(Clearwisdom.net) The Communist Party regime launched the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. Along with thousands of my fellow Chinese citizens I was illegally detained for practicing Falun Gong. I was held at the Acheng No. 2 Detention Center and the Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, and suffered inhuman tortures.

I began the practice due to chronic illnesses

I am farmer and had many chronic illnesses in the past, such as trachoma, rheumatism, neurosis, headaches, skin rashes and the kidney problems, and eventually breast lumps. I became easily frostbitten in the winter. I began Falun Gong in June 1998, in hopes of curing my illnesses. Gradually I discovered how wonderful Falun Gong is, and that Falun Gong teaches one to cultivate one's mind and heart, to have more compassion, and to become a better person. Several practitioners tried to get me to copy the book Zhuan Falun by hand. I was then in my 50s and did not know how to write. When I attempted to copy the book, my hands were shaking so hard that I could not hold a pen; I gave up. Soon after I fell and tore my new pants. Looking inward, I found out that postnatal concepts had closed my mind and that I should think "outside of the box." I picked up the pen, and thought of Master's words in the Sixth Talk in Zhuan Falun: "When you go home and write a few words, it doesn't matter how good or bad your handwriting is, they'll have energy!" (verified)

I was determined to copy the books by hand and now have for years copied Zhuan Falun, The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa, Essentials for Further Advancement, and "Lectures in the United States" and others. I have studied the Fa by copying the books, and I have practiced the exercises. All my illness symptoms quietly disappeared. I became very healthy after practicing, and my husband has received benefits from the practice and is healthy, too.

Grossly abused at the Acheng No. 2 Detention Center

On May 26, 2000 I went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. The police arrested and later detained me at the Acheng No. 2 Detention Center. The guards violently attacked us, slapping our faces and beating us with brooms and plastic cords. Male guard Yang Qi kicked a woman practitioner in the stomach with his leather boots while she practiced the sitting exercise on a bed. Another time, Yang Qi grabbed my hair and threw me on the concrete floor. He did the same to the other two women practitioners. Guard Lu Qi poured cold water on us from head to toe in the winter when we practiced the sitting exercise on our beds. Our clothes and quilts were soaked. He then threw lit fireworks into our hands. This kind of abuse continued for over a month.

We appealed many times and requested an appointment with 610 Office officials who never showed. We held a group hunger strike and demanded that the camp unconditionally release us. Instead, the detention center head and guards force-fed us to torture us. They mixed a highly concentrated salt solution with liquor and moldy corn flour; eight guards including Yang Qi, Lu Qi, and one surnamed Han worked together to make us eat. They pushed me onto a chair, held my jaw, pinched my nose, and forced the mixture into my mouth. They beat me if I did not open my mouth. I could hardly breathe and started to cry. Others ended up vomiting. Many sustained mouth injuries, bled, and had swollen jaws. I tried to stand up and got hit from behind so that I almost fell. Detention center head Guo arrived and verbally abused us. This force-feeding continued for five days.

I was released. One day, officers Li Xiaojiang and Ma Jianfen from Shenli Police Station broke in and asked if I still practiced Falun Gong. I told them, "Of course! How could I not, since Falun Gong is so great." They dragged me out of my home. It had snowed, and I only wore a sweater and slippers. I was arrested again. My left arm was broken in the struggle with the police.

Several of us were arrested and detained at the Wanjia Forced Labor Camp on June 14, 2001. Xi Jinglong from Acheng City Police Department was behind this plot.

Tortured in Wanjia Forced Labor Camp

Arriving at the Seventh Ward of Wanjia Forced Labor Camp for the first time, I was surrounded by collaborators who used to practice Falun Gong but then betrayed their faith. They took turns trying to convince me to give up Falun Gong. Three women practitioners in the old Class Three died as a result of the brutal persecution in the middle of the night on June 20, 2001.

Wanjia Labor Camp officials used the following torture methods on practitioners. Each person sat on a plastic stool and stayed still or was either beaten or had to stand still. We sweat sitting for a long time, especially in the summer. I developed scabies in combination with purulence and bleeding. It really hurt when these injuries stick to my clothes. At the worst time I had scabies all over my body and could not wear clothes. I had to use a piece of black fabric to cover myself; it was so itchy I could barely sleep.

We were tortured on November 6, 2001, in Wanjia Hospital at the behest of camp head Shi Yingbai. We were locked in a room that could be monitored from outside. We were forbidden from practicing the Falun Gong exercises. We had to get guard Yu Fangli's permission to use the toilet.

A woman practitioner in her 60s wanted to relieve herself but guard Yu Fangli forbade it and locked the door. The woman had to relieve herself in her pants. Once as we sent righteous thoughts, the guards beat us with broom handles. I attempted to stop her by pointing out her evil acts. She turned the handle on me and hit my face. The right side of my face started to bleed and swell.

Another time, incited by guard Yu Fangli, criminals pushed us into a hallway. Hospital doctor Suen used a large piece of metal to scratch my scabies. It hurt and bled badly. I pointed out their evil actions, making two criminals become fearful enough that they stopped torturing me.

We were transferred back to the Seventh Ward on January 21, 2002. Some of us who had health problems due to the torture were located on the second floor, guarded by criminal inmate Fu Lihai. She beat us using chairs, brooms or water bottles whenever we practiced the exercises.

Practitioner Ms. Meng Xianzhi died as a result of torture on March 4, 2002.