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Divine Performing Arts
News and Events Around the World
Accounts of Persecution
Practitioners Exchange Insights and Experiences
Health Benefits
People's Hearts Determine Their Future
(Clearwisdom.net) On the evening of January 16, 2009, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) New York Company started its three-day performance at Place des Arts in Montreal. Compared to the -10F cold outside, the packed theater, filled with joy and excitement brought by DPA, was another world. Beautifully portrayed by the New York-based performing arts company, the 5,000-year divine culture of China brought a sensation to the city of the arts of Canada.
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Artist Couple: A Beautiful Show
For the Steinwolds, one a musician, the other a dancer, the first Divine Performing Arts show at Montreal's Place des Arts theater on Friday was a night to remember.
Mr. Steinwold played piano for 25 years before retiring. His wife, Mrs. Steinwold, was a ballet dancer for one of Canada's top ballet companies, and performed for almost as long.
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"It was a beautiful show," said Mr. Steinwold, adding that the presenters should be proud.
"It was beautiful, beautiful show," echoed Mrs. Steinwold, "Well disciplined, very graceful, beautiful dancers...excellent dancers," she said. "Wonderful, wonderful. Very well rehearsed."
While Mrs. Steinwold noted that the dance itself was totally different from ballet, she could see that the dancers had a lot of discipline and had worked hard.
"Hours of practice. Hours and hours of rehearsal," added Mr. Steinwold, who had watched a great deal of dance over the years of seeing his wife and others perform.
"Discipline and hard work," they said together.
Mrs. Steinwold said she was most impressed by how "very very focused," the dancers were.
"You could feel it from them, every one of them," she said.
Mr. Steinwold said the difference of the arms in classical Chinese dance compared to the classical European dance really stood out for him. He explained, "If you watch the arms, compared to the classical dance that we're used to from France and Russia, they're very, very soft, very gentle. Beautiful, very special... To see this kind of dance, it's very beautiful. The costumes, the lighting, the sound, everything is spectacular, and the musicians, the singing... The tenor was fabulous and the soprano, and the baritone, I rarely hear a baritone."
"And the pianist too," added Mrs. Steinwold. "They were all excellent. Excellent. Excellent. It was a beautiful show."
The former ballerina said that she especially appreciated the colorful costumes. "They are beautiful, beautiful," she said. "They were magnificent, really, really beautiful," she described.
"The costume designer must have had experience in dancing because you have to be able to dance in those costumes... [It's not] easy to design a costume for dancing," noted Mr. Steinwold, adding that sometimes costumes that are not well designed can impede the dancer's movements.
He said he was impressed by how the costumes worked with the dances, and that he enjoyed the ribbon dancing as well.
"I'm sure they rehearsed a lot. Many rehearsals with the costumes to make sure that they don't get caught [in the ribbons]," said Mrs. Steinwold.
She added that she had no idea that traditional Chinese dance included the kind of leaps and flips people normally associate with gymnastics.
Such moves were later taken from Chinese dance and incorporated into gymnastics.
"It doesn't come from gymnastics, it comes from the dancing, so that is something I learned."
She also enjoyed the choreography.
"It's wonderful. The choreography for the music is fabulous, it's fabulous. The Phoenix was very beautiful. The whole thing was beautiful," she added.
For millennia the phoenix has been esteemed as sacred, and regarded as the king of all birds. In "The Mystical Phoenix," the dancers wear long, flowing dresses to express both the regality and majesty of this creature through distinctive arm movements and quick, light steps.
"I love the piece with the chopsticks," she added.
That piece, "Mongolian Chopsticks," shows the vivacity of ethnic dance from China's hinterlands, which bursts forth in the contagiously joyful and festive use of chopsticks by Mongolian women. The charm of the region's sprawling plains is mirrored by the passionate warmth of the dancers, who use bundles of chopsticks to greet guests.
Mrs. Steinwold said she also enjoyed the variety of dance and how classical Chinese dance makes use of a variety of props.
"It reinforced what I knew already about the Chinese culture, is that they're very disciplined in whatever they do."
"The whole production was just very, very professional," said Mr. Steinwold. "I understand why it's $200 a ticket," he said, adding that he had bought some of the best tickets in the house.
"It was well worth it....It costs a lot of money to do a production like that, lots of money. And we're going to go on their website, we're going to find out more about them, about the company."
As a musician, he also commented on one of his favorite musical elements of the show -- China's two-stringed violin, the erhu. "Absolutely beautiful," he said.
Internationally Recognized Fashion Designer: It was a total delight
MONTREAL--"Sublime" would be the word that best describes the Divine Performing Arts show according to an internationally recognized fashion designer who was interviewed at the show's Montreal premiere at the Maisonneuve theater of Place des Arts on Friday Jan. 16.
Mr. Joseph, who was originally from Haiti before coming to Canada, has worked with some of fashion's greatest names and has also designed for the performing arts. He has worked around the globe and now works on his own designs which are available in the capitals of fashion. He has also collaborated closely with renowned designer and director Thierry Mugler.
Speaking in French, Mr. Joseph described a parallel of color between Chinese culture and Haitian culture.
"In Haiti, the colors are so vibrant," he said, noting the bright colors of the Divine Performing Arts dancers as well.
"Not only were there a lot of shades, it is also the silk that holds the colors really well. While in Haiti it would be more cotton, it's not the same thing. There is this strong sense of refinement, the pursuit of perfection in everything. I'm not saying that in Haiti this is not so, but the Chinese really aim for perfection."
"It was a total delight. It was calming, with no aggressiveness. It was really so relaxing," he said.
"What I loved the most was in the dance "Welcoming Spring," the gradation of greens, the pink fuschia of the fans, which when opened became flowers. The background and all the decor, it's definitely this one that really blew me away!" said Mr. Joseph.
"Welcoming Spring" features quick footwork, crisp movements, and stunning bursts of color that form the basis of a women's fan dance.
"It was very inspiring! You have this flow of silk and embroidery. One would have liked to have touched it with the hands. In general, embroidery weighs down a garment, but the silk still held its fluidity. It was really extraordinary! I think I'm a little jealous of the costume designers who had the chance to work on this show."
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(Clearwisdom.net) From January 8 to 14, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) staged seven shows in Toronto. Some people saw it more than once. A ticket seller told this reporter, "I didn't expect that so many people would buy tickets right before the last show started. We sold out."
The last DPA show in Toronto
It has been very cold in Toronto in the last week, but the severe weather didn't keep people from coming to the show. Many gave the show high marks.
Fashion designer Yang Chenglin
Fashion designer Ms. Yang was attending her first Divine Performing Arts show. She enjoyed it so much that she plans to organize a big group to come next year. "I would encourage everyone to come and see the show, experience it, and feel it," said Ms. Yang. "I would feel sorry if I didn't come, I would feel really bad. This is something really nice to see.
"By just looking at the advertising, it doesn't really catch your attention until you actually come," she added.
"Beautiful," "excellent," "amazing," "fascinating,"--these were the words she used to describe the show. "Very professional, the dances, the way it's organized, and the hosts," she said.
Ms. Yang is a professional fashion designer with over 25 years' experience.
Specializing in ladies' wear, including wedding gowns and evening outfits, she is highly regarded for her attention to detail. Her sophisticated and feminine creations feature intricate embroidery, hand-patterned bead work, and exquisite appliqué.
Naturally, she particularly took notice of the costumes in the show.
"Usually with costumes, you can see some of the bead work and the detail, but this actually amazed me because they used color to create an image," she said. She gave as an example the dance called "The Udumbara's Bloom" in which flowers can be seen on the dancers costumes, while the dancers also form the Udumbara flower in a series of choreographed arrangements.
"The purple [of the dresses] really catches your eye. Your eyes are looking at how the shape of the flower comes out," she said. "It's just self-explanatory when you watch them. You can actually start to see that it's coming out as a flower."
She added that the Chinese characteristic of the flower was clear, and even non-Chinese viewers would be able to recognize it. That dance "really caught my attention," said Ms. Yang. The dance is inspired by the legendary Udumbara flower of Buddhist lore, which blossoms only once every 3,000 years. Its unfolding is said to herald the coming of a great sage or enlightened being.
"To see the dancers and hear the vocalists, you get more than you pay for. Next year I will definitely organize a big group to come."
Mr. You and his wife, who are from China, enjoyed the sixth show in Toronto. He was excited. "I am so happy to see it. I saw the show last year. I felt good as soon as I came into the theater. I will come next year again."
Mr. You saw the DPA show in September 2008. This time he found that all the programs were new. "DPA created so many new programs, new background scenes, and new music. I also enjoyed the live orchestra, which combined Chinese and Western instruments and performed their own works," he said.
Mr. You heard about the show from NTDTV. He watches NTDTV online everyday. He likes it because it tells the truth. He said that he will recommend the show to his friends.
Ms. Shangwan Liu, a Chinese biology student at McGill University, found the dance superb.
(Clearwisdom.net) On Saturday, Canada's city of the arts, Montreal welcomed the second sold-out show by Divine Performing Arts (DPA) , a New York-based dance company that is committed to reviving traditional Chinese performing arts.
"The dances were superb. The colours of the costumes were wonderful. Wearing such beautiful outfits makes one feel as if she is in heaven," said Ms. Shangwan Liu, a Chinese biology student at McGill University, speaking in Mandarin.
"I felt it was very beautiful. The performances were fantastic and divine," she added.
"I have never seen such performances in mainland China. There I can only see dancing, but I never felt anything special. But today's dancing is very special. They displayed China's history, culture, and arts. It was spectacular, and those movements cannot be seen in Western dances."
The dancing of DPA is based on Chinese classical dance and includes as well some of China's numerous ethnic and folk dances. Apart from going through intensive professional training to master the dance techniques, the dancers also need to understand, and imbue their dances with, deeper resonances of traditional Chinese culture. As a result, they are able to bring the goodness and beauty of Chinese culture to life on stage, and enable audience members of different ethnic backgrounds see the true spirit of Chinese culture.
Ms. Liu said she loved the performance's three-dimensional backdrop and the live orchestra.
"Due to the limitation of the stage, it is impossible to present the gods flying to Heaven without the backdrop. I also love the live orchestra. There are eastern and western musical instruments combined together. The most touching program was 'Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution,' in which a family of three was beaten by three evil policemen. It was very real, making me want to cry."
The dance "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution" showed that oppression is a painful reality for many millions of people in China today, as witnessed by an innocent family whose father is persecuted for practicing Falun Dafa, a traditional spiritual discipline. This is the human face of the countless tragic, broken lives in China that we seldom hear about. The fantastic scenes that ultimately unfold in this piece present a message of hope and reflect the long-lasting Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
Ms. Liu said emotionally: "From the show of Devine Performing Arts, I saw Chinese tradition and culture. I think these traditions and culture must be passed down."
"It would be excellent if my parents could watch this. I just wonder if my relatives in mainland China can see the show. I hope that my relatives in China and all Chinese people can see this show."
"The performance schedule tells me that they were in Ottawa, Toronto, and other cities for the last few weeks, working very hard, not taking a break even during the New Year holiday," she added.
In the end, she expressed her special thanks to the artists.
Divine Performing Arts will stage its last show in Montreal on Sunday before moving on to New York's famed Radio City Music Hall.
'The diversity and the variety of this show is tremendous,' said Mr. Evans. (The Epoch Times)
MONTREAL--"The diversity and the variety of this show is tremendous," enthused Mr. Evans, the CEO of a large company, after watching the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour at the sold out show in Place de Arts in Montreal.
Mr. Evans, who heads one of the largest companies in Canada and a global giant in the resource sector, said that he had been to China many times. "I think it's awfully easy for us in North America, if we've not been there, to think of China as [all the same]... Everybody dresses the same, everybody looks the same, has the same beliefs. And it's really extremely different."
"This reinforces that I think, because you just see the variety. And this is only a very small selection."
Mr. Evans said that among his favourite dances was the Yi Ethnic Dance.
"They're very colorful and wonderful," he said.
The Yi, one of southern China's largest ethnic groups, are known for their passion about dance and music, and they seize every occasion to dance out their feelings in everyday life. The female dancers in this piece swirled in lovely, silken, rainbow-like skirts as part of their expression of joy.
"I think, probably the Monkey King, [is what] I liked the best. And maybe because it was a combination of both the men and the women... dancing. And it also had the dance, the music but some comedy in it and a story.
The Monkey King Triumphs, is a dance based on a scene in "Journey to the West," one of China's most beloved classic novels written close to 500 years ago. The protagonist, a Buddhist monk, is traveling to India in search of scriptures, joined by an ogre, a pig, and the miraculous Monkey King. Along the way they are set upon by a demon that assumes the guise of a temptress. The storyline reflects the melding of the magical, moral, and mundane so common in the traditional Chinese novel.
Mr. Evans said he also enjoyed the Tibetan dance.
Undaunted by snow and the elements, the men in Dance of the Snow Capped Mountain vigorously celebrate the joys of the Tibetan Steppes as they spin, stomp, and step in an extravagant gesture of welcoming. In Dragon Springs Folk Drummers dancers perform aerial moves and bring to life the buoyant, fun-loving spirit of China's indigenous folk culture as they dance with octagonal drums.
Divine Performing Arts performances showcase China's rich 5,000 year history, through classical Chinese dance and vocal performances.
"Clearly there is also, I think, an ideal, a message. It's in a way portraying freedom and certainly in the one performance about the persecution it was a very clear message about the remaining concerns in China about freedoms and rights and religious beliefs.
One of the show's dances Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. The fantastic scenes that ultimately unfold in this piece present a message of hope and bespeak of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
Source http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10485/
(Clearwisdom.net) The first written declaration that the European Parliament passed in the year 2009 urges Eutelsat to resume NTDTV broadcast signals into China. By January 14, 438 members of European Parliament had signed the declaration. Since over half of the members signed, the president of the European Parliament formally announced the passing of the written declaration at the meeting on January 15. This is the first time the European Parliament has passed such a document related to China, which denotes the European Parliament's stance on China's human rights and has great historical significance.
Supporters of NTDTV appeal outside European Parliament despite icy weather
On January 14, supporters of New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV), including Falun Gong practitioners, braved the cold and snow in front of the European Parliament to display banners reading, "Thank You, MEPs Who Supported NTDTV." Their perseverance in the snow throughout the day moved many MEPs. In the ice and snow, some supporters who called for the restoration of NTDTV's signal to China were interviewed.
The event's organizer, Mr. Hu said, "For six months, since Eutelsat cut off NTDTV's signal, we've constantly held activities in front of Eutelsat and the European Parliament, which changed the situation a great deal. Some MEPs who did not initially understand the issue changed their attitudes. We asked MEPs to support the restoration of the NTDTV broadcast into China to make it possible for mainland Chinese to see NTDTV's programs as soon as possible. Those behind me who are sitting in the snow share the same goal. We hope to sound the voice of justice. Forget about rain, we would be here even if iron came down from the sky."
An NTDTV reporter relayed something said to her from Ms. Rodust, a German MEP. The MEP said, "I saw that these people stood there for a few hours since morning to appeal for this. I don't even need to know what it is about, I will definitely support it. If they could stand for several hours in the snow under such conditions, they must clearly know from the bottom of their hearts that this is the right thing to do. Therefore they can also convince me to firmly support it from the bottom of my heart." When the NTDTV reporter briefly introduced the background, the MEP said, "Even though I met you for the first time, I have a good feeling about this. I feel I should support it. China indeed needs free media and a voice of freedom and democracy. These are things the Chinese people badly need."
A German MEP, Mr. Posselt, had already signed the written declaration. He said, "I regard China as an important partner of the European Union. As such, China must follow a common principle - respect for human rights. Human rights are for all people, regardless of whether they are Eastern, Western, European or Asian. There is only one common human right and freedom. Only when China follows this principle, will it become a partner worthy of equal dialogue internationally."
A Falun Gong practitioner who protested in the snow, Mr. Bo, said, "A few of us drive for two hours from Germany each day and go back in the evening as we have a lot of other projects to deal with at home. Today's snow is the most that I've ever seen in the twenty-odd years that I've been in Germany. NTDTV reports news that can't be seen in mainland China, which exposes what the Chinese Communist Party has covered up and lets the mainland public know what is truly happening around them. When we call China to tell people about the CCP's human rights abuses, we can only reach a few dozen or a few hundred of people, which pales in comparison to the large audience of NTDTV. In order for the Chinese viewers to see NTDTV's programs again and for the voice of freedom to be broadcast into China, I will persist here no matter how cold it is."
Editor Note: At the end of 2008, Ms. Marianne Lefebvre from Belgium wrote a letter to Xu Na, her Chinese friend imprisoned in Beijing.
Xu Na, an artist, is wife of Yu Zou, a musician who was killed by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities before the Beijing Olympic Games. Xu Na was illegally sentenced to three years on November 25, 2008. She was sentenced before her attorney arrived - the court only ran for a few minutes before the judge directly announced judgement without reading the verdict. Xu Na has already appealed to the Beijing Intermediate People's Court and will hear from it in February. It is learned that that the court is likely to announce the judgement directly again without opening the court, just as they have done to other Falun Gong practitioners.
Marianne hopes to help Xu Na by writing letters, and firmly believes that there are many people in China and other countries who will offer their assistance to Xu Na and other people who have been wrongly imprisoned in China.
The following is the English translation of the letter written by Marianne [originally in French]:
Dear Na,
This is the first time for me to write to you since I have, at last, obtained the address of the prison where you are staying. I am Marianne, mother of Malcolm, Acha, Mimosa and Elisabeth. Elisabeth's name was translated to Chinese by Yu Zou [before he was killed]. Now Malcolm is nearly 30 years old and he has two children. Acha is about 28 years old. She is a theatre actress. The last time she went to China was during July 2001 when you were still in prison, and she met Yu Zou. Mimosa will be 20 years old and is very tall. She is now learning Chinese in France. Elisabeth is 18 years old and has started to study medicine at university, that is difficult for her. One of my friends has helped translate this letter of mine into Chinese, as you know, my English is not good enough.
I miss you very much. I have cried many times for the death of Yu Zou, my friend. I also clearly remember the time when we were looking for Elisabeth's birth mother together by travelling across China. In 1994 and 1998, we went to China and we stayed with you, that was over 10 years ago. Now I am very sad. I know that it is very cold in Beijing but I am also sure about your courage and strength.
Na, I will do what I can to help you out of prison. I want to have you in my arms just as if you were my youngest sister. My children often think of you and talk about you and Yu Zou. We often recall the days when we were together laughing, playing music and painting. I am trying to read more Chinese books which have been translated into French, and they lead me to trust Chinese people, those whom I met in your country, as they are so peaceful and friendly.
It is nearly a year since you were imprisoned. Now you have been sentenced but don't be in desperation. Na, there are many people in Belgium and China who are supporting you. I hope that you will receive this letter and read it, because I am a friend of China. All that I want to say is: We love you. I know that you are not allowed to write me back, but I hope that my letter will bring a ray of light to your life.
Holding you closely in my arms,
Marianne Lefebvre
December 2008 in Belgium
(Clearwisdom.net) The International Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Art Exhibition is being held in Chilung, Taiwan beginning on January 14, 2009, and shows for one month. This exhibition of paintings has been held in more than forty countries around the world. The paintings are by a group of accomplished artists with different backgrounds from Canada, US, and Taiwan.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held on January 15. Chang Tung-jung, mayor of Chilung City, Yang Chia-chieh, director of Cultural Bureau, Councilor Cai Shi-ying, Lian Hai-sheng, principal of Chonghe Primary School, Lai Li-wen, principal of Yuemei Primary School, Huang Mao-song, chairman of the 300F16 branch of the International Association of Lions Clubs, and many invited guests attended the ceremony.
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Mayor Mr. Chang of Chilung City said in his speech, "The International Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Art Exhibition is an international art tour. Chilung is an international harbor. Such pure, benevolent and graceful paintings have been brought to the local people, and I am very pleased to see so many guests here. I hope that you can tell everyone you know about the exhibition so that they too can view the paintings."
Lian Hai-sheng, principal of Chonghe Primary School, is a big supporter of arts education. His artworks received awards in the Korea Olympics Art Exhibition and Asian art exhibition. He was touched by the delicate facial expressions in the paintings and their powerful theme. He believes that the paintings are educational and suitable for a wide audience, and he expressed hope that his students and their parents could visit the exhibition.
Mr. Lian said, "There are touching stories behind the paintings. Such artworks of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance can purify one's heart. In the paintings, whether the victims [of the persecution in China] were dying or not, the family members remain calm in commemoration. It demonstrates life and the strong tolerance of the Asian people. I can see that these artists have high level skills. Though the people are persecuted, the paintings are still full of grace."
Huang Mao-song, chairman of the 300F16 branch of the International Association of Lions Clubs, pointed out, "These paintings are touching. The persecution exposed in the paintings is horrible. My attitude toward Falun Gong has made a big change. When I saw Falun Gong practitioners' march before, I felt indifferent. I didn't know why Falun Gong was persecuted. Today, I know the facts after seeing the paintings."
Mr. Huang continued, "The persecution is occurring on the other side of the strait. It is hurtful. One person calling for an end of the persecution has a limited effect. But such an exhibition touring the world can gather many people with conscience, forming a strong power and having an impact."
The art exhibition is being held from January 14 to February 15, 2009, at the third-floor gallery of the Chilung Art Center. Sixty paintings in seven sections are on display. There is a true story behind each painting, and a free tour guide is available. The hosting organizations are the Chilung City Government and the Cultural Bureau. They invite all Chilung citizens to view the paintings.
(Clearwisdom.net) The police illegally arrested Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Lu Xueqin from the streets in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, on January 26, 2008. They took her to Liaoyuan Road Police Station and tortured her there for nine days. She lost consciousness several times. Ms. Lu sustained soft tissue injuries, dislocated bones, and severe, debilitating wounds in the lower back, legs, and feet. She also sustained kidney damage that stopped normal urine production and required a catheter. Then she developed whole-body edema to the extent that she could not even remove her clothes. Widespread bruises and numerous blood clots developed in her legs, abdomen, and chest. Ms. Lu eventually became paralyzed for lack of medical treatment.
Police officer Min Xing sadistically kicked Ms. Lu's lower abdomen for an extended period of time, which caused profuse vaginal hemorrhaging, a uterine tumor, and thrombosis. The tumor makes her appear three months pregnant. When she was finally hospitalized, the doctor declared that her condition had deteriorated past the optimal time for surgery.
Eight months after the arrest of Lu Xueqin, on September 26, 2008, 610 Office agent Lin Zhikun told her family to take her home. By this time she was paralyzed below the waist, could no longer speak coherently, and was emaciated.
During the past few months, Ms. Lu's family has petitioned different law-enforcement agencies and judiciary committees in order to seek justice, but has only met with bitter disappointment.
Lu Xueqin and her family
Torture
Officials from the Criminal Police Section at the Shibei District Police Department in Qingdao City arrested Lu Xueqin on January 26, 2008, and took her to Liaoyuan Road Police Station. Officials from the No. 2 and No. 3 Criminal Police Section; Li Gang, head of Liaoyuan Road Police Station; as well as other officials were responsible for the arrest. They subsequently ransacked her home and took Falun Gong books, a picture of Master Li Hongzhi, cell phones, MP3 players, recorders, recording devices, and more than 130,000 yuan in cash.
Officials at the Liaoyuan Road Police Station forced Ms. Lu to sit in a metal chair for nine days. She was forbidden to sleep and subjected to barbaric abuse. Officers Min Xing, Wang Jiangong (or Zhang Jiangong), and an officer from the No. 3 Criminal Police Section participated in the torture sessions.
Between day two and day four, Min Xing stomped on Ms. Lu's feet, dislocating the bones. He kicked her legs and abdomen, bruising her and causing a uterine hemorrhage that led to swelling and unconsciousness. He punched her in the head, eyes, and temples, and hit her head with his mobile phone. He grabbed her hair, pulled her up and pounded her against the floor. He yanked out clumps of her hair. To this day Ms. Lu suffers from scalp pain.
An officer from the No. 3 Criminal Police Section grabbed her by the chin and hauled her away, then he pummeled her chest, head, and abdomen. He tried to pour cold water on the unconscious Ms. Lu, but another officer stopped him. The first officer said to her, "We deal with death row inmates. If you don't give us the information we want [that is, names of other practitioners], you will not get out of here alive."
Authorities delayed medical treatment
Ms. Lu showed symptoms of severe thrombosis on February 6, 2008, and was taken to Haici Hospital for examination. The doctor asked the police for permission to contact her family, to inform them of her condition and her need for surgery, but the officers took Ms. Lu back to the police station before she was treated.
Officers Yi Zhijun, Zhang Hong, and a few others took her to the Qingdao City Hospital on February 7, 2008. The doctor again demanded that Ms. Lu's family be notified right away and said she should be hospitalized and monitored, so the blood clots did not dislodge and cause a pulmonary embolism. Ms. Lu asked to see her family. Officer Zhang Hong got her home phone number from her. He told her he would call her family but never did. The police told the doctor to write "patient refuses treatment" on her medical chart. Ms. Lu said, "I did not refuse treatment. I just want to see my family!" The doctor prescribed ten units of IV infusions for her and started the process, but the police stopped the infusion after she had received only five units.
Ms. Lu suffered a sudden bout of abdominal pain and continuous vaginal bleeding on February 17. The officials took her to the hospital affiliated with Qingdao University's Medical College. Officers Wang (Zhang) Jiangong and Ren from Liaoyuan Road Police Station knew she should be kept as immobile as possible to prevent the clot from dislodging, but they dumped her in the trunk of their police car and drove to the hospital where they kept moving her around. The doctor tried to stop them and told them to put her in a wheelchair. She was diagnosed with an acute uterine tumor, but the police took her back to the station without treatment. The doctor warned of terrible consequences from further treatment delay and demanded to immediately operate on Ms. Lu, but officer Ren answered, "Our superior told us to bring her here for an exam, not for treatment. Now we'll take her back."
Paralysis and continued abuse in a brainwashing center
The officials transferred Ms. Lu to the Mingxia Road Brainwashing Center in Qingdao City on February 22, 2008. She was no longer able to take care of herself and had difficulty breathing, blurred vision, severe pain in her lower back and internal organs, and unrelenting vaginal hemorrhaging. The authorities continued to torture Ms. Lu despite her condition.
They assigned many people to relentlessly "interrogate" her in bed. Officials verbally assaulted her, not allowing her to turn over, not allowing her to clean herself, and suffocating her. The number of assailants varied between four and twelve. Officer Lin Zhikun threatened Ms. Lu, saying, "You are a political prisoner [prisoner of conscience], so you have no rights whatsoever. The government must 'take care' of you, so you must die!"
The following individuals, among others, personally participated in the torture:
610 Office agents Lin Zhikun, Sun Guimei, Jiang Chunbin, and Ma Yanli, officer Wang Yongjie from the Hefei Road Police Station; and Li from the Jiaozhou Road Police Station.
They dragged Ms. Lu to different hospitals for examinations between February and June but never allowed any doctor to administer the prescribed medical treatment. They only took her to the hospital to show that they "took humane actions" on her behalf, in order to shirk any future responsibilities. They also forced doctors to alter the medical documents to conceal their mistreatment of Ms. Lu.
While Ms. Lu was held in the brainwashing center in March she trembled and suffered heart palpitations as well as labored breathing and general malaise and drifted in and out of consciousness. She had to rely on stimulants to move her bladder and bowels.
Yu Yingjie from the Hefei Road Police Station, Li from Jiaozhou Road Police Station, and 610 Office agent Sun Guimei dragged Ms. Lu out of bed and forced her to walk, although they knew she could not walk on her own. She lost consciousness after taking a few steps. They also encouraged other agents to drag her out of her bed and "walk" her. At the same time they told her family she had recovered. 610 Office agent Lin Zhikun told the other agents, "Don't wash her or change her clothes. If you do it, you must report to me first and get approval."
Lu Xueqin was taken to Shanda Hospital in Qingdao City in late March 2008 because of heavy bleeding and severe lower back pain. The doctor asked permission for emergency surgery, but the police took her back to the brainwashing center.
Ms. Lu was again taken to Shanda Hospital on April 25, 2008. This time her family was there. She could no longer move or speak. The police separated her from her family to "ensure the best treatment outcome," but they actually drove off with her from the back door of the hospital. Her family knew she was in critical condition and petitioned the regime officials on a daily basis, but the police and other officials gave the whole affair the run-around.
Officer Min Xing viciously attacked Ms. Lu's lower abdomen on May 14 and caused a uterine hemorrhage. She subsequently developed severe anemia, lost consciousness, and was taken to Shanda Hospital once again. The doctor asked to give her a blood transfusion. At first the police told her family to buy nutritional supplements, but when her family delivered them to the hospital, 610 Office agents kept them and never gave them to Ms. Lu.
Ms. Lu was taken to Haici Hospital in June for an exam. The doctor said surgery might be too risky, given her frail condition, and suggested hospitalization so measures could be taken to stop the bleeding. Police officers Yi Zhijun and Zhang Hong said they had to report to their superiors and took her back. Ms. Lu has been held in the brainwashing center ever since.
Notified of her court date while she was in critical condition
The Mingxia Road Brainwashing Center was moved to a location on Shaoxing Road on July 16.
Those in charge at the brainwashing center: Lin Zhikun, Sun Guimei, Jiang Chunbin, Ma Yanli, and Cui Long, among others. Falun Gong practitioners from Pingdu and Laixi areas are also held in this center. Lin Zhikun locked Ms. Lu in solitary confinement to prevent others from seeing her condition. He shut the door and windows and told the other agents, "This is not a hotel, so we can't make her too comfortable. We should give her a taste of suffocation."
Judge Wang Ge and court clerk Zhang from Shibei Court visited the brainwashing center around September 22 and issued Ms. Lu an "indictment" based on fabricated charges.
610 Office agent Lin Zhikun told Ms. Lu's family to take her home on September 26, 2008. By this time she was paralyzed below the waist, sometimes unconscious, emaciated, and too weak to speak. She weighed only 36 kg [79 lbs], a drastic drop from a healthy 55 kg [121 lbs] before her arrest.
Her family took her to several hospitals. Ms. Lu was diagnosed with large blood clots in her chest and legs. There was no signal of blood circulation in her common femoral vein (CFV), deep femoral vein (DFV), or popliteal vein (PPV), and blood clots had formed in her left femoral vein. The large adenomatoid tumor in her uterus has developed past the suitable time for surgery. The doctor told her family, "This would be a major procedure carried out under general anesthesia. She is extremely weak, with unstable blood pressure. It is very likely she would not wake up after surgery, and even if she did, she would suffer serious consequences. If the blood clots break loose during surgery, they could potentially kill her. Right now we can only take a conservative approach, such as treating her with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture."
Agents from the 610 Office instructed the court to commence a two-day trial beginning October 22, 2008, and they tried to force Ms. Lu to attend trial. The trial was eventually canceled.
Persons and agencies responsible for the abuse of Ms. Lu:
Liaoyuan Road Police Station: Min Xing, Li Gang, Wang Danlong, Xin Keke, Lan Xiaodong, Wang Xuxiang, Yi Zhijun, Zhang Hong, Li Yan, Wang (Zhang) Jiangong, Ren
Hefei Road Police Station: Xiao, police chief, and Yu Yongjie
Ningxia Road Police Station: Liu Jie, Wang Bo
Yinchuan Road Police Station: Wei Zhicheng
Shibei Police Department: Chief Chen, section head Xiao Hong and clerk Li Zhijian
The Shibei Procuratorate: judge Wang Ge
Official Yan Ming
The Mingxia Road Brainwashing Center in Qingdao City: Director Lin Zhikun, Co-director Hong Junjiang, Sun Guimei, Jiang Chunbin, Cui Long, Ma Yanli, Wu Zhenyu, and Wang Huan, 86-532-85656108
(Clearwisdom.net) On the night of November 28, 2001, three practitioners from Yilan County--Ms. Zhang Min, Mr. Song Ruiyi, and Mr. Zhang Keming--went to Tuanshanzi Village to distribute truth-clarification materials and were reported to the police by a villager. Zhang Huanyou, the village police station chief, and his subordinates soon apprehended the practitioners. Zhang ordered village head Zhao Chungui to organize the villagers to wait alongside the road to intercept the practitioners. When they did, Zhao beat them with a thick wooden stick. A woman practitioner close to 70 was knocked down on the spot. Later on, police chief Zhang Huanyou took these practitioners to Yilan Hotel for interrogation and then sent them to different police stations to be persecuted. These practitioners died as a result of mistreatment. Below are more details.
1. Ms. Zhang Min
Han Yunjie is the political security section chief at the Yilan County Police Department. He long held a grudge against Ms. Zhang Min because he didn't get a penny of the 8,000 yuan Zhang's family paid to the police department to get her released the last time she was sentenced to forced labor. This time Han especially requested to interrogate Ms. Zhang. When she refused to tell him the source of the truth-clarification materials, Han handcuffed her to a heater pipe and then hit her in the chest, eyes, and temples. He also grabbed her hair and slammed her head against a wall.
Ms. Zhang, in her 60s, soon developed blisters on her cuffed hands. But Han refused to taken them off and refused to let her drink water. She spit up blood and became unconscious. Han poured cold water on her. After she regained consciousness Han resumed his beatings. Ms. Zhang became incontinent as a result. After being tortured for 60 straight hours, she was transferred to Yilan County Second Detention Center, per the order of police chief Zhao Shijing.
While in detention, Ms. Zhang requested she be sent to a hospital, because her pain was unbearable. But detention head Zheng Jun claimed she was faking. Ms. Zhang moaned non-stop and kept spitting blood. On the fourth day the guards even force-fed her two bottles of a concentrated salt solution, immediately making her unconscious. They simply carried her back to her cell. When detention head Zheng Jun learned of her situation he yelled, "Who has time to take care of you?" Ms. Zhang's cell mates pleaded with him for help repeatedly. Later on, Zheng Jun agreed to send her to a hospital for emergency treatment.
Ms. Zhang Min died from her severe injuries on December 5, 2001. In order to conceal their crimes, the police kept the news to themselves. Later, when they did inform her family, they said she died of a heart problem. Ms. Zhang never had any heart problems. Cremation followed on the 7th of December 2001.
On July 25, 2004, police officer Han Yunjie received retribution and suddenly died of a stroke.
2. Mr. Song Ruiyi
On January 6, 2000, Mr. Song went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and was arrested and sent back to Yilan. He was held at the second detention center for 77 days, during which time he was tortured. He was forced to stand for long periods of time and was constantly beaten. The guards forced his head into a toilet bowl and strangled him with a towel. Under the directive of deputy director Lin Zhong, cell head Sun Hui tortured him all day long.
Song Ruiyi
On November 9, 2000, Mr. Song went to Beijing again. He unfurled a banner in Tiananmen Square and shouted, "Falun Dafa is good!" He was arrested and sent back to Yilan. He was sentenced to one year of forced labor and sent to Changlinzi Labor Camp in Harbin City. His family was ordered to pay a fine of 3,000 yuan to the police department. In addition, they had to pay Yilan County 2,000 yuan and their village 1,500 yuan. The detention center officials also demanded 400 yuan for "room and board" during Mr. Song's detention. Altogether, his family had to pay 6,900 yuan.
The Song family's four-wheeled farm vehicle that the practitioners used on the night of November 28, 2001, was snatched away by village head Zhao Chungui and never returned. On the night of his arrest, Song Ruiyi was hung up, handcuffed behind his back. The handcuffs cut deeply into his flesh and caused excruciating pain. After he was taken to the second detention center he went on a hunger strike to protest. Three days later he was force-fed a concentrated salt solution, but he kept up his hunger strike for 14 more days. His stomach was severely damaged. Seeing he was near death, the detention center released him.
Not long after his release, on December 29, 2001, the police conducted a mass arrest of practitioners. Song and his wife fled their home, leaving behind his 76-year-old mother and a school-age daughter. When they were homeless, the police forced their village to fund their hunt for the couple. His damaged stomach prevented Mr. Song from eating well, and he soon became bedridden. On November 3, 2002 he died somewhere out-of-town.
3. Mr. Zhang Keming
Like Song Ruiyi, Mr. Zhang Keming was also tortured the night of his arrest. Two days later he was taken to a detention center, where he was held for 15 days. On December 29, 2001, the police arrested Mr. Zhang again, as well as his wife. He went on a hunger strike for over 40 days during his detention. The guards often urged other detainees to beat him. Mr. Zhang soon became emaciated. Despite his poor health, he was subjected to two years of forced labor. His wife was also subjected to the same treatment but was released after she failed the medical examination required by the labor camp.
Zhang Keming before arrest
Zhang Keming after torture
Mr. Zhang was detained in Changlinzi Labor Camp for two years. He endured tremendous torture. The guards shocked his sensitive parts with electric batons and often deprived him of sleep for long periods of time. He was also frequently beaten. In the end, his whole body was covered with scabies, and his skin festered. The guards also injected him with unknown drugs. Since September 2002 the guards intensified their torture of practitioners, hoping to improve the so-called "reform" rate. Practitioner Xue Baoxue was hung up for seven days, and Xu Zhenfeng for three days. As a result, both practitioners had swollen hands, and their bodies were covered with bruises.
On November 9, 2003, not long after Mr. Zhang Keming's release, Zheng Jun, Liu Guochang, and more than 10 policemen went to his home. That night they made three attempts to have him open the door. Mr. Zhang firmly refused to cooperate. In the end they scaled the wall and broke into his home. They turned his home upside down and took him and his wife into custody. The couple were detained 15 days.
The constant persecution and harassment of Zhang Keming and his family caused enormous pressure. Ever since his detention in the labor camp he had been emaciated. Even after his release he never regained his normal weight. He passed away on March 26, 2006. Before his death he had edema all over his body and kept coughing and spitting blood. It is suspected that the unknown substance he was injected with may have caused his symptoms.
Seven-year-old Girl Saddened by Her Family's Ordeal
Gong Yu, a seven-year-old girl in Yilan County, often held her parents' pictures and cried non-stop. She also wrote letters to and drew pictures of her parents. Once she wrote, "I'll give Daddy a cup when he comes back. The cup will be filled with my tears. Mommy and Daddy, come back soon! I am very obedient and well-behaved. Just because Mommy and Daddy practice Falun Gong, I lost a happy family. Now Daddy doesn't even recognize me! I don't know when I can see Mommy!"
Gong Fengqiang's daughter, Gong Yu, when she was 7 years old
Gong Fengqiang
Gong Yu hopes she can be reunited with her parents soon. She wants kindhearted people to help rescue her father and end this persecution.
Gong Yu's father Gong Fengqiang used to work at the Yilan Coal Mine. He was sincere and kindhearted. Hard-working, with excellent work performance, he was widely regarded as a good person. Due to his belief in Falun Gong he was arrested and detained numerous times. On December 12, 2006, he was arrested again and taken to the Yilan Detention Center where he was tortured until he became mentally disoriented. He can no longer recognize anyone, including his own parents, child, and wife. But he was still sentenced to five years and is now being held in Lianjiangkou Prison. His family has requested his release on medical parole repeatedly, but they have been denied every time. Mr. Gong Fengqiang's health is deteriorating rapidly.
Mr. Gong's mother is destitute. She has heart disease and arthritis. Worried about her son, she now is bedridden. Mr. Gong Fengqiang's father had a relapse of his old illness, but in order to get his son out of prison he kept up his quest and appealed to various departments. However, all the family got was threats and denial.
We call on kindhearted people, both in China and overseas, to extend a helping hand to get Gong Fengqiang and other detained practitioners out of detention as soon as possible. We hope we can bring the persecution to an end.
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Xie Chunze, over 30 years old, lives in Waisha Town, Chenghai City, Guangdong Province. He was arrested by officers of Waisha Police Station in June 2000. He was then detained in Sanshui Forced Labor Camp for two years, where he suffered inhuman torture, and extreme devastation of his mind and body. Under this pressure, he was once known to have lost consciousness for three days and nights. After he woke up, it was seen that he had suffered a mental breakdown.
Mr. Xie went on a hunger strike in protest of the persecution. As a result, his prison term was extended by two months. When he left the forced labor camp, he was emaciated and did not even have the strength to walk. He had completely collapsed mentally, had irregular breathing, and weighed less than 35 kg. Those who knew him thought he would not live much longer.
When he returned home, Mr. Xie lay in bed for two months, immobile. His breathing problems worsened and he nearly suffocated several times. Wounds sustained while being force-fed by prison guards did not heal completely and became permanent scars.
Officers of the Waisha Town CCP 610 Office and the Pengzhong Residents' Committee continued to harass Mr. Xie at home. With Mr. Xie in a state of complete mental collapse, only his mother, Cai Yu'e, a fellow practitioner, was left to take care of his ailing father. Nevertheless, thugs from the 610 Office arrested Cai Yu'e and sent her to the Chenghai Brainwashing Center in an attempt to convince her that it was her son who was at fault. Those who committed these crimes were staff of the Chenghai Public Security Bureau and 610 Office, Waisha Police Station and Pengzhong Residents' Committee.
In January 2004, officers of Waisha Police Station, Shantou Public Security Bureau and Shantou Longhu Public Security Sub-bureau broke into Mr. Xie's place and ransacked it. They took him to the Longjin Police Station in Shantou City. At the police station, Mr. Xie suffered more brutal torture. He was continuously interrogated for six days and nights, and was not allowed to close his eyes for even a moment. He suffered threats and humiliation. Mr. Xie resisted with a hunger strike, and spent the six days without food or water. During the interrogations, a police officer struck Mr. Xie in the head with a blunt object, leaving him with brain damage.
Mr. Xie Chunze's life was destroyed. After being taken home by his family again, he was forced into destitution. These crimes were perpetrated by the officers of Waisha Police Station, Shantou Public Security Bureau and Shantou Longhu Public Security Sub-bureau.
Since the persecution of Falun Gong started on July 20, 1999, Mr. Xie Chunze's family has been torn apart by constant threats and harassment from the officers of Waisha Police Station and 610 Office, and the Pengzhong Residents' Committee. His father Xie Jiqi, ill from the constant fear and fighting, died in January 2003. The officers of Waisha Police Station and 610 Office, and Pengzhong Residents' Committee are responsible for his death. In April 2005, police officers of Waisha Police Station again arrested Mr. Xie's mother, Cai Yu'e, and held her prisoner at the Sanshui Brainwashing Center for four months.
(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Lei Bifu, a practitioner in Linjiang Township, Kai County, Chongqing City, was arrested on December 12, 2008, after being persecuted for the past seven years.
Mr. Lei Bifu was a businessman. He was injured during a business dispute, which left him disabled. After he began practicing Falun Dafa in November 1998, he recovered. Not long after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, Mr. Lei and his family began to be harassed by local police.
In June 2001, Kai County police officers went to Mr. Lei Bifu's home to arrest him for practicing Falun Dafa. Fortunately, Mr. Lei was out. Even without a search warrant, the police forced their way in and searched Mr. Lei's home, seizing his television, DVD player, recorder, Falun Dafa books, and other personal property. After that incident, Mr. Lei had to flee his home to avoid being illegally arrested, but local police continued harassing his family members at home.
One day in October 2003, before dawn, Chen Zhangshong, director of the Linjiang Township Police Station, led a dozen officers to surround Mr. Lei's house. Before the family could even answer the door, the officers pried it open with a crow bar. They threatened that if the family didn't hand over Mr. Lei, they would rip off the door, and then search the house at any time.
In December 2004, the police detained Mr. Lei's wife in the police station for 15 days.
In October 2008, Mr. Lei returned home after he had been forced to flee home seven years prior. Only two months later, at around 9:00 a.m. on December 12, 2008, Liu Xuefeng, deputy director of the Linjiang Town Police Station, led five officers to arrest Mr. Lei at the farmers' market. Once they found Mr. Lei, they shot him with a tranquilizer gun, forced him down to the ground, and beat him with electric batons. They arrested both Mr. Lei and his wife, and beat them all the way to the police station. The couple sustained severe injures. At the same time, eight officers searched Mr. Lei's house. Mr. Lei's wife was released on the second day. Mr. Lei has been detained at the Kai County Detention Center since the arrest.
January 1, 2009
(Clearwisdom.net)
On January 1, 2009, Ms. Liu Xiaojun, a practitioner who worked at a high-voltage porcelain fixtures company in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, was transferred to Kaiping Labor Camp from Changning Detention Center. On December 18, 2008, while Ms. Liu was working, Yang Zhiyong, the head of the 610 Office in her company, called her to go to the security department. Later, she was taken away by police from the Tangshan City Police Station, and was illegally detained in the Changning Detention Center.
At about 7:15 p.m. on December 18, 2008, thirteen people from the Municipal Public Security Bureau of Tangshan City, the local police station, and the "610 Office," intruded into Ms. Liu's home. They opened the door with a key without first knocking, even though there was someone at home. Ms. Liu's son, Mr. Liu Bojing, asked them to show their IDs. They showed him a "search warrant" which had nothing on it and looked damaged. Mr. Liu warned them that what they were doing was illegal. They threatened to have him taken away. They ransacked the house and confiscated some Falun Gong books, truth-clarification materials, and CDs. After the ransacking, they forced Mr. Liu to sign the 'search warrant.'
When Ms. Liu was detained in the Changning Detention Center, Mr. Liu asked the police twice if he could see his mother. He was only met with refusal.
Since July 20, 1999, because of her belief in Falun Gong, Ms. Liu has been arrested and detained in a detention center and at Textile University in Tangshan City, where she was further persecuted and subjected to brainwashing. Due to the tremendous pressure, her husband divorced her. Since then, she has lived with her son. After Ms. Liu was arrested, her son was forced to drop out of school. He has no one to take care of him.
Related Departments and Personnel
The National Security Department of Tangshan City: Xu (last name) was the head: 86-315-2534034
Zhou Jinglin from the 610 Office: 86-315-2530002 (Office), 86-315-2836588, 86-315-2236588 (Home), 86-13832980005(Cell)
(Clearwisdom.net) A "Solemn Declaration" is a person's public statement to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. These statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wish to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Now, they hereby declare their intention to resume practicing Falun Dafa.
Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:
Please click here for more Solemn Declarations
(Clearwisdom.net) The first week-long European Parliament (EP) meeting in 2009 started on January 12 in Strasbourg, France. The issues currently in the news were discussed. With regard to Eutelsat cutting off its signal to China, Falun Gong practitioners carried out comprehensive truth-clarifying activities outside the European Parliament meeting site. Because this was the last meeting before the deadline for the EU Members of Parliament (MP) to sign a written statement about the Eutelsat incident, Falun Gong practitioners from 16 countries participated in the truth-clarifying activities. They sent a letter that was jointly signed by eight members of the Legislative Committee in Hong Kong and letters that exposed lies told by Eutelsat about an anomaly that caused the termination of the signal into China. By January 13, 2009, 385 of the EU's MPs had signed the statement. Moreover, the initiators of the statement and those who had already signed the statement joined efforts to collect signatures from other MPs in their own party and others they knew.
New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV), which is headquartered in NY, is the only independent Chinese language TV station that was broadcast into mainland China without control and censorship by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Due to pressure from the CCP and its being lured by business interests offered by the CCP, Eutelsat suddenly shut off NTDTV's broadcast signal into China prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. To date, it still has not been restored. Some of the EU's MPs have already handed in a written statement to the EP (serial No. 86) that condemns Eutelsat for violating the fundamental principles upheld by the EU regarding freedom of speech and human rights. Now, MPs from various countries are signing the statement, and when more than half of the MPs have signed, the European Parliament will draft a resolution that urges Eutelsat to immediately resume NTDTV's broadcast signal to mainland China.
Continuous Truth-clarification has Brought About a Huge Change in the European Parliament
For the last seven months, Falun Gong practitioners in Europe have been continuously clarifying the facts in front of Eutelsat offices and the EP, which has brought about a huge change. Some MPs who had been unwilling to sign the statement have also changed their views. On January 13, three MPs from Britain came outside of Parliament to see the supporters of NTDTV who were outside the EP. At a later sharing in the evening, many practitioners said they felt the righteous field was very strong this time and that they could feel a huge change in the EP over the last few months. All of this reflects the outcome of good cooperation by the practitioners in Europe as a whole and the support of righteous thoughts from all practitioners around the world. At the same time, they reminded themselves that the next couple of days were crucial, and they shared their understanding that everything we do is for saving sentient beings. We are cultivators and we should not hold any pursuit and should let go of all attachments. Only then can we truly save those people.
Good Cooperation Ensures a Good Effect in Truth-clarification
Western practitioners from various countries shared the belief that good cooperation as one body was very important, and therefore they strengthened communication between practitioners. All practitioners felt that the energy field was very strong. Those who were sending forth righteous thoughts outside found it very easy to keep calm while those who were clarifying the facts inside Parliament also felt that the effect was very good. Moreover, they had many opportunities to clarify the facts to MPs face to face. They felt the MPs were very open-minded, and many MPs said that they would sign their names the next day. Some MPs and their assistants were very pleased when practitioners came to see them as if they had been old friends for years. The MPs also mentioned that they felt very touched when they saw the group of people doing the Falun Gong exercises outside in the cold. One practitioner from Finland shared that because this was his first trip to the EP to clarify the facts, he felt rather nervous in the beginning. However, as time went on, he did better and better, and he happened to meet quite a number of MPs whom he had planned to see. He bumped into an MP in the corridor, and the MP said to him, "If you had not bumped into me here, you would not be able to see me today."
Due to the cold spell in Europe, it was freezing everywhere. However, NTDTV supporters still went to protest in front of Eutelsat offices, and their action touched the hearts of many Eutelsat staff members. Most of them said to supporters, "Hello! Keep it up!"As for the EP meeting, even though practitioners in many countries are very busy, quite a number of them came to support the activities. It has been rather hard for practitioners to come to participate in the activities; however, because each practitioner has improved their xinxing to the required level, the whole field is very righteous.
It is not Work but Cultivation and Saving Sentient Beings with Compassion
Many practitioners shared that, during their truth-clarification, when they came across MPs who did not want to sign their names or were not friendly, they did not give up on them. Instead they went to see them again and again, trying to discover what the problem was, so that they could help these MPs from a different angle. They would never give up on anyone lightly.
A practitioner who had just come abroad from China talked about how important NTDTV is for the Chinese people to know the truth. Because she had installed a receiver, a relative of hers learned about the trap of the "Ant Power" project and quickly sold his business. As a result, this relative did not suffer much loss, while the person who introduced the business to him lost everything because he did not know the truth due to the information blockade. Her relative was very grateful to NTDTV. In the past when this practitioner gave him truth-clarifying materials, including the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, he would not read them at all. But, now, he has also installed a receiver. Many people in China have installed the receiver, but they cannot receive any signal. They are longing to watch NTDTV every day.
Some practitioners also shared that we must not hold any pursuit in clarifying the facts to MPs; otherwise we would be easily interfered with. If we hold strong righteous thoughts, the MPs will come and sign their names. We are concerned about this issue, but the process is the most important. We must not feel pleased if MPs sign their names or feel unhappy if they don't. We are cultivators and we must not do things with an attachment of pursuit.
(Clearwisdom.net) I began practicing Falun Dafa in autumn 1994. I had a strong attachment of wanting to get a Falun, so I could become a high-level qigong master who could travel invisibly in other dimensions. I can't explain the excitement that I had in my heart after learning that I could finally achieve Buddhahood. I had not discovered this attachment when I tried to look within, but only knew that something was wrong with my thinking. Only shortly before writing this experience sharing did I enlighten to my attachments of fame, interest and sentiment. I realized that I wanted to remain an everyday person while pursuing Buddhahood.
After the initial curiosity of cultivating passed, I found I had unbreakable barriers. First, during daily group Fa study, I felt sleepy after twenty minutes. I read the Fa but didn't obtain the Fa. Secondly, I got up late in the morning, and missed the morning group practice. Thirdly, I had gloomy dreams at night, as if I hadn't even realized that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner. I couldn't break through this state, no matter how hard I tried. I felt I could overcome my obstacles, but didn't know where the problem was. I was worried.
Teacher said in "Dissolving Into the Fa,"
"The ancients have a saying, "Having heard the Tao in the morning, one can die in the evening." No one in mankind today can really understand its meaning. Do you know that when a person's mind accepts the Fa, isn't that part of his mind that accepts the Fa assimilated to the Fa? Where will that part go upon the death of the person who has heard the Fa? I ask you to study the Fa more, remove more attachments, and give up various human notions, so that you will not take away with you only a certain part, but reach completion."
Finally, I knew how to cultivate in Dafa, that is to have my mind full of Fa and assimilate to the Fa. I quickly used every free moment I had to memorize Lunyu. I only had Fa in my heart, as if my entire person completely and automatically studied the Fa. Previously I had made great efforts to discipline myself in cultivation, yet my standards for adhering to the Fa were far too relaxed. But now after enlightening, I automatically recited the Fa even when I slept and was able to get up at 3:30 a.m. for morning practice. I no longer felt sleepy when I studied the Fa, and the dismal dreams also disappeared. After two months, I suddenly felt that everything had changed. My former self had gone far away and I felt that who I had become was no longer me. I felt alarmed and worried that I may have improved too quickly, and I decided that I should slow down my steps.
That was early October 1998 and the slowing down lasted for ten years. I subsequently made efforts several times, but was unable to return to that diligent state, until I read the pamphlet, "Look Inward, Strive Forward," I hadn't realized that my thoughts at that time guided my indulgent behavior and created such serious consequences. It was very difficult to remove this selfishness, as I couldn't find it. Now I firmly deny it, and strive forward and do the three things well, so I can complete cultivation and return with Teacher.
I carefully identified and distinguished these human notions from my true self. I found that I experienced a kind of excitement and curiosity at the beginning of my practice, but because of my attachment to happiness, this feeling disappeared after a period of time. I used to read mainstream books in my spare time, and enjoyed them tremendously. Looking back, I can see that these books were full of pornography, fighting and mistrust among people. At the time however, I actually regarded reading these books as a lofty level of entertainment. If I didn't read, I felt I had no energy, and this strong attachment became natural for me. After my initial excitement in cultivation waned, I paid less attention to studying Zhuan Falun, mistakenly believing that I didn't need to focus on those sections of the book that on the surface appeared irrelevant to me. I had lost my enthusiasm for cultivation, but of course was not aware of my attachments which interfered with my practice. I left Fa study for the afternoon, when I had nothing else to do, and thought my mind would be free to concentrate on studying. Laziness filled my whole body, because I had not made Fa study a priority. Regardless of how hard I tried, it had no effect, as my motivation was driven by a very deeply-rooted and well-hidden thought of only being interested in something if it satisfied my excitement and curiosity. I was unable to distinguish it, target it, and eliminate it because I didn't recognize it as an attachment.
I had fostered the habit of sleeping and getting up late for a long time and felt uncomfortable and dizzy when I got up in the morning. Even if I forced myself to get up, I still felt sleepy. I forced myself to practice the exercises in the morning, but didn't understand their importance in Fa cultivation. I merely required of myself that I get up early and practice the exercises, but I was only going through the motions. Because my practice was only superficial, I was therefore unable to break through my current state. On the other side, I looked for excuses out of being lazy and feared enduring hardship. Dafa practice doesn't focus on enduring hardships, but improving xinxing, because gong is automatically transformed in Dafa practice. Practitioners often asked Teacher what would happen if they only improve xinxing, but don't practice the exercises. Teacher said in Zhuan Falun:
"Some people quickly take the legs down once they begin to ache, and they will do some warm-ups before resuming the sitting position. That will achieve nothing whatsoever."
"Our school of practice does not proceed primarily this way, though a part of it also plays a role in this regard."
"Suffering physically and mentally can make both the body and the mind quite uncomfortable. Some people cannot bear the pain in sitting with the legs like that, and they want to give up by putting the legs down. Some people cannot bear it anymore after sitting a little longer. Once the legs are put down, one's practice is in vain. Once the legs are in pain, one will do some warm-ups before resuming the sitting position. We find that this serves no use whatsoever. This is because we have seen that when the legs are painful, the black substance moves to the legs. The black substance is karma that can be eliminated through suffering; it can then be transformed into de."
Now I know that practice has the element of transforming karma and improving xinxing. Now I know I shouldn't enjoy getting up late. If I like it, I would be unable to stop it. I can't fear soreness in all my muscles and joints when I get up early, as practice involves enduring hardships and eliminating karma. I also can't allow myself to be sleepy during morning practice, as this is not the proper state for a practitioner with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. The human state must first be abandoned. In comparison to the standards set forth in Teacher's Fa principles, I have not done well, and must immediately do well from now on.
Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students,"
"Regardless of whether it's the old forces' arrangements or karma, we should first of all examine ourselves. I ask you to cleanse yourselves first even when you send righteous thoughts. Look at yourself first, and if you discover that you have a problem, take care of it. With that the old forces won't be able to do anything; when they can't find anything to hold against you they will back off."
I enlightened from the above passage, and realized that when I encountered tribulations and interference, I must look at myself first and correct my thinking. Even when I encountered problems in my truth-clarification projects and I explained the facts of the persecution to save sentient beings, I realized that I must look inward and address my problems first. Instead of always looking at how evil the Chinese Communist Party is and how bad the old forces are, I knew then and know now that I must address my own state first. This is another important benefit I have obtained from writing this experience sharing.
Sometimes, I am very effective in clarifying the truth, but it sometimes has no effect for several days. When I am diligent in practice, it is very effective, and when I am not diligent, it is ineffective. For a period of time I was arrested and detained, and all day I thought about how to explain the truth. As a result, in a short two to five minutes, and with five to six sentences, I could explain the truth and convince others to do the "three withdrawals." One person out of three withdrew. Truth-clarification appears to be very difficult now. Some people are not interested, some are fearful, some don't approve, and some don't want to quit. When I was arrested, I recall that I had no preconceived notions or selfish desires, but only wholeheartedly wanted to tell people the truth and help them withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliations. Now however, I often have the attachment of loss and gain when I explain the truth, wondering whether others are willing to listen, will they dislike what I am saying, will they be afraid, will I be treated coldly, will I lose face and never have an impact on them, etc. It's hard for me to not be stirred by all sorts of attachments, like the pursuit of success and the pain of failure. I can easily be moved to avoid pain and pursue happiness. With such notions, I certainly can't explain the truth well and save people.
Teacher said,
"Dafa's things should be the most sacred, and that's why the less you have of your own notions and involve your own factors, the better you can handle them and the more likely you are to succeed." ("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students")
Teacher also said,
"...with a lot of things you do, when you are free of human notions your own attachments won't get mixed in. If, beyond being responsible to the Fa, you have no human attachments, none of your own things, and none of your personal factors mixed in, then you are sure to do that thing well. Whereas once you've mixed in your own factors, then you can't do that thing well.
There's something you must pay attention to: you are validating the Fa, not validating yourselves. A Dafa disciple's responsibility is to validate the Fa. Validating the Fa is cultivation, and what you remove in the cultivation process is none other than the attachment to self; you can't, instead, go and exacerbate the problem of validating oneself, even if you do it unwittingly. When you're validating the Fa and cultivating, that is a process of removing self, and only when you do that are you really validating yourself. That's because ultimately you have to let go of all your human things, and only after you've let go of all your human attachments can you step out from the throngs of everyday people." ("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students")
From Teacher's Fa, I then enlightened to the fact that I could succeed in explaining the truth before because all of my thoughts were on clarifying the truth and saving people, and hence naturally I had few of my own things, therefore the success rate was high. From now on I must pay attention to validating the Fa and saving people, let go of selfishness, and do the three things more effectively.
(Clearwisdom.net) A few days ago, a local practitioner was persecuted and my hatred towards the police began to grow, resulting in all kinds of thoughts when I send forth righteous thoughts. I could not calm myself down to study the Fa well. I knew that there was something wrong, but I just could not free myself from it. Also, no answers came on how to rescue the practitioner.
I spoke to a few practitioners about rescuing this practitioner. They asked me, "How can you rescue others with such a state of mind?" Then a practitioner told me the following story, which startled me. In a nearby city, a National Security Team director was very enthusiastic about persecuting practitioners. After a year of persecuting a certain practitioner, anyone else who tried to speak up for that practitioner would have their sentence lengthened. Many practitioners felt troubled and began to study the Fa. Master said:
"As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts. Even though the old forces do exist, if you don't have those thoughts they can't do anything. When your righteous thoughts are strong enough the old forces can't do a thing." (Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, USA).
It was our hearts that were causing the persecutor to become more and more evil. All of the practitioners involved in the effort to rescue their fellow practitioners felt that this official was beyond salvation and they were full of hatred towards him. However, fighting evil with evil is wrong, and will be made use of by evil in other dimensions. Persecution will also be heightened in proportion to this attachment, resulting in further complication of the situation.
Once the Fa principle was understood, the flaw was found and the practitioners' state of mind improved. Soon, a group of practitioners came to look for this official. Upon meeting with him, they talked like friends and clarified the truth to him. When they left, the director personally saw them off at the steps and said, "Why didn't you come earlier?" The next day, two illegally detained practitioners were released, even though one of them had already been sentenced to imprisonment in a labor camp.
After the practitioner finished the story, my hatred towards the police was eliminated. At the same time, I realized my shallow understanding of Master's Fa. In the past, I always thought that the big happenings in the world are brought about by Dafa disciples' hearts, and that small things were of no consequence. In essence I was not cultivating myself. I was pushing things outwards when problems arose, thinking, "I don't have any attachments in this regard; it has no relation to me at all." Just as Master said, "The biggest problem we have now is the one I just talked about. That is, when you fail to cultivate yourself and look within."(Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference) Once the Fa principle was understood, I found that I had many other problems in this respect.
To conclude, I'd like to share Master's teaching, "If you are able to succeed in improving yourself this way, what you do then, with a pure heart, will be the best and most sacred." ("Further Understanding" Essentials for Further Advancement)
(Clearwisdom.net) I am an elderly female practitioner who was fortunate to learn Falun Dafa in February1997. After a short period of group Fa study and cultivation, I changed spiritually and physically. I held firm faith in Falun Dafa, especially after the persecution began on July 20, 1999. To me, cultivation means looking within, cultivating xinxing, improving myself while doing the three things, and following closely Teacher's Fa.
My husband was a building contractor. We used to be very wealthy. We owned the building we occupied and cars. However, our trouble began in 2002. Under the CCP's rule, corruption and cheating were out of control. Also, because of problems with our business operations and mediocre management, one project that had been completed two years before remained unpaid. We made the investment, but didn't receive what was owed us. This had a domino effect on our debts. We couldn't repay the bank loan we had taken out. We owed salary payments to some workers. I felt unbalanced. My husband had been working as a building contractor for ten years. Why were we settled with this debt? What should I do? Teacher said,
"How should our practitioners treat losses and gains? It is different from ordinary people. What everyday people want is personal gain and how to live well and comfortably. Our practitioners are not this way, but exactly the opposite. We do not seek what everyday people want. Instead, what we get is something everyday people cannot obtain--even though they want to--except through cultivation practice." (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)
I followed Teacher's Fa and took lightly my personal interests. When others asked for payment, we explained our situation. We gradually paid off all our debts.
I thought that I could take it easy, but someone told me, "Your husband has been having an affair for many years." I couldn't believe this. I thought, "We usually get along well. I practice Falun Gong and study the Fa. He has never said or done anything to stop me, and has been very supportive. Therefore, I didn't suspect that he could have an affair." I was hurt terribly and felt deep grievance, intense dislike and pain. It was so difficult for me to let go of my emotion. I thought, "Why does he treat me this way? The money is gone. His heart changed. It's so unfair!" That tribulation was terribly difficult to pass. But I am a Dafa practitioner. I often asked myself, "Are you a true cultivator? Have you let go of your attachments to fame, gain and emotion?" Teacher said,
"As a matter of fact, when you agonize over infringements upon your reputation, self-interest, and feelings among everyday people, it already indicates that you cannot let go of ordinary human attachments. You must remember this: Cultivation itself is not painful--the key lies in your inability to let go of ordinary human attachments. Only when you are about to let go of your reputation, interests, and feelings will you feel pain." ("True Cultivation," Essentials for Further Advancement)
Forbearance is the key to improving one's xinxing. To endure with anger, grievance, or tears is the forbearance of an everyday person who is attached to his concerns. To endure completely without anger or grievance is the forbearance of a cultivator. ("What is Forbearance (Ren)?" Essentials for Further Advancement)
When I read Teacher's Fa again, I broke into tears before Teacher's picture. I knew that I had to balance this matter with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. But what should I do?
Though my husband and his mistress were in the wrong, I should treat them kindly. I held compassion in my heart and went to see that woman. Of course, I hoped that she could understand the truth about Falun Dafa. I told her kindly why I came to see her. I said, "I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and live by the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and try to be a good person. I do not blame your for what you've done, but I hope that you can leave my husband. If you go on like this, it will be no good to you or him." Then, they stopped seeing each other.
About two months later in 2005, because the bank asked for repayment of the loan, we sold our building and moved into a small apartment. I often thought, "Can an ordinary person overcome all these hardships? But I am a practitioner, what does that bit of pain account for?" My children said, "If mother didn't practice Falun Dafa, she would have filed for a divorce and wouldn't have treated our father this well." Some friends asked my husband, "Is your wife still practicing Falun Gong?" He said, "If she didn't practice Falun Gong, I don't know how she would have treated me. Also, our family life would not be so harmonious!" Therefore, our relatives and friends are aware of the truth about Falun Dafa. It has also made it easier for me to persuade them to quit the Chinese Communist Party.
(Clearwisdom.net) I have been persecuted many times. Afterwards, I would search inside myself to find my problems because I realized that there must have been something that I did not enlighten to that the evil took advantage of. Eventually I realized that it was because I failed to study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts solidly. I studied the Fa like I was going through some kind of formality. I had made a rule to study one lecture of Zhuan Falun, send forth righteous thoughts four times a day, and practice the five sets of exercises every day, and that's it. As for sending forth righteous thoughts constantly and everywhere, I gave it up after persisting in doing so for a short period of time, and after that I found it more difficult to do so. I did not know what my problem was, and I was very passive. Consequently, I was sent to a forced labor camp. One time, I developed fear for no reason at all and could no longer persevere. As a result I was subjected to sleep deprivation for a month.
Afterwards, a fellow practitioner shared his understanding with me and mentioned that when he encountered difficulties, he always asked for Teacher's support. After that, one time while being interrogated and tortured by the evildoers, I felt an evil force trying to challenge my way of thinking. If I sent forth righteous thoughts or recited the Fa, I felt awful in my mind as soon as I slacked off. One time, I could not bear it any more, and I suddenly remembered my previous experience and the fellow practitioner's words, so I asked for Teacher's help, and miraculously I stopped having the awful feeling. I later noticed that I had the same awful feeling before I was persecuted. For instance, when I tried to use letters to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa, my hands would feel burning hot, but I ignored it because I did not know why. Then various gruesome and ghastly forces tried to control me, and sometimes I lost control of my body and my hands would hit other objects for no reason at all. Sometimes my heart ached, or I felt burning hot or gruesome and ghastly. What was more terrifying was that I thought about being sent to a forced labor camp, and I could not get rid of those stubborn thoughts at all.
Through looking inward I understood that it was the dark minions and rotten ghosts that were trying to interfere with me, and it was because of the old forces that I had bad and ill thoughts. By ignoring it, I was tacitly acknowledging it, and therefore the evil took advantage of my loopholes. It was like what Teacher said in Zhuan Falun, "This universe has this principle that no one will stop you as long as this is what you want, and neither will anyone say that you are good." (from Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun) That's why they sent for the evil police to persecute me. After understanding it, I learned to be more specific. When something similar happened, I negated the bad and ill thoughts, and in particular, I negated the thoughts of acknowledging my persecution. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the dark minions and rotten ghosts until it was like a clear blue sky and there were no more interfering factors in the other dimension. Sometimes I also sent forth righteous thoughts to find the person who reported me to the authorities and eliminated his/her evil thoughts.
Afterwards, I realized that it was not enough. Why did people still report me to the authorities many times, and why did the evil want to persecute me? The key reason was because I did not study the Fa or send forth righteous thoughts solidly. When I studied the Fa I could not persist in sitting in the lotus position, and therefore I dozed off easily. I was not able to overcome my problem. I felt that studying one lecture of Zhuan Falun was not enough, and consequently I felt it was difficult to do anything or maintain my xinxing. So I started to stand while studying the Fa, and I studied three lectures every day. The next day my head was clear and I was basically able to maintain my righteous thoughts for a whole day. This way my righteous thoughts had power, I did not go to extremes when I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to others, and the evil could not take advantage of my loopholes.
The tribulations I encountered before basically followed the same pattern: I failed to study the Fa solidly, my mind was not calm, my righteous thoughts were weak, my behavior was extreme when I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to others, the old forces interfered with my thoughts, the dark minions and rotten ghosts interfered with me, my environment got worse, and the police persecuted me. Teacher tried to give me hints many times amidst all these issues, yet I did not enlighten.
Fellow practitioners, please kindly correct me if there's anything improper in my sharing.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Alive and Well Ten Years After Being Diagnosed with Late-stage Stomach Cancer
Today I met a middle-aged woman named Ms. Hu, who was selling preserved eggs. She told me her husband's story. Her husband was diagnosed with late stage stomach cancer. But through practicing Falun Gong, he has recovered and it has been ten years since his diagnosis.
The couple lived in the countryside. At the beginning of 1998, her husband, Mr. Liu, started to rapidly lose weight. On April 30, 1998, he went to a hospital and was diagnosed with late stage stomach cancer. He was told that the cancer had spread throughout his body. The doctor told him he might live for three to six months if he had surgery. Without any treatment, he would not survive for even three months.
The whole family was in shock and pain. The surgery was done immediately the following day and cost more than 20,000 yuan. When Mr. Liu came home from the hospital, the villagers all realized that he was dying. He lost so much weight and became emaciated. He had no strength to walk and couldn't visit the neighbors' homes, which most of the villagers liked to do. He was just waiting to die.
The family had tried to seek various ways to prolong his life. Mr. Liu even started to worship Buddha but his condition did not change. At last, his wife thought of Falun Gong. She knew several Falun Gong practitioners in the village that had diseases cured after practicing Falun Gong. She wanted her husband to try it. She borrowed the books and exercise tape and helped her husband to practice Falun Gong. Soon a miracle happened. Mr. Liu gradually gained strength and his face looked much better. The family saw hope. All three family members, including their daughter, started to practice Falun Gong together. Several months later, Ms. Hu accompanied her husband to the hospital for a follow-up exam. The results were normal, with no trace of cancer. The whole family was happy and grateful for Falun Gong for saving his life.
In the fall of 1998, Ms. Hu's husband was able to help with light field work such as harvesting corn. The following year, his health improved dramatically and he was almost able to do heavy field work like other men in the countryside.
Ms. Hu proudly said that her husband still practices Falun Gong. It has been 10 years and he has remained very healthy. When Ms. Hu told me the story, her eyes were filled with happiness and appreciation. She told me that the whole family has quit the evil Chinese Communist Party. She repeatedly said that her family has benefited so much from Falun Gong.
Recovering from stomach cancer through practicing Falun Gong
My name is Li Xinshen (alias). I am 70 years old and a farmer from Dehui City, Jilin Province.
One day in the spring of last year, I had a recurrence of stomach pain. The pain had gotten much more severe. I had a hard time forbearing the pain. My children took me to Huide City Hospital to get an exam. The doctor diagnosed it as gastritis. Not convinced with the result, my children brought me to Changsun City. In the famous China-Japan Friendship Hospital, after the laboratory tests from the Pathology Department, I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. After staying in the hospital for over 10 days and spending more than 20,000 yuan, I left the hospital. The treatment was too expensive and was ineffective. I stayed at home and continued the injections and medications. However, I still suffered from the unbearable stomach pain. Finally, I refused to take any more medication. My condition became worse. The pain caused me to be restless and it was difficult to sleep. I became skinny and looked like a dying person.
My children started to prepare my funeral. The coffin and the grave clothes were even selected for me. My relatives and neighbors came to see me to say goodbye.
My wife practiced Falun Gong. I started to read the book Zhuan Falun while fighting with the stomach pain. Reading the book helped me pass time and forget the pain. When I couldn't fall asleep at night, I would read the book as well.
More than two months passed. On the 18th of June (lunar calendar), I felt the pain disappear. I was surprised but I also knew that Master was starting to take care of me because I read the book. This is the manifestation of a miracle and the extraordinariness of Falun Gong. After the pain subsided, I was able to eat more. Eventually I completely recovered. Since then, I truly believed in Falun Dafa.
Now I am a Falun Gong practitioner. From the bottom of my heart, I want to tell people, "It is Falun Gong that enabled me to recover and gave me a second chance at life!"
Not only did my neighbors and relatives witness my rapid recovery but they also witnessed that I have become as healthy and able as a normal person. This was inconceivable to them, and they inquired as to what medications or treatments I had received. I told them it was the mighty power of Falun Gong and the result of reading the Falun Gong books. Now I can do any type of field work. This year my wife and I planted corn. In the fall I was busy harvesting the corn, which surprised my fellow villagers. My children are relieved to see me so healthy and the whole family has become so much happier.
Here I want to tell everybody, based on my personal experience, "Falun Gong practitioners are all good people. Falun Gong teaches people to be kind and enables people to become healthy. I hope you all remember, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, Falun Dafa is good! Please treat Dafa practitioners well; understand the truth and quit the Chinese Communist Party to keep your whole family safe and to have a wonderful future."
December 25, 2008
(Clearwisdom.net)
After Acknowledging Her Mistakes my In-Law's Cancer Vanished
On April 17, 2008, I was invited to a party held by an in-law of my daughter. At the lunch, the sister of my daughter's in-law said, "I only believe in what you've told me that 'Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.' I don't believe in anything else." I replied, "Well, very good. Only Falun Dafa can save people nowadays." However, at that time, my daughter's in-law said to her sister, "Don't believe in that. I won't allow you to believe in that."
Not long after that, this woman was diagnosed with cancer. It was impossible for the doctor to perform surgery on her to get rid of her cancer cells, nor could he perform chemotherapy. She could not bear the excruciating pain.
Later on, I persuaded her to acknowledge and confess her mistakes and recite with a sincere heart the words "Falun Dafa is good" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good". As soon as she heard my words, she immediately wrote down her declaration and began to practice Falun Gong. Soon after that, her cancer symptoms disappeared and she had the ability to do household tasks again.
Breaking Through Hardship after a Change of Heart
Some colleagues of my younger daughter lived in the same dormitory. One evening in summer 2007, a young lady by the last name of Lu got drunk, and other ladies tried very hard to help her get back to their dormitory.
At that time, she was in danger, and they wanted to send her to a hospital; however, no one had enough money. They felt very upset. I said to them, "Well, you guys go back to your dinner, and I'll take care of her myself."
When they left, I said to Lady Lu, "I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. It was said that you have negative notions about Dafa, and I think that maybe you misunderstand Dafa. Actually, people who are practicing Falun Dafa are all good people. So would you please follow me to read aloud the words, 'Falun Dafa is good' and 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good'? The words will be beneficial for you." As a result, Lady Lu read aloud the words again and again. And after a while, she fell asleep.
Later on, when her colleagues came back, they all felt very astonished upon seeing this miracle. I told the whole story, and they were even more surprised. One of them didn't believe in Dafa previously. Upon seeing this, she sighed, "Well, all this must be true!" Immediately she quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. On the following day, the young lady Ms. Lu woke up, and she was very happy to quit the CCP and its organization immediately.
(Clearwisdom.net) Editors' note: In both Western and Chinese cultures, the principle of karmic retribution, that is, being held ultimately accountable for one's own actions, is widely accepted. The fundamental teaching of Falun Gong is the characteristic of the universe, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The universe will reward acts that are in harmony with this principle, while doing things such as beating, torturing and murdering people will incur karmic retribution. Stated another way, good deeds will be rewarded with good, while evildoings will meet due retribution. Articles such as this one are meant as a compassionate reminder of this principle to those who would commit wrongdoing. While many of those who persecute Falun Gong are merely "following orders," the universal law requires that they, too, be held responsible for their actions, and that only by reversing their course of wrongdoing may they escape retribution.
1. Ding Xinfa and Xu Xiaogang, Public Security and Procuratorial System Senior Officials in Jiangxi Province, Were Imprisoned
Ding Xinfa, 63, is Jiangxi Province's chief procurator. In July 2004, Ding Xinfa was under investigation and transferred to judicature in December of that year. On January 9, 2006, he was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment for bribery and embezzlement of public funds.
While he was in office as Jiangxi Province's Public Security Department chief and chief procurator, numerous Falun Gong practitioners in Jiangxi Province suffered persecution under his direct orders. These practitioners were arrested, prosecuted, sent to forced labor camps or prisons, and many died as a result.
Ding Xinfa's case was not an isolated incident. Xu Xiaogang, another former senior official of the Public Security Department and procurator of the judicial system in Jiangxi, also committed serious crimes against Falun Gong. He also met with retribution for his criminal acts. On April 9, 2007, Xu Xiaogang was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery and illegal possession of firearms. His entire personal wealth was confiscated.
Xu Xiaogang, 57, was the deputy director of the Jiangxi Province Public Security Department from October 1994 to May 2005. He was also the chief of the Jiangxi Province 610 Office. He followed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s guidelines, persecuting people who believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
2. Mayor Yu Xiaoping, Former Shangrao Municipal Party Committee Secretary, Committed Suicide
Mayor Yu Xiaoping, former Shangrao Municipal Party Committee secretary in Jiangxi Province, committed suicide at home on August 26, 2003. The news caused quite a sensation throughout the country.
When the CCP, under Jiang Zemin's directions, started persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, Yu Xiaoping was the Party Committee secretary of Zhangshu City, Jiangxi Province. After July 20, 1999, many Falun Gong practitioners from Zhangshu City went to Beijing and appealed, within the law. Yu Xiaoping personally led the police force to Beijing to arrest practitioners on two occasions and escorted back several dozen of them. He then ordered the practitioners to be tortured. Methods of torture included "flying airplane," "handcuffing behind the back," and beating them up. He also extorted from each practitioner 3000 to 5000 yuan for the travel expenses to bring them back.
Yu Xiaoping also ordered the brainwashing of practitioners at the Shanqian Township Brainwashing Center, which was located in the outlying mountainous area of Zhangshu City. Many practitioners who had refused to be "transformed" were sentenced to 3 years of forced labor or imprisonment. Yu Xiaoping had persecuted good people who followed the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and his retribution for his evil acts was almost immediate. He died at the age of 49.
3. Liu Tiangui, Former Deputy Warden of Yuzhang Prison, Died a Violent Death
Liu Tiangui was the deputy warden of Yuzhang Prison in Jiangxi Province. In 2001, he followed Jiang's directive to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Many practitioners were detained at Yuzhang Prison and were forced to give up their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. When his attempt to "transform" practitioners failed, he had them tortured by hanging them up, beating them, forcing them to do intensive hard labor for long periods of time, and locking them up in small cells all year long. He also refused to release them when their term was due, and did everything possible to fabricate information just to send them to forced labor camps or extended prison terms.
Late in 2002, two practitioners were due for release; one was sentenced to a further three years of forced labor, and the other to three and a half years. Several months later, in 2003, Liu Tiangui met with retribution and died suddenly at the age of 60.
4. Wu Jian, Public Security Bureau Assistant Commissioner in Xingzi County, Jiangxi Province, Along with Two Others, Met with Retribution
Wu Jian, a former "610 Office" chief and Public Security Bureau assistant commissioner in Xingzi County; Yang Zhengqing, a National People's Congress assistant director in Xingzi County; Cheng Chunyuan, former Public Security Bureau assistant commissioner, and current Bureau of Education assistant commissioner, were all hostile towards Falun Gong. They persecuted practitioners, and met with retribution for their evil deeds.
On March 17, 2007, Wu Jian invited Yang Zhenqing, Cheng Chunyuan and his wife and son, to a local mountain holiday resort. There were ten of them in the party. On the way back, there was a landslide and Yang Zhenqing was killed on the spot. He was 44 years of age. Wu Jian's son was seriously injured and died the same day, after being taken to the hospital emergency room. He was 21 years old. Cheng Chunyuan suffered two broken ribs and had to be treated at the hospital.
5. Zhou Xiaoshun, Politics and Law Committee Secretary in Nanchang County, Died Prematurely
Zhou Xiaoshun was from Maqiu Town, Gaoxin District, Nanchang County, Jiangxi Province. He was the Politics and Law Committee secretary of Nanchang County Public Security Bureau. Since July 20, 1999, he followed Jiang's regime in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, he was promoted to chief prosecutor of Nanchang County in 2004. On August 10, 2006, he died of throat cancer at the age of 53. He suffered extreme pain.
6. Tang Zhengxiong, Assistant Manager of Jingshan Local Police Station in Nanchang City, Died in a Lake
Tang Zhengxiong, assistant manager of Jingshan Local Police Station, Nanchang City Public Security Bureau, actively persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. In 2004, he met with Zhou Yongkang, a senior leader of the CCP. After he was transferred to the Jingshan Local Police Station in August 2006, he persecuted many practitioners, and even sent practitioners to forced labor camps because of an MP3 player.
At 10 a.m. on April 17, 2007, Tang Zhengxiong went to the Xianghu scenic look-out. When the car he was in was on the fifth arched bridge, the driver suddenly lost control and crashed into a three-meter-deep lake. The driver was rescued but Tang Zhengxiong died in the accident. He was about 35 years of age.
7. Chen Shuigen, Deputy Chief Judge of Civil Court of Qingyunpu District, Nanchang City, Died of Brain Hemorrhage
On October 20, 2006, Chen Shuigen, deputy chief judge of the No. 1 Civil Court of Qingyunpu District People's Court in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, participated in persecuting five practitioners, along with Chen Xiangyang and Zhang Shujun. During a court break at 11:20 a.m. on November 17, 2006, Chen Shuigen suddenly collapsed. He died from a brain hemorrhage. He was 50 years of age.
8. Dar Lu, Public Security Police Officer in De'an County, Was Electrocuted to Death While Fishing
Dar Lu, a public security police officer in De'an County, Jiangxi Province, ignorantly followed the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong. He was full of hatred towards Falun Gong practitioners, and while he was working for the De'an County Detention Center in 2004, he said "shoot all Falun Gong" in front of practitioners. When he was transferred to the police station, he actively searched for and arrested Falun Gong practitioners. On April 14, 2007, he went fishing at a private fish pond. His fishing line was cast on a high tension wire--he was electrocuted and died on the spot. He was about 44 years old.
9. Chen Miaoyong, De'an County's Chief Prosecutor Met a Premature Death
Chen Miaoyong, De'an County's Chief Prosecutor in Jiangxi Province, had actively persecuted Falun Gong practitioners since 1999. He sent seven Falun Gong practitioners to forced labor camps in 2000. Chen Miaoyong, 50, contracted uremia in 2005 and died within three months of being diagnosed.
10. Chen Xinru of Jiangxi Tractor Factory and Other Perpetrators Met with Retribution
Since April 25, 1999, the defunct Jiangxi Tractor Factory had specifically set up a department to persecute Falun Gong. Its members included Chen Xinru and Xiong Xiaobo. They actively persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, using every means to reduce practitioners' retirement pensions, which were already meager. They also forced practitioners' families to pay "guarantee" money ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 yuan. They persecuted Falun Gong practitioners both mentally and financially.
In mid-December 2005, Chen Xinru suffered from a heart attack and died. He was 59 years old.
Xiong Xiaobo, who was 40, actively persecuted Falun Gong practitioners from April 25, 1999 to 2003. Once, he brutally tortured a 60-year-old female practitioner. After the torture, she lost all mobility and was covered in bruises. Later Xiong Xiaobo became a cripple and turned blind.
11. Duan Chuanyi, Speed Boat Captain of the Local Aquatic Police Station in Matou Town, Electrocuted
Duan Chuanyi, speed boat captain at the local aquatic police station in Matou Town, Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province, had been harassing a group of Falun Gong practitioners since 2002. He had arrested them twice, ransacked their homes, and sent them to forced labor camps. Just after 6 a.m. on August 2, 2007, Duan Chuanyi, in his forties, was electrocuted and died while he was renovating his house. His stomach and intestines looked mutilated. The following day his body had shrunk by over a foot in its ice coffin.
12. Chen Xiangui, Acting Assistant Manager of Xingang Local Police Station, Was Killed in a Car Accident
Chen Xiangui, acting assistant manager of Xingang Local Police Station in Lushan Area, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, willingly became a goon of Jiang's regime after July 20, 1999, persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
At 10:44 a.m. on June 30, Chen Xiangui was killed in a car accident on his way to deliver the "Public Security Administrative Sanctions Decision" to Jiangji Village, Xingang. When he was trying to turn at a steep slope, the right tire of his police car was punctured. He then lost control of the car and crashed into a pond, which was 3 meters below the slope. The pond was over 3 meters deep and Chen died at the scene of the accident. However, his colleague, who was a passenger in the car, survived.
