance - and encourages practitioners to focus on self-improvement. With no church, no worship and no formal organization, it is not considered a religion. It is a spiritual endeavor that aims for mind-body harmony.

After being taught among families for centuries, Falun Gong was publicly introduced in China in 1992. At first, the Chinese government endorsed it for its health benefits and its focus on moral behavior. It quickly became very popular.

By 1999, it was too popular. There were an estimated 70 to 100 million practitioners of Falun Gong in China, a number that exceeded the membership of the Communist Party. Considered a threat to the regime, the Chinese government banned Falun Gong on July 22, 1999.

Two days earlier, Ying's brother had been arrested. He was released, yet it would not be for long.

"In communism, the biggest thing is mind control," said Chen, who sat with her parents on plush, floral couches in her Evesham home Thursday. "You can't believe in what they don't want you to believe in."

Chen's parents moved here in October 2000 to escape the persecution in China. Chen, who has lived here for 14 years, translated as her parents told their story.

"It was very, very awful," said Chen's mother, Ningfang, 60. She was a flautist and her husband, Rutang, 63, was a cellist in China's Central Philharmonic Orchestra. They were highly respected musicians. Yet for their belief in Falun Gong, they were detained for 30 days.

In the cell she shared with 40 people, Ningfang said there were no beds. She slept on a wooden board where prisoners had to lie on their sides, head to toe, just to fit. Rutang talked about his overcrowded cell where he had to share one plastic spoon with five other prisoners.

After 30 days, they were released. Yet they were continually monitored. On June 25, 2000, 18 policemen stormed into their home in the middle of the night and dragged Ningfang and her son, Gang, to detention centers. Ningfang was released after 30 days. Her son was not.

Ningfang said Gang was sent for 18 months to a labor camp where he was repeatedly tortured. He was prohibited from sleeping for 10 days in a row. He was tied up with his head touching his legs while eight people beat him.

"Whenever I think about it, it's very, very difficult," said Ningfang. "He's a precious child and to think about the torture he was going through is unbearable."

Gang was released Dec. 25, 2001. He went home to Beijing in early January, but his actions are still monitored and his phones are tapped, his family said. "You just don't know what will happen next," said Ningfang.

In the 21/2 years since Falun Gong was made illegal, tens of thousands of practitioners have been arrested, said Dr. Shiyu Zhou, a volunteer of the Falun Dafa Information Center who is also a professor of computer science at the University of Pennsylvania. "Over 25,000 were sent to labor camps without trials," said Zhou. "The number of verified deaths is over 360, but sources say the death toll exceeds 1,600."

As the arrests and deaths mount, supporters of the Falun Gong movement around the world have protested China's persecution. President Bush left for a trip to Asia yesterday. Supporters of Falun Gong hope that he will raise the issue of human rights violations when he meets with Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Beijing Thursday.

"There is a great deal of support in the Congress and Senate for this," said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th of Robbinsville. "President Bush has to go over there and convey that we are serious."

Smith, vice chairman of the International Relations Committee, attended a congressional hearing on human rights o Wednesday. Ningfang was there, testifying about what her family endured. "Every day, people are dying," said Chen, who translated for her mother at the hearing. "We think President Bush has the power to influence and help."

Back in Evesham, the Chens still practice Falun Gong. They gather with other practitioners at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken and give free instruction at the Cherry Hill Library, and Chen leads morning exercises at her office at Cendant Mortgage in Mount Laurel.

"Ours is a bittersweet story," said Chen. "We are still very happy that we have Falun Gong. It has helped us in this tough time. It just makes no sense to attack something so good."