(Minghui.org) The erhu solo piece “A Bleeding Lotus Flower” was inspired by a real, ongoing crime that is taking place in China right now. Living, breathing, healthy Falun Gong practitioners are killed for their organs harvested for profit, a macabre crime under the order of the Chinese regime. This composition is a protest by a Chinese classical musician against the atrocity, as well as a call for help to end the persecution.
About the Title
The lotus flower is a common symbol of Buddhism. A flower is a universal symbol for a lady, and her beauty and femininity. Since Falun Gong is a Buddha school cultivation practice, the bleeding lotus flower symbolizes the loving, affectionate mother and wife who has been killed for her faith in Falun Gong. Because flowers are soft and delicate, the use of the lotus flower suggests that Falun Gong practitioners represent society’s most vulnerable.
The Story Behind the Music
The horrific organ harvesting was brought to light in 2009, by a Chinese police officer who had witnessed two military surgeons remove the heart and kidneys from a Falun Gong practitioner back in 2002. The victim was a married schoolteacher with a 12-year-old boy. After she was arrested for her faith in Falun Gong, she was raped and sexually abused by the police officers. She was then tortured and shocked with electric batons during an interrogation that lasted seven days. She was then taken to a hospital, where her organs were harvested. The surgeon cut her chest open without any anesthesia while she was fully awake and conscious. She died when the surgeon severed the arteries to her heart.
Her last words before she died: “Falun Gong is good.”
The original report in 2009: World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong Publishes Case Report of Conversation with Witness to Organ Harvesting
About the Erhu
The erhu is a two-stringed instrument that is played with a bow. It is also called a "southern fiddle" and is sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle." It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras.
The composition is in four parts:
1. Shocked by the horrible news [00:00-00:35]
An outcry. Shrieking. The composer expresses her feeling of shock when she first read the audio testimony of the police officer who witnessed two physicians harvest organs from a Falun Gong practitioner in 2002.
It took place on the fifth floor of General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region in China on 5 p.m., April 9, 2002.
2. The life she once had [00:36-02:35]
The victim was a schoolteacher in her 30s, adored by her students. The victim was a loving mother with a 12-year-old boy. The victim was a loving wife, happily married to her husband. The victim was also a daughter with parents to look after.
She wanted to practice Falun Gong. She wanted to become a better person. She wanted to follow Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. But she was tortured, raped, and sexually abused before she was killed for her organs that were sold for profit.
3. A call to conscience [02:36-04:09]
It is a devil's act to take a person's life because of her faith.
Where does your conscience stand? Do you remain silent? Or do you stand up and end the atrocity?
4. Back to the main theme: The life she once had [04:10-06:03]
For more information about the crime of organ harvesting, please read Bloody Harvest: Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China , an independent investigation into allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China by David Matas, Esq. and Hon. David Kilgour, Esq.
Category: Music & Art
