Linli County, Hunan Province: Falun Gong Practitioners Treat “Zero Out” Campaign Personnel with Compassion

(Minghui.org) To carry out the “zero out” campaign against Falun Gong practitioners, the residential committee staff members, the local police officers, and personnel from various levels of the 610 Offices across Linli County, Changde City, Hunan Province, have actively harassed and arrested Falun Gong practitioners since September 2021. 

The campaign is a nationwide coordinated effort aimed to force every practitioner on the government’s list to renounce their faith. In Linli County, most of the targeted practitioners treated the involved personnel with compassion and righteousness. Many people changed their attitudes as a result.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Refusing to Renounce Falun Gong

Mr. Fu Jianping, 59, was twice sentenced to prison, in 2005 and 2013, respectively, for a total of 11 years for his faith in Falun Gong. He filed a motion to reconsider the two previous prison terms on October 1, 2021. The director of the neighborhood committee received a copy of his motion a few days later and called him to say an official from the county Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLAC) would visit him. Mr. Fu declined to have the official come to his home and said that he would go to the neighborhood committee instead.

Mr. Fu went to the neighborhood committee on October 25. Wan Dongming, the director of the county 610 Office, who also is the deputy secretary of the PLAC, was there. Wan told Mr. Fu that the provincial officials would come to the county government the day after and ordered him to admit that he had given up practicing Falun Gong.

Mr. Fu became emotional and said, “As a man, how can I tell lies? I believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. I cannot tell lies to deceive anyone.”

Seeing his firm attitude, Wan gave up.

73-Year-Old Harassed Three Times

Ms. Jiang Zongdian, 73, was harassed three times, in September, October, and November of 2021, respectively. More than ten people were involved, including the staff members from the Sijihong Residential Committee, officials from the township government and the County Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and the police from various levels. Ms. Jiang did not give in to their intimidation and told them how she had benefited from practicing Falun Gong.

These people warned her that if she didn’t renounce Falun Gong, one of her grandsons graduating from college would not be allowed to sit for the civil servant exam and her other grandson graduating from high school could not take the college entrance exam. 

Ms. Jiang peacefully told them, “I have been practicing Falun Gong for more than 20 years, and I have no illnesses. I’ve become a good person by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I have not broken any laws. Why would I affect my grandsons’ future?”

“My sister-in-law was forced to give up Falun Gong a few years ago in order for her grandson to have a ‘clean’ political background during his military entrance examination. However, not only did her grandson fail the political background check, but she and her husband (my brother) also got very sick and had to be hospitalized every year. My brother became paralyzed after a stroke and died last year. My sister-in-law was paralyzed too this year and was hospitalized. Now she is unconscious. This is the consequence of giving up Falun Gong practice! My children and grandchildren have their own destinies, and my practicing Falun Gong will only bring them blessings. If my older grandson can’t get a job as a civil servant, he can still work elsewhere. As long as he follows the righteous path and is a good person, any kind of job will be fine.”

Ms. Jiang remains firm and the officials eventually stopped bothering her.

Greeting Perpetrators with Kindness

Two staff members from Sijihong Residential Committee came to Ms. Hu Yueying’s home one day in mid-November 2021. They told her that some officials from the county government would come to her home in the afternoon and ordered her not to go out.

Not long after they left, an official from the town office came. Then a dozen people showed up. Some entered the living room and some stood in the yard. A female official in her 40s from the city government sat down and asked Ms. Hu why she still practices Falun Gong. Ms. Hu replied peacefully with a smile: “I used to suffer from all kinds of illnesses and was admitted to many hospitals and took medicine for many years but to no avail. My aunt took me to see witches and visit temples. I also tried other kinds of qigong but still failed to find a cure. I am 5’3’’ tall but weighed less than 90 pounds. I sometimes could not do any housework. After I began to practice Falun Gong in 1998, I was free of all ailments after a month. Who does not want a healthy body? Practicing Falun Gong makes me kind to everyone around me, and I am happy to be free of illnesses and worries.”

The woman official asked, “Did you contact anyone in your neighborhood?” 

Ms. Hu replied with a smile, “I am a normal person. I would be a fool if I stopped contacting people after I practiced Falun Gong.” 

The female official added, “You are getting involved in politics.” 

Ms. Hu smiled, “We cultivate in society, the same way as people cultivate in the temples. We do not fight for power, or participate in politics.”

At that time, a young man began to take pictures of Ms. Hu with his cell phone. Ms. Hu said to him with a smile, “You better not take pictures. It’s not good for you!” Then he put his phone down.

Ms. Hu pointed to her mother-in-law and said, “Look, my mother-in-law is 92 years old, and she does Falun Gong exercises with me every morning. She is in good health and still can do housework.” Several people were in fact amazed by it. No one asked Ms. Hu to renounce Falun Gong after listening to her.

When Ms. Hu sent them off, she asked a man where he was from. He said that he was from the county PLAC and he would come back in a few days. But no one has come to her home since.

Arrested and Released on the Same Day

Five officers from Anfu Town Police Station, led by Pei Bo, the director of Sijihong Residential Committee, broke into Ms. Gan Dehui’s home at around 3:00 p.m. on December 9, 2021. Ms. Gan was doing Falun Gong meditation at the time with her door open. Once they entered, they took away the picture of Falun Gong’s founder from the table, one media player that she used to play the meditation music, and one media player that was charging. They forced Ms. Gan into the car and took her to the police station.

At the police station, an officer asked her to sit on a metal chair used for interrogation. Ms. Gan, 78, said to them, “I am a good person following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I am not sitting on this chair.” Then they asked her to sit on the sofa.

Another officer asked her why she practices Falun Gong. She replied, “I had cervical cancer, laryngitis, and severe stomach problems. I would have died already if I had not practiced Falun Gong. Falun Gong saved my life and it is a righteous practice. You are breaking the law by arresting good people. With the prevalence of disasters and pandemics, you should also think about your safety, as well as the safety of your loved ones.”

Another officer asked her, “Who gave you the SD cards with Falun Gong exercise music and Minghui radio?”

She answered, “They are my own.” 

Several police officers then pushed Ms. Gan into the car, took her to the police department, and forcefully took her fingerprints, footprints, and photos.

They drove her home at around 6:00 p.m.. She requested that they return the confiscated picture and the media players, but only got back the two players without the SD cards.

Police Left with Falun Gong Amulets

Director of the Anfu Residential Committee Huang Yufang and five police officers from the Anfu Police Station to Ms. Yang Mingfeng’s home on the morning of December 9, 2021. They asked Ms. Yang if she still practiced Falun Gong. She replied with a smile, “How could I stop such a good practice? I am almost 80 years old, and I remain in such good health thanks to Falun Gong.”

One of them asked her if she had a picture of Falun Gong’s Master or Falun Gong books. She said no.

They went straight up to the second floor and ordered her to open the drawers with the key. They found four amulets with the words “Falun Dafa is good” on them, which they took.

As they were leaving, Ms. Yang smiled and said, “You got the amulets today. I hope you all stay safe.” They all smiled and agreed.

A few days later, Huang twice notified Ms. Yang to go to the town police station, but she refused to.

Kindness Dissolves Harassment

Ms. Jin Xinchun, 67, is a retired employee of Linli County Radio and Television Bureau. Shen Shaogui, deputy director of Linli County Media Center Radio, and Kuang Linlin, an announcer, came to Ms. Jin’s home at 3 p.m. on December 22, 2021. Ms. Jin remembered that they came to harass her before October 1, Chinese National Day, and said, “What holiday is coming up? Are you two here to harass me again?”

They replied that the police asked her to go to the police station. She immediately refused, “I didn’t break the law. I won’t go.” 

Shen said, “If you do not go, they will come.” 

Ms. Jin replied seriously, “Do not let them come. My son would be distressed.” 

Shen then went outside to make a phone call.

Not long after, the deputy director of the domestic security division, Xiong (given name unknown), and Yan Hui, the deputy director of the county 610 Office, came to Ms. Jin’s home. She invited them into the living room and let them sit down. 

She said, “I suffered persecution for more than ten years and my family fell apart with both my husband and my elder son deceased while I was imprisoned. Now the pandemic is getting worse, targeting the bad people. You are still committing crimes against Falun Gong. I am really worried about your future.”

Xiong said, “The political commissar of the police department received some Falun Gong materials which were mailed from Shimen County. We confirmed from the surveillance video that you mailed it.” 

Ms. Jin replied, “I have not been to Shimen, and you don’t have to trick me. But I did send an appeal letter to Director Yang Gang and you.” 

Xiong said that he didn’t receive it and asked her not to mail any materials unrelated to her case or go out to distribute them. He reminded Ms. Jin that he met her when she was detained last year for giving out Falun Gong materials to people.

Ms. Jin told him, “You confiscated our materials last year, which was a crime. You should protect good people. Remember that, ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ and ‘Falun Dafa is good’ to be blessed for a good future. You are also victims in the persecution, and you should learn to protect yourselves.”

Sending them out, Mr. Jin said to Yan Hui, who was about the same age as her elder son who had passed away, “You have reminded me of my elder son every time I see you. You look like him, and both of you have a kind face. Kind people should not arrest good people.” 

Yan replied, “We don’t arrest good people.” 

Ms. Jin wished him happiness and peace. Yan returned the same with a smile.

73-Year-Old Woman Released an Hour After Arrest

A police car pulled over in front of Ms. Zou Guiying’s home at around 8:00 a.m. on December 29, 2021, when the 73-year-old woman was cleaning the front yard. Four police officers stepped out of the car and walked toward her. One asked her, “Have you mailed the letters?” Ms. Zou said no. He continued, “You went to Shimen county to mail the letters. The security cameras caught you.” They did not give her time to explain and forcibly pushed her into the police car.

They took Ms. Zou to Anfu Town Police Station and continued to question her. An officer took out a stack of envelopes and asked, “Where did you get these letters? Who gave them to you?” 

Ms. Zou replied, “The letters contained the truth that could save you.” 

A young policeman said, “We have the Communist Party to save us. We don’t need you!” 

Then she asked, “Aren’t you surprised that such a big pandemic is going on now? After more than twenty years of persecution of Falun Gong, do you still not understand the truth? Falun Gong is a Buddha Law, which is here to save people.”

Another policeman said, “Falun Gong is anti-Communist Party.” 

She said to them, “All the guns and ammunition are in the hands of the police and the military, and we are unarmed. It is Jiang Zemin (the former communist party head) and his gang who opposed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which led to such a big disaster.”

She continued to talk about the retribution stories of the officials that followed the CCP in history and those who actively persecuted Falun Gong.

“Now many public judicial officials and lawyers are speaking up for Falun Gong and are protecting Falun Gong practitioners. You young people know that there are policies from above and countermeasures from below, so don’t follow Jiang Zemin without leaving a way out for yourselves. You can raise your guns a centimeter higher so that you would not hurt any good people and also protect yourselves! God and Buddha will protect you in disasters!”

More than ten officers listened quietly to her. Several officers who were aggressive at the beginning no longer said anything. Finally, an officer said, “We know you will not betray your Master or fellow practitioners, but let’s go through the procedure – take your pictures and fingerprints.”

She did not cooperate and the police failed to get her fingerprints. More than an hour later, they drove her back home.