(Minghui.org) The school principals, teachers, and many students at the Traditional Culture School of the Lion Modern Arts Design University were arrested by officers from Huanggu Police Department, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, on the evening of October 23, 2013.
Over two dozen people were arrested on October 24. The students were placed under house arrest on October 25, and the school was surrounded by police on October 26. Students were assembled and forced to write a guarantee statement and watch a video slandering Falun Dafa.
After the weekend, most students dared not return to school. The latest report said, “Traditional culture class will be canceled.” A summary of the situation follows.
A Glimpse of Lion Campus Prior to the Arrests
Right after breakfast and before their morning reading, the students studied courtesy and manners. At the door of each classroom on the morning of October 24, two etiquette students greeted teachers and students passing by politely. Their greetings were courteously returned. This kind of practice breaks down the distance between people, enabling individuals and groups to become more harmonious.
Afterwards, people who lived near the school could hear the sound of singing and reading aloud. One of their songs was the school anthem:
“Divine culture is admired around the world. Chinese descendants convey culture from one generation to another. Value virtue, be compassionate, stand tall. Respect Heaven and Earth. You will be blessed with fortune, peace, and good health. Ancient saints and sages passed down their wisdom. Outstanding people in this spiritual land filling up our Beautiful Campus.....”
Those that heard the beautiful melodies and lyrics felt the singers' sincerity.
Spending 30 minutes on their morning reading, the students read the classics of Chinese traditional culture such as Rules and Disciplines for Students , Three-Characters Classics , Zhu Family Motto , and University . These classical cultural texts nourish the young minds of children, allowing them to grow up within traditional culture.
Regular class lectures then began. In addition to lessons in art, there were lessons from traditional culture given by teacher Dong Zhiyu. They also covered physical education, music, math, and English. They also built their own library, which was full of students doing their own studies.
On and after October 24, the CCP brought an end to these beautiful things.
Two Good School Principals: Guo Baoshi and Xu Juntao
Mr. Guo Baoshi, in his 50s, and Mr. Xu Juntoa, in his 40s, are Falun Dafa practitioners who live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Because they had observed society's moral downslide and did not want children to grow up in this atmosphere, in 2010 Mr. Guo and Mr. Xu, along with some partners, started up a school based on providing a healthier environment for kids to grow up in. They chose Chinese traditional culture as the basis for educating children. In the past three years, with sincere and kind words and deeds, the school has educated children with these traditional values.
A student once made a mistake and was afraid that the principals might criticize him at the evening meeting. However, when the principals got up to speak that evening, they bowed to the students three times and sincerely criticized themselves for not doing well and causing the student to make mistakes. The principals' self-reflection made many students realize their own deficiencies.
As for students caught smoking, the principals had a talk with them and even brought them peppermints to show their sincerity. Some students pasted some of the peppermints on the wall to encourage themselves to stop smoking.
These were the good citizens that were arrested by the CCP on the evening of October 23, 2013.
Scholarly Teacher – Chen Xiu
Mr. Chen Xiu, born in 1962, graduated from Liaoning University. He has good qualifications in Chinese studies but is also well-educated in general and writes beautiful calligraphy. In dealing with children, he has extraordinary patience and love. Whenever there was a new disobedient child, he would ask the child stay close to him and learn to read articles from the Chinese classics. He would also teach the child to write calligraphy in order to train him to be in a state of tranquility.
Mr. Chen has been arrested and sentenced to jail twice and was later forced to divorce his wife, who also took their child. After losing his wife and child, he gave all his time and energy to his students, accompanying them whenever possible to the park to learn and practice flute, both vertical and horizontal, to enrich their lives and strengthen their capability to resist bad influences in society. This man was again arrested for practicing Falun Dafa.
Young and Beloved Teacher – Dong Zhiyu
Mr. Dong, born in 1976, graduated from a military-medical college in Shanghai and is kind and amiable. If you should ask some students which teacher they like most, many of them would invariably say, "Teacher Dong." They all like his “Rules and Regulations students must follow.” Mr. Dong practices what he teaches so that his students understand and feel “the right path is not far away,” enabling them to really sense the wisdom of sages.
Mr. Dong originally had a good job with a good income. Living in a society that pursues fame and gain, he became more and more confused. When he started practicing Falun Dafa, he came to understand the purpose of life. Economic riches are not as important as spiritual ones.
After teaching at Lion Campus for three years, he was doing better and better, until the CCP interfered. Mr. Dong went to work as usual on October 24, 2013, but he never returned home that night. When his family went to the school, they learned that Mr. Dong had been arrested. Later on, the police tooks his computer and Dafa books from his home were also taken. His son is only a little over a year old.
Young Teacher – Wang Yiyong
Students affectionately called this young teacher “Father Wang,” an indication of the important place he had in the hearts of his students.
His students would say that Mr Wang made them feel at ease, because no matter what the situation, he would gladly face it. He was also arrested.
Courteous Etiquette Teacher – Song Jinjin
Ms. Song Jinjin, 28, is the etiquette teacher at Lion campus. She is attractive, dignified, and naturally poised. She is also the director of the etiquette department. Her etiquette lessons include standing, walking, sitting, lying down, and conversation. Confucius said, “If you do not practice courtesy, you cannot establish yourself in society.”
In April 2013, because her mother had been arrested, Ms. Song went to appeal for her. The Shenyang police then put her under surveillance and threatened her. She was arrested in the teacher's dormitory on the evening of October 23, causing the students and her father, who now had lost both his wife and daughter, great distress.
Promising Young Professional Art Teacher – Sun Zhaodan
Ms. Sun Zhaodan, 26, a graduate of Lu Xun Arts college, started teaching at Lion in the department of modern arts and design. Ms. Sun was an accomplished artist and gained recognition from the principals, teachers, and students. In her practical lessons, she also covered art history.
Ms. Sun was arrested as an “important person” from her dormitory on the evening of October 23. Five police were arranged to torture her and force her to confess," but they were unsuccessful, so they called Ms. Sun's family and asked, “Can't your daughter speak? She does nothing but shake her head.” Her family member said, “Let her talk to me!” The officer handed the phone to Ms. Sun, who said, “They beat me!” The phone was hung up.
Angelic Dance Teacher – Zheng Wei
Ms. Zheng Wei, in her early 30s, was a professional dancer. In 2012 she came to work at Lion as a choreographer. She created a dance called, “Musical Sound of Water,” which was staged last year. The show was so beautiful that viewers felt like they were in a sacred land.
Before being arrested this time, Ms. Zheng and her classmates were rehearsing their own choreographed “Plum Blossom,” which was supposed to be presented in an arts festival at the school in November of this year. All the teachers and students were anticipating it, but it has been interrupted because of the arrests.
Like a Mother – Teacher Kang Ning
Ms. Kang Ning, 30, teaches graphic design. She loves her students, and her kindness touches their hearts. Her sincerity and professionalism attract students to her classes. She tried to carefully understand the character and temper of each student so as to better educate them. Unfortunately, all the teachers and students in that classroom were arrested on the evening of October 23, 2013.
New Intern – Qi Baidan
Ms. Qi Baidan, born in 1989 and a graduate of Dalian City College of Technology majoring in Japanese, came to be an intern at Lion Campus in April 2013.
Before finishing her internship, she was arrested by Shenyang State Security police. Her mother and her boyfriend were unable to locate her for a whole day. The following day, they were then notified of her arrest by the police. She came to Lion University because she loves Chinese traditional culture, and through learning and practicing traditional culture she has greatly improved herself. After returning home, she automatically helped with the family chores. Her classmates in college also admire her change for the better.
Lively and Cheerful Trainee Teacher – Sun Yingying
After graduating from Lion's school of modern art design, Ms. Sun Yingying, 22, stayed at the school to be a trainee teacher, teaching graphic design. Last year, the exhibition of students' works that she curated drew favorable comments and praise from the principals and teachers at the school. Ms. Sun and her father were arrested together on the evening of October 23, 2013.
These teachers have made many significant contributions to society by educating these children, and have had a positive impact on many of the students and their families. These are teachers who don't seek fame and gain, but teach the students not to bully the weak, not to lie or cheat, but to be good people with Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
The CCP is trying to stop these good people from living good lives. Please take a look at the evil persecution happening in China today. Please do what you can to end it. Righteousness will prevail. These good teachers and students will certainly and quickly return to their work.
