Sleepless on China's Mid-Autumn Festival -- Mourning for Falun Dafa Practitioner Feng Gang

(Clearwisdom.net)

Since I emigrated from China, the grave harm to me caused by the persecution of Falun Gong has gradually faded in my memory. Alas, two days ago, the pain came back in great force, as I heard that CCP minions murdered Feng Gang, a fellow practitioner. The wound that had begun to heal was ripped open again.

Met in Prison Ten Years Ago

I met Feng Gang ten years ago. After the CCP began its suppression of Falun Gong in 1999, I went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong in October 1999. I was arrested and detained at the Yaojia Detention Center administrative section in Dalian City, Liaoning Province. There were three cells in the administrative section, and every one was occupied by practitioners. The educational attainment of these practitioners was very high. There were doctors, those who held master's degrees, university students, teachers, and many others. They were arrested for their firm belief in Falun Gong. Several days later, a practitioner was transferred in. He was arrested on trumped up criminal charges. His name was Feng Gang, in his 30s, of strong and healthy constitution and a lecturer at Dalian Aquatic Product Institute. He had also gone to Beijing and was arrested in a school near Beijing Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace. He had been detained on criminal charges in a special cell for such inmates for over two months. He recounted that that cell was horrible. The inmates were criminals. They had to assemble toothpick packages daily. The prison head punished the prisoners brutally. He pushed toothpicks into the head and when they were taken out, the head looked like a red bloody gourd.

A cultivation environment had been created by detained practitioners. There were five practitioners in our cell. We practiced the exercises daily and could see through the window the high wall, reinforced by an electric fence, and soldiers patrolling the top. We only had one Dafa book, a small sized Zhuan Falun. We divided Zhuan Falun into three parts and gave one to practitioners in the other two cells. Every night we studied one lecture of Zhuan Falun, and exchanged the parts three days later in the kitchen.

The police often forced us to perform slave labor. We were taken from the prison in an old prison van every time. Many guards watched us while we worked. They feared we would escape. We were forced to harvest cabbage in autumn and practitioners from another cell had to move dung. We worked hard and sweated a lot.

Feng Gang looked after me like an elder brother, told me cultivation stories, encouraged me to have confidence and helped me to calm down. The inmates could not understand why we did not renounce Falun Gong after the practice was banned, so he patiently and peacefully explained it to them. At that time, the prison head in three cells did not harm practitioners, because they had experienced practitioners' compassionate nature. Thirty-three days later, I was released unconditionally, but he was sent to the most vicious forced labor camp in Liaoning - Masanjia Forced Labor Camp.

Transferred to Zhoushuizi in Dalian

Masanjia Forced Labor Camp is a provincial-level camp in Liaoning Province. It was the first camp in the nation to mistreat practitioners. It required a strong and diamond-like will to resist transformation here. Male practitioners in Masanjia were unusually firm, protected Dafa for a long time, firmly insisted in their belief and refused to renounce Falun Gong. Feng Gang was one such strong practitioner. He was frequently forced to work in the fields. Mosquitoes were everywhere in the summer. As practitioners were not fed adequately and lacked nutrition, some practitioners often fainted in the field. Afterwards, Feng Gang and two other practitioners went on a hunger strike for several months to protest the detention.

In 2001, the Masanjia Forced Labor Cam transferred him to Zhoushuizi Forced Labor Camp in Dalian City, Liaoning Province. I was also arrested and taken there. I heard from prison conversations that three practitioners had been transferred here from Masanjia Forced Labor Camp. Each one was firm and electric batons failed to get them to renounce their faith.

Feng Gang was kept in small cell at brigade No. 5. I was detained there just after I arrived there from the forced labor camp. Every time I went upstairs to sleep, I saw a long corridor on the left of the stairs. The outside door was shut tightly. One day, guards took me upstairs for some work and the door was open. It was dark in the corridor without sunlight. I faintly saw a shadow inside and there was a loud noise, like dragging chains. Afterwards I found out it was Feng Gang. He was isolated in there. It was a dark corner and he was forbidden any contact with others.

Taken to Labor Camp

At 8 a.m. on August 9, 2002, I was taken from the Intensive-Discipline Ward. Two prisoners handcuffed me behind my back. I was taken near the front exit at the labor camp. Twenty practitioners in all were taken there from the Intensive-Discipline Ward, Special Ward, Newcomers Ward and so on. Two prisoners escorted one practitioner, and everyone was handcuffed behind the back. Over twenty guards in uniform were near a large bus. Another twenty five prisoners stood in a row facing us. Over sixty people were on the bus. The windows were covered with curtains. Passenger vehicles cleared the way in front of the bus and a small truck (with baggage) followed.

Feng Gang and I were among those on the bus. Our average age was over 30 years old. Among these practitioners were university students, bank employees, government cadres, merchants, university teachers, doctors and others. The atmosphere was very intense. We could not talk. With each practitioner was one guard. The vehicles were driving to Liaoning Province Guanshanzi Forced Labor Camp in Changtu County, Tieling City.

Guanshanzi Forced Labor Camp is located in the mountains. Practitioners that refused to be "transformed" in other labor camps were taken there. No one wanted to be taken there. Once criminals said, "Guanshanzi kills people like slaughtering pigs. They just wrap them in a mat material and carry them away."

After we got off the bus, twenty practitioners stood face to face in two rows. We were ordered to squat down. Guards from the two labor camps started the transfer procedure. I looked around for a minute and saw a practitioner not far from me in black clothes. He was Feng Gang. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was so thin and small. He no longer looked strong and healthy. But, he looked firm and determined. He also recognized me. This made us happy and we encouraged each other with our eyes.

We were the first to be taken to Guanshanzi Forced Labor Camp. We were kept in two cells in the beginning, with ten people per cell. Feng Gang and I were not in the same cell. On August 11, the third night after arriving there, my physical strength had started to come back. Ten practitioners, including Feng Gang, began to practice the exercises.

The next day, the guards separated us. Twenty criminals were sent in. Two held each practitioner to pull us upstairs. Ten practitioners on our side began a hunger strike to support them. We were handcuffed behind our back until 3 a.m. The guards and prisoners tried everything possible to stop our hunger strike. Then eight practitioners who had practiced the exercises stopped their hunger strike, but insisted on collective practice. However Feng Gang and another practitioner were still on a hunger strike. The guards wanted to isolate them to break up our unity. The eight practitioners started again their hunger strike. They demanded the release of Feng Gang.

Finally, around 4 a.m. on the 18^th, everyone was awakened by a deafening police siren. Many police cars entered the yard. It appeared that all police from Guanshanzi had arrived.

Practitioners were sleeping. As I did not obey orders to sit up, two prisoners held my head down, and handcuffed me behind my back Fourteen practitioners were taken to the yard for resisting the order. Feng Gang was one of them. Practitioners were only wearing underpants. Two prisoners forced practitioners to kneel on the ground. Some practitioners resisted and some shouted, "You are violating human rights." Secretary Wang of the labor camp loudly shouted, "To take you apart, I'm having you moved to different brigades."

The living environment was extremely difficult. We had to do hard labor. A guard blew a whistle and the atmosphere was very intense. In the morning we were taken to the Machong Brickyard, the external working site for brigade No. 2. Guards were all around and always on alert. Feng Gang and other three practitioners were kept in a separate area. Once we arrived at Santaizi Quarry in Tieling, the external working site of brigade No. 5, a practitioner and I were ordered to remain there. The other practitioners were taken to Wenzhuangzi Brickyard, the external working site of brigade No. 6.

At Machong Brickyard, Feng Gang and other three practitioners wore shackled and chained. In October 2001, they asked for the handcuffs to be removed before work. It was done.

I was detained at the external working site of brigade No. 5 and handcuffed around the clock. It was very inhuman there. Toilet paper was used over and over by the prisoners. I was handcuffed for 100 days, and then they were removed.

Practitioners' decided to practice the exercises, refuse to work, refuse to walk in formation, refuse to "study" paragraphs that slander Dafa, refuse to wear shackles and chains, refuse violence, refuse to return to the special discipline team and so on. The guards tried everything they could think of to wear down our will. They tortured us with electric batons, brutally beat us, and pulled our clothes off in the cold winter. Our firm will stood tall before the evil of the forced labor camp.

I was detained in and isolation cell twice, and then practitioner Cao Yuqiang and I were taken to Huludao Forced Labor Camp in Liaoning Province. We went on a hunger strike, and were both released in May 2002. Practitioners detained at Guanshanzi were all released in an open and honorable way. Not one renounced "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance".

Rescue Gao Rongrong

Outside of China, the picture of Gao Rongrong's face disfigured by the CCP was widely spread. On the list for rescuing Gao Rongrong, I found Feng Gang's name again. Because of being involved in the rescue of Gao Rongrong, Feng Gang was again detained, and was inhumanly tortured.

A Hero Passes Away, Righteous Thoughts Perpetuate

On July 4, 2009, police from Huanghe Road Police Station of Xigang District Public Security Sub-bureau, Dalian City arrested Feng Gang and his wife again. On August 10, Feng Gang had become very weak from the persecution. His beard had grown very long. He was emaciated, and became cross-eyed. He was at the verge of death many times. Guards at the detention center called people of Domestic Security Division to deal with it, and then Feng Gang was taken to the Dalian People's Liberation Army 210 hospitals. After the medical examination, doctors told the staff from Domestic Security Division, that Feng Gang had to undergo surgery immediately. Afterwards people of Domestic Security Division paid a 4,000 yuan deposit for hospitalization, and quickly left the hospital, to escape responsibility.

Feng Gang endured excruciating pain. He returned home, but was arrested again. On September 16, Feng Gang's relative went to the Fuguo Street Police Station in Shahekou District to report Feng Gang was missing. The police receptionist told them that Feng Gang had died on August 14, and his body was at the Shahekou District Public Security Sub-bureau for an autopsy. The relatives were told to quickly go to Shahekou District Public Security Sub-bureau to sign the cremation paper. Feng Gang had left this world a firm practitioner. His wife Wang Juan was serving one year and six months of forced labor at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp.

I can't imagine the details of Feng Gang's death. Feng Gang is truly a brave man who was subjected to brutalities no one should have to bear. But he was steadfast in his belief in Falun Dafa "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" until the end. During the ten years, Feng Gang had been arrested six times, suffered innumerable hardships, but kept a rock-solid heart for Falun Dafa, and an indomitable spirit despite the adverse circumstances. That should be remembered.

For ten years, practitioners have tenaciously walked on the path of peaceful protest, uncovering the false with ultimate truth, stopped the wicked with ultimate compassion, and stopping violence with ultimate forbearance. Practitioners selflessly protect the truth of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." They direct more and more minds to the journey of enlightenment and return.