(Clearwisdom.net)
Witness to the Appeal on April 25, 1999
Prior to the onset of the persecution in 1999, Falun Dafa practice sites could be found all over China - from bustling metropolitan city parks to the most remote mountain villages. After pseudo-scientist He Zuoxiu published a slanderous Falun Gong article, more than 300 practitioners in Tianjin went to different government agencies to clear up what they thought was a misunderstanding but was, in fact, a carefully orchestrated smear campaign. The police beat and kicked them and arrested 45 practitioners. When other practitioners learned of it, many of them independently decided to appeal at the State Appeals Office to explain how they had benefited from Falun Gong.
My husband and I both went. Arriving at the train station, we saw many practitioners who planned to validate the Fa in Beijing. We were of different ages and social backgrounds and nodded and smiled at each other, as we felt like long-parted family members. When we left the Beijing Train Station we walked side by side; only our footsteps were audible. This scene is indelibly etched in my memory. Then, we sat across from the red wall lining the Zhongnanhai compound. Some practitioners began studying the Fa and reciting passages from it. Some stood in a line on the sidewalk and explained to the police why we came. I said to a policeman, "Young man, you should practice Falun Gong, too!" He said, "Sure. You guys are really civilized." I said, "It's all because Falun Dafa is good." He said, "Yes." Then he held his arms and casually strolled about.
The local Beijing practitioners behaved even better. They brought extra-large garbage bags and collected trash. They were so quick to remove all the waste that it was taken from our hands right after it was generated. Sometimes, a practitioner would drop a small piece of trash, and the practitioner responsible for collecting it would immediately tell us, "There is a piece of trash over there." We would pick it up right away and toss it into the trash bag. A local resident told us there would be torrential rain later that night, but we just smiled at her. We continued to do what Dafa disciples were supposed to do. While looking for a public restroom, we looked around and saw many, many practitioners sitting peacefully on the sidewalk. We got word at 9:00 p.m. that premier Zhu Rongji had issued a document regarding our request. Then we packed up and left.
The last train was at 3:20 a.m. We sat on the waiting room floor, and it turned windy. However, the rain did not fall until we got onto the train and was only a drizzle when we got off the train at 6:20 p.m. We went home without incident.
We persisted in Dafa practice despite the persecution
Since my husband and I began practicing Dafa, we have conducted ourselves according to Master's words and experienced the amazing feeling of complete health. Many of our questions were also answered from the Fa, so we safeguarded Dafa in our own environment by being good people.
After April 25, 1999, we went to the practice site in the morning, but officials would no longer let us meet. It became worse and worse, and we asked each other, "What is going on? Why is the regime interfering with such a wonderful practice?"
When I watched the news at noon on July 20, 1999, the anchor said, "We will broadcast very important news at 3:00 p.m. today, please watch." It turned out to be vicious attacks against Master. I was devastated and shouted, "I will not watch it! I will not watch it!" My family did not know what was happening and wanted to watch more, but I was very firm, so they agreed to turn it off. From then on we would immediately shut off the television whenever a Dafa-slandering program came on. If my son brought home newspapers containing slanderous articles, I tore them up. I refused to let them poison my son's mind.
It kept getting worse, and it felt as if the sky had collapsed. Terror took over the elation I felt from practicing Dafa.
Explaining the facts to secret agents
I became a target person at my workplace. The officials watched me closely and sent people to follow me everywhere. I said to them, "This is not OK. There is nothing wrong with my practicing Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. You are violating human rights. I am a very good person. I voluntarily cleaned our office building for years. In terms of my family, I could afford to pay for my son's college education only after I became healthy through Dafa practice and no longer spent money on expensive drugs. You've seen my home--I don't have much furniture besides a sewing machine that doubles as the desk and a bed. My salary was 300 yuan, and I spent more than 200 yuan on medications every month before I practiced Falun Gong, and you all know about that. Why do you not let me practice it?"
They said, "We know you are a good person, but if we don't follow orders from above we will lose our jobs." I said, "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is in my heart, and no one can take it from me."
They couldn't convince me so they left, but they came back every day to talk to me, and I explained things to them every day.
I was a volunteer assistant at my practice site, and someone found me at this time, asking to learn the exercises. As I walked downstairs I thought, "No one can see me." As a result, I saw the officials turn eastward, looking for me as I walked westward. I did not fear them and successfully changed my route to make them lose track of me time and time again. I taught that person the Dafa exercises. Today, this practitioner still comes to our practice site. She helps many people learn the facts on a daily basis.
Opposing the persecution with righteous thoughts
Despite my efforts to explain things to the officials at my workplace, they still cooperated with the government and reported me to the 610 Office and also tried to send me to a brainwashing center. They dragged me off and took away a portrait with Master's image and a copy of Zhuan Falun. At the brainwashing center they persecuted three practitioners including me. One was in her 70s and and the other in her 40s. I was in my 50s. At night a male police officer slept in the same room with us. He refused to leave, even when we were trying to change underwear. I said to him in a stern voice, "Get out! You are being a voyeur." He left.
More than 20 practitioners were brought in three days later. One day an officer said, "Reporters from CCTV will come and interview you people in a little while. Just answer their questions as we told you to." I immediately went to the bathroom and began sending righteous thoughts, since the officers always followed me each time I went to the bathroom. I put up my right hand and sent righteous thoughts. The reporters arrived, walked around and left.
Master said,
"If every one of you can understand the Fa from the depths of your mind, that will truly be the manifestation of the Fa whose power knows no boundary--the reappearance of the mighty Buddha Fa in the human world!" ("Cautionary Advice" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
The mighty power of Dafa again destroyed the evildoers' scheme. I returned home after 50 days as a result of Master's protection and strong righteous thoughts.
My husband and I were eventually illegally arrested again. The police took two copies of Zhuan Falun and turned our home upside town. While at the custody center, we were given moldy steamed buns and dirty, rotten vegetables; rats ran everywhere. Two weeks later we were taken to a brainwashing center. The police tied practitioners to trees and beat them. We sent righteous thoughts as a whole body. With Master's help we returned home after 27 days.
We were arrested for the third time on August 5, 2008. The police took our mobile phones, MP3 players, two copies of Zhuan Falun, and several newsletters. We explained the wonders of Dafa to the police. They kept 100 watt light bulbs turned on and wouldn't turn them off at night. All the food was boiled in water. They did not even spare people in their 70s or pregnant women from the abuses. We sent righteous thoughts to disintegrate the persecution.
Dispelling lies in a new environment
My husband and I moved to a new city to stay with our children and to take care of our grandchildren. The cultivation environment was different. Since we did not have access to materials produced by other practitioners, we made handwritten flyers and brought them back to our hometown to distribute them, in addition to handing out copies of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and pamphlets and VCDs. Once while I distributed materials, security officers at a supermarket saw me. I thought, "Master is here, the Fa is here." As this righteous thought emerged, they did not ask me anything and said, "Just go, since you are old." I said, "You have protected me, and you have earned boundless virtue." They smiled. Someone who spotted my husband when he posted flyers was going to call the police. My husband said, "We are doing this to save people; it's not for ourselves." That person said, "OK, just go!" I stood on a corner during this incident and sent righteous thoughts. We returned home safely, protected by Master.
