(Minghui.org) Falun Gong was very well received through all walks of life in mainland China. But in a fit of jealous rage Jiang Zemin, China's former head of state, banned the practice on July 20, 1999. Falun Gong assistants who managed the exercise sites were unlawfully arrested and the Chinese media was full of propaganda, ruthlessly defaming Falun Gong. As a result, Falun Gong practitioners had to face the most important decision of their lives: Will they continue to practice and face persecution or will they stop?

Mr. Zhang Zhongyu, who was the deputy Prime Minister of Jiaohe City Organization Department and the deputy Chief Editor of Jilin Provincial-level Lantaineiwai magazine, chose to follow the principles of “Truth-Compassion-Forbearance”. He tried to clarify the facts to people to help stop the brutal persecution. After being arrested and detained ten times, and subjected to many cruel torturous acts, he did not regret his choice - to never give up believing in Falun Gong.

In April 2013, Mr. Zhang Zhongyu and fellow practitioners attend a peaceful protest to demanded the Chinese Communist Party stop the persecution of Falun Gong

A sudden change in one's life

On July 21, 1999, Mr. Zhang went with many other practitioners to appeal to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Committee of Jilin Province. A few months later, on September 30, local police broke into his home. When he was asked if he practiced Falun Gong, Mr. Zhang replied, “I am still practicing at home.” Because of that, he was arrested and held at Balipu Detention Center in Changchun City.

Mr. Zhang said: “This was the first time that I was put into a forced labor camp. The detention center was as big as a basketball field. When people were lying down they were packed like sardines. We had to go to the toilet close to where we slept. I was thinking: Animals in a zoo are better taken care of than these good people. Before I was detained I was treated very nicely by others. However, by saying 'I will practice at home,' I became a prisoner instantly!”

A police officer asked Mr. Zhang: “Your happy family is not here anymore. You've lost your job, you have lost everything and you are in prison. Is it worth it? If you said you would stop practicing, I would let you out right now.”

The pressure on Mr. Zhang's mind was unbearable. He began recalling his cultivation experiences by asking himself if he had done something wrong? Why should he give up the practice? Is it wrong to believe in “Truth-Compassion-Forbearance?” Is it worth sacrificing everything for having faith in Falun Gong?

Snapping out of fame and self-interest

One day in May 1996, when Mr. Zhang was 34 years old, and was working at the File Bureau in Jilin Province, a coworker introduced him to Falun Gong. He said: “I quickly read through the book Zhuan Falun. I believed that the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was great, but I questioned who could hold themselves to these high standards?”

Mr. Zhang was later appointed as the vice-minister of the organization ministry under the Municipal Committee of Jiaohe City. Prior to going to his new post, his co-worker asked him to read Zhuan Falun again. Mr. Zhang said: “This time after I left Changchun, I could calm my mind to read it a bit more carefully. After I finished a few pages, I found that even though this book was written in plain language, its content was very profound, I could not compare any teachings, philosophies or guidance that I had ever read with Master Li's Falun Gong. In comparison with other Qigong, Falun Gong was at a very high level. Therefore, I decided to practice.”

Mr. Zhang got a copy of the book Falun Gong from a bookstore and learned how to practice the exercise movements. He said: “A miracle happened to me on that same night as I had a very sound sleep. The dark skin on my badly scarred leg began to peel off, and my skin problem which had bothered me for many years, began to heal. Soon a layer of normal clear skin had formed on both my legs. My other illnesses also soon disappeared.”

Mr. Zhang was envied by others, yet he was often very unhappy. He said: “Among personal conflicts, I was leading an exhausting life. After I began to practice, I came to understand that the true nature of one's life is to cultivate and return to one's original true self. My realm of thought was consequently elevated. Before that, I was afraid of losing self-interest, so I couldn't eat well or sleep well. After I began to practice, I came to understand the principle of “no loss, no gain.” (Zhuan Falun) and that, “If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it.” (Zhuan Falun) . Since understanding this law I have been following a natural course, by not paying attention to my self-interest any more and not fighting with others. My life became much easier!”

At that time, the organization department was the most influential department. They had held many social activities, where one felt compelled to drink alcohol. Before Mr. Zhang began to practice, he didn't like drinking as he knew it harmed one's body and cultivation, but he still felt pressure to do it. After he began to practice, he wondered whether he should continue to drink for the sake of not upsetting his boss, or to stop drinking and become a true practitioner?

After carefully thinking it over, Mr. Zhang said: “I clearly told my boss that I had began to practice and had stopped drinking alcohol. Later, all my colleagues have come to understand me better. My boss said that they had come up with a policy for Falun Gong practitioners to drink water or soft drinks instead of alcohol. When I truly let go of fame and profit and behaved well, I also realized that I didn't lose anything. In addition, everyone at the workplace considered our practitioners as really good people.”

When Mr. Zhang came back to work in the province, he took on the post as deputy chief editor of a provincial-level magazine Lantaineiwai . He was working on articles, managing funds and handling the accounts. He had been strict with himself by never taking things that didn't belong to him, and he was never corrupt. In China, choosing articles for a publication can be a profitable business. Many people tried to bribe him to get their articles published. He had been kindly declining them, and in some cases where he couldn't refuse them, he would give them something back in return.

Falun Gong benefits society

When Falun Gong was taught in Changchun, more and more people began to practice. Practitioners from different social levels all practiced together. Practice sites were all over the place and even the courtyards of government offices became practice sites.

On January 11, 1999, during the Ninth Winter Games, ten of thousands of people practicing the exercises in Wenhua Square.

When Mr. Li Hongzhi was spreading the Fa in September 1992 at a conference hall in the provincial government, many cadres attended. Among them one cadre truly felt that many Falun were spinning in the hall. He was later given a signed edition of Falun Gong with Mr. Li Hongzhi's signature on it.

One senior official said: “When I was hospitalized, I heard from the nurse that many cancer patients were healed from practicing Falun Gong!” One deputy secretary of the CCP committee in Jilin Province said: “By Falun Gong teaching people to cultivate their xinxing it's very good for China. My relatives are also practicing, and many people know about it.”

Choosing one's path of returning home

For one who has enlightened to the purpose of one's life, how can one drop back down to the muddy world of pursuing fame and self-interest?

Mr. Zhang truly believed that Truth-Compassion-Forbearance was not wrong and from that point he would never had any doubts in his mind. He made the choice of cultivating solidly.