(Clearwisdom.net)

Hualian County is located on the east side of the island of Taiwan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Central Mountain to the west is high and steep, with Taizhong, Nantou, and Gaoxiong counties as its neighbors. Yilan County lies to the north and Taidong County to the south. The long, narrow county is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Its people are very unique. It boasts especially magnificent scenery in Tailuge Valley, with its precipitous, broken cliffs, deep, quiet valleys, and waterfalls that run straight down. The magnificent scenery was formed over thousands of years by erosion cause by the Liwu Current, which is also an important asset of Tailuge National Park. The beautiful mountain and river make it a "pure land" in an age of intense industrialization.

Hualian is also a "pure land" in the human world, because it has been exposed to the wide spread of Falun Dafa.

The Spread of Falun Dafa to Hualian

In January 1996, Falun Dafa came to Hualian. An over 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Mainland China came to visit his family in Taiwan. He had had a serious illness and had undergone surgery twice. After he started practicing Falun Gong, he became very healthy and was able to walk briskly with no problems. He introduced the beauty of Falun Dafa to his family in Hualian County. He also brought the precious Jilin Lecture tapes, VCDs, Zhuan Falun, Essentials for Further Advancement and other books, which enabled Hualian to be one of the first counties in Taiwan that saw Falun Dafa flourish.

Group Practice in Front of the Hualian Culture Center

Group Practice at Donghua University

At the beginning, there wasn't a practice site, so people had to travel to Taipei to learn Falun Gong. Six months later, the first cultivation center was set up at the Hualian Culture Center, so that people could do the exercises and spread the Fa outdoors. A Fa study group was formed and 9-day lecture sessions were presented, and a good environment for group Fa study and exercises was gradually established. Due to Falun Dafa's miraculous healing effects and the way it helps one to keep fit, news spread very fast through word of mouth. More and more people joined the practice. Later, practice sites were set up all over the county, so that more and more people were able to obtain the Fa and practice. Currently, there are over 20 Fa-study groups and practice sites spread all over the towns and villages of Hualian.

At the Celebration of the Anniversary of Mingyi Primary School, Students are Demonstrating the Five Sets of Exercises

Primary school teacher Ms. Fu suffered from sciatica, so she couldn't lift anything heavy and always needed others' help. After she started practicing Falun Dafa, she became healthy and could even offer help to others.

Minghui School Spreading the Fa at the Education Expo

Falun Dafa teaches people to cultivate "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," which is like a clear current, purifying people's hearts. Practitioners take the initiative to improve their xinxing and their ethical standards. It is very well received in all walks of life, especially in the educational field. Teachers' learning camps, Falun Dafa Centers and Minghui Schools have been set up one after another. This has made it possible for Falun Dafa to spread even faster. Hualian Normal Institute (it has since changed its name to Hualian Education School) officially set up an elective course on Falun Gong, which counts as two credits. There were also Teachers' Learning Camps at Ziqiang High School; a Falun Dafa Club at Donghua University; and Minghui classes held at Mingyi Primary School, Zhongxiao Primary School and Zhongzheng Primary School.

An Italian National TV Station Came to Hualian to Shoot a Special Program on Falun Dafa Spreading Widely

On May 13, 2005, "Falun Dafa Day," Practitioners Greet Teacher

Hualian Practitioners Clarifying the Truth

In the early days, cultivation belonged to the period of personal cultivation. It emphasized studying the "Fa," doing the exercises, improving "xinxing," enlightening to theories of life, and finding the road returning to one's original, true self. Then, practitioners were always very cheerful. However, since July 20, 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party started the persecution of Falun Gong, the cultivation environment has changed. Faced with overwhelming, slanderous propaganda, with righteous belief in Dafa and Teacher, practitioners in Hualian started their Fa-rectification cultivation experience, clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings.

"Stopping the Chinese Communist Party from Tarnishing Human Rights" Bicycling Around the Island" Activity

"Bring Jiang to Justice on a Global Basis" Signature Collecting Activity

At that time, many people hadn't heard of Falun Gong, or they had only read reports that were copied from those false reports from the Chinese Communist Party. They couldn't receive the proper information, so they were poisoned by lies from the Chinese Communist Party. Falun Dafa practitioners that benefited from cultivation both mentally and physically couldn't just stand by and watch Dafa being wronged. In order for people in Hualian to have a proper understanding of Falun Dafa, practitioners took the initiative to compile and print truth-clarification materials. Starting on July 20, 1999, they embarked on their road of clarifying the truth step by step.

During the Celebration of the School's Anniversary, Handing out Truth-Clarification Materials

Clarifying the Truth to People Face to Face

Students have taken the time on their own initiative to deliver Falun Dafa truth-clarification material to different households. They also clarify the truth to people about the beauty of Falun Dafa and the facts of the persecution. Whether they are being scorched by the sun or soaked by rain, practitioners have covered every street in Hualian. During the course of their handing out truth-clarification fliers, they have abandoned their fear of enduring hardships. Besides studying the Fa and cultivating their xinxing, they are more motivated to get in touch with people and started clarifying the truth face to face.

Practitioners' righteous thoughts and actions have eliminated the poison from the lies of the Chinese Communist Party, so that many people in Hualian have come to understand the facts of Falun Dafa. It has also set up a foundation for a bright future for the people of Hualian. Some practitioners recalled an incident from the past. In Fuli Village, which is towards the very south end of Hualian, there is a blind lady who is over 70 years old. She has restricted mobility, and her meals have to be provided by her neighbor. When practitioners delivered truth-clarification materials to her, since she could not read, practitioners had to read it for her. After listening, she was very touched by the fact that even at her age, she could learn about Falun Dafa. She felt as if she had been waiting for Dafa. This kind of thing also makes students realize more profoundly their mission and responsibilities.

Falun Dafa Truth Clarification Picture Show

Practitioners Clarifying the Truth at the "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" National Exp

Since November 13, 2000, Falun Dafa radio programs have been broadcast in Hualian by the Zhongzheng Radio Station. It broadcasts Teacher's "Teaching the Fa at Jinan" and practitioners' cultivation stories, so that more and more people from Hualian are able to learn the Buddha Law. From a radio, everyone can find out about Falun Dafa in a more comprehensive and in-depth way, as well the inner meaning of cultivation. Starting on December 1, 2000, a Hualian local TV station, Huilan Cable TV, has been broadcasting truth-clarification films such as "Falun Dafa in Taiwan" and Teacher Li's lectures. As soon as you turn on your TV, you can clearly hear Teacher Li lecturing on the universal law of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," which is very exciting. The people of Hualian are truly blessed.