(Minghui.org) Of the nearly 100 million people who took up the practice of Falun Gong in China in the 1990s, many were officers in the military, both active service and retired. A few of their stories follow.
Mr. Yang Xingfu, a deputy division-level officer, a colonel in the Nanjing Military Region, started practicing Falun Gong in July 1996. Before then, he had many illnesses, including lumbar disc herniation and other back problems, rheumatoid arthritis, sinusitis, suspected bladder cancer, and so on.
He often felt dizzy, tired, and the need to suddenly urinate. All his symptoms disappeared within two months after he began practicing Falun Gong. He felt newly refreshed and energized. He stopped taking medication and no longer needed other health care services.
Mr. Yang did his best to follow Falun Gong’s three core principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in his daily life. He became a much more caring and considerate person and his work was praised by his superiors.
He was selected as the best officer in his division in 1997 and placed third in his division in 1998. He went to Beijing to accept the award and give a speech at the awards ceremony. His story was told far and wide after a Beijing newspaper ran it as a full-page article.
Mr. Yang became healthier as well as more compassionate, tolerant and sincere. He experienced true health both physically and mentally.
His wife Chen Chunmei was a head-nurse at Nanjing Children's Hospital. She too used to suffer many illnesses including hepatitis B, facial paralysis sequelae, gastrointestinal diseases, and cholecystitis.
After she started practicing Falun Gong in July 1996 with her husband, her symptoms disappeared within three months. She has not taken a pill since. She too was awarded for her good work and character.
Mr. Fang Zhiwen was Chief of Operations of Nanjing Corps. He held the rank of colonel. He was born in a small rural village and had six brothers and sisters. His family was poor.
He had various illnesses: gastric disorders (antral gastritis, gastric ulcer, gastroptosis, stomach cramps, gastric bleeding), dental diseases, anorectal diseases (anal fissure, prolapse of the anus, hemorrhoids), arthritis, migraine, urticaria, nephritis, and hepatitis.
Under the recommendation of a retired officer, Mr. Fang read the book Zhuan Falun, the main text of the practice of Falun Gong, in November 1996. He joined the local group practice at a large playground on the military compound.
He regained his health shortly thereafter. He became energized and easily handled overtime work. He has now not seen a doctor for over 20 years.
He follows Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in his daily life and strives to constantly become a better person. As a chief of operations of the military corps, he oversaw more than ten business offices in six provinces.
He never sought personal gain for himself or his relatives by taking advantage of the power that comes with his official post. He did not use army cars for personal business, even if it posed an inconvenience for him.
He participated in inspections from higher officials from army corps, headquarters, and central military commission. He participated in organizing several large conferences and events. But he never abused his power for personal interests.
Mr. Fang once rotated to the coast guard brigade as a deputy brigade director for ten months. He did not accept any of the “gifts” that many of his colleagues accepted from their subordinates in such a position, such as seafood or local handicrafts.
He donated personal funds to Anhui Province Hope Project office and to the canteen of his unit to buy a range hood.
Higher ups in the military dispatched someone to investigate him after the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999. His supervisors and colleagues all praised his character and honest personality. One said, “It would be great if all officials behave like him.”
Mr. Hu Jianhua from Qianjiang, Hubei joined the army in November 1979. He served as a commander, a chief of command management, and a major in rank. He participated in the Vietnam War and was acknowledged as a war hero.
Mr. Hu had various illnesses: hypertension, hyperlipemia, erosive gastritis, heart disease, coronary heart disease, migraine, cervical spondylosis, sinusitis, chronic pharyngitis, recurrent stomatitis, trachoma, tinnitus, dental caries, hemorrhoids, and sciatica.
He visited many doctors but still suffered many symptoms. His health did not improve so he finally retired from the military and took a job at Qiaokou Trade and Industry Bureau, Wuhan, Hubei in 1993.
His chronic illnesses caused a financial burden to his family and many conflicts with his wife. His poor health also had a negative impact on his work and his career.
One of his colleagues introduced Mr. Hu to Falun Gong in August 1995. Mr. Hu took up the practice and before long, all his illnesses were gone. He had no further need for the medication and injections that were a steady part of his life before.
He followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to become a better person. He worked hard and did not seek fame or personal interest. He strived to always consider others before himself.
Once he went to buy supplies for his work unit. The shop owner gave him 72 extra pieces of soaps in error. Mr. Hu returned them to the shop after finding out. The shop owner said emotionally, “It is hard to find someone so good like you nowadays. Falun Gong is awesome.”
Once he went to buy beef for his work unit and found one bag was missing. He spent his own money of more than 100 yuan ($16) to make up the loss. To improve the food quality of the canteen, he worked hard and went shopping at a wholesale market to reduce cost.
His work unit assigned a tricycle to him and allowed him to drive it home. He followed the rules and never took advantage of it. His work unit allocated apartments. He did not get one and did not complain though some who joined his work unit later than him did.
There are many such examples. Mr. Hu wanted to be a better person. His hard work and thinking of others first won praise from his colleagues. He was recognized as a model worker and excellent civil servant every year.
Corrupt officials have been very commonplace in China since the 1980s. High ranking officials who were recently arrested and sentenced to prison had truck-loads of jade, jewelry, gold, and/or foreign currency accumulated from the bribes they had exacted from those over whom they had power. Most officials in China do not work for the people, but instead, abuse their power to build personal fortunes.
However, the officials described in this article followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and did not abuse their power in search of self-interest. Their kindness and sincerity have had an impact on all who know them.
Unfortunately, Jiang Zemin, then head of the Chinese Communist Party, initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. These respected and good people were persecuted: forced to retire from military, imprisoned, or even killed.
Mr. Yang Xingfu was detained and incarcerated in a forced labor camp three times for a total of six years. His wife Chen Chunmei was detained three times and incarcerated in a forced labor camp for one year.
They were taken to brainwashing sessions many times. Officials ransacked their home more than ten times. In December 2016, Chen Chunmei died as a result of the persecution she endured. She was 62 years old.
Mr. Fang was forced to retire from the military in 2000. He was detained and incarcerated in a forced labor camp.
Mr. Hu Jianhua was dismissed from his job and disqualified from further public service. He was held in a brainwashing center twice. He was incarcerated in a forced labor camp for one year. He was imprisoned for seven and a half years. He suffered various tortures along the way.
Falun Gong was first publicly introduced in 1992. Nearly 100 million people across China were soon practicing Falun Gong after experiencing improvements in their health and character. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Gong on July 20, 1999.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in the persecution over the past 18 years. The actual number is suspected to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith. Evidence shows that the CCP harvests organs from detained practitioners, who are killed in the process, to supply the organ transplantation industry.
Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong. Countless practitioners and their families have suffered as a result.
(Continued in Part 2)