(Minghui.org) I am a 54-year-old practitioner of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that teaches people to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. During the past 18 years of the persecution of Falun Gong, I have been imprisoned in various brainwashing centers, forced labor camps, and prison. Even now, I live away from home to avoid being arrested.
I have seen many people who know that the persecution is wrong and choose to stand by what is right. They are kind to the practitioners despite the government’s full-fledged propaganda defaming the practice. They support, protect, and help the practitioners in various circumstances. The following are some of the stories.
Students Protect Me from the Police
I used to teach in an elementary school. One day in 2004 several police officers came to my class wanting to “verify some facts” with me. I refused to talk to them. They sent a teacher to persuade me to leave the classroom. I told her that I had done nothing wrong and didn’t want them to interrupt my class. The teacher whispered and warned me that they were about to take me away.
My students all knew about the persecution and why it was wrong. Knowing that the authorities were about to take me away, they were angered and worried. When they offered to protect me from the police, I cried. I decided to leave school early that day. Dozens of students came with me. They surrounded me and walked me out of the school.
The police and school authorities kept my students after school and demanded to know my whereabouts. My kids weren’t scared, and simply answered, “We don’t know.”
Two months later I went back to school, and they rushed to see me like seeing a long-lost family member. They screamed and laughed and cried. The girls grabbed my hands and wouldn’t let go. I will never forget that day in my life.
Cellmates Give Falun Gong Their Best Wishes
I was imprisoned in a detention center in 2006 because I talked to my students about Falun Gong. One of the cellmates, Mizhen [alias], used to be a high-level business manager. She was highly educated, kind, and got along with everyone. The day I arrived she told me that she had Falun Gong founder Master Li Hongzhi’s articles, a watch, and some bedding for me. She said, “A practitioner, before she left, asked me to keep them for the next practitioner here.” I was very happy to be able to read Falun Gong articles and know when to clear my thoughts.
We had to perform labor-intensive work every day, and assemble a lot of lighters. Mizhen was very quick and often did more than she was asked to. As a result she was given food and drinks as rewards. She always shared with everyone, including the practitioners. We talked to her about Falun Gong whenever we had a chance.
One day we made a lot more lighters than we were required to and the guards ordered a few dishes and beers for us. I toasted with water, “I hope everyone goes home early and safely and brings the teachings of Falun Gong to her family and friends.” Mizhen toasted back, “I sincerely wish that Falun Gong will be redressed, and the evil eliminated!” Everyone laughed and clapped.
Before I left the detention center, a young girl left a note on my notebook, “I wish you success in your practice.”
Thumbs-up from a Prison Inmate
I was put in a women’s prison in 2007. Most inmates there were ethnic minorities, who were simple and kind. They had to do a lot of heavy labor outside of the cell, and chores in the cell when they returned. They were constantly exhausted.
I wasn’t allowed to leave the cell because I refused to renounce Falun Gong. I decided to help them with their chores so that they could relax. I cleaned every part of the cell, stacked the plates when they came back, and did the dishes and cleaned up. Every Sunday I helped them write letters home and used the principles of Falun Gong to teach them how not to violate these principles in the future. They liked what I said and learned that the persecution was wrong. One day, when an inmate realized that I was a practitioner during a conversation, she gave me a thumbs-up and said, “Falun Gong is the best!”
The two inmates the guards arranged to watch me were very nice to me too. They never reported on me and helped practitioners when we were in need.
Prison Guard Demands Rights for Me
One day in 2008 I asked to see guard B to discuss my concerns. She was alone in the office and through the conversation I felt that she was a nice person with a good upbringing. I began by telling her how I started practicing and how the persecution was wrong. She didn’t stop me until half an hour later when other guards returned from dinner. I knew that she was protecting me. I later learned that she had met many practitioners and learned about the persecution. She never participated in the persecution or mistreated the practitioners.
The prison rules didn’t allow practitioners to buy food or make phone calls if they refused to give up their faith. During the Chinese New Year when other inmates were shopping in a supermarket, the practitioners had no extra food. The guards confiscated any food items from practitioners if they found them.
One day an inmate passed me a message, “Guard B asked if you wanted to make a phone call.” Of course I did. I hadn’t talked to my family in over four years!
A few days later guard B told me that the other guards were too harsh and wouldn’t allow Falun Gong practitioners to purchase food during the holidays. “I will protect your rights,” she told me. The next day she had someone purchase food for me.
Many Falun Gong practitioners, after they served their prison terms, were sent to brainwashing centers, where torture continued because they refused to give up the practice. Shortly before I served my term guard B told me, “Don’t ever come back here again after you leave. You know how it is here.” I thanked her and promised her that I would never return.
The day I was released, she came, though it wasn’t her duty to. I asked her to walk me out and she agreed. She carried my bag to the gate and asked the person who picked me up, “Where are you taking her?” The person promised to take me directly home. She then said that I was the best inmate the prison ever had.
