It does not matter whether you are my relatives or friends, my neighbors or hometown residents. It doesn't even matter if you do not know me at all. The only thing that matters to me is my hope that after you read this letter, you will feel compelled to think about the meaning of life. I do not know how to use beautiful words, nor do I know how to talk big. What I will show you is my heart, that of a Falun Dafa practitioner. I want to say in all sincerity that Falun Dafa exceeds modern science and that I have indeed benefited from practicing Falun Dafa.

My body and spirit have changed greatly since I have cultivated myself according to "Zhen-Shan-Ren" (Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance), the underlying principles of Falun Dafa. All my chronic diseases have disappeared and I became cheerful. In every aspect, my competitive mentality and past selfishness have been replaced now with tolerance and consideration of others. All the people around me tell me that I have changed. My sister, the youngest among six sisters, also practices Falun Dafa. The drastic change in her body and mind is even more convincing. My sister had suffered greatly from various types of illness for over ten years. She suffered great pain everyday. In December 1996, she was diagnosed to have ovarian tumors. Nine days later, she had two extensive surgeries. Eight tumors were removed. The doctor told her to closely watch her health, have drugs implanted in her body, and undergo radiation-and-chemotherapy. After the surgery, she experienced endless sorrow and suffering throughout her whole body. The expensive treatments and costs for medicine were devouring her family's savings, money that her family never dared to spend on luxuries. When the family could no longer afford to pay for the treatments, she lost the courage to live. She decided to stop all the treatments and wait to die at home. In August 1998, she got to know Falun Dafa and started to cultivate herself by following the principles of "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance." In as little as ten days, a miracle happened. All the pain and suffering in her body disappeared and her once hunched back also became straight. Although all her reproductive organs were already removed, she started to have normal monthly periods. What was deemed impossible by modern medicine actually occurred right in front of us. This demonstrates that Falun Dafa is beyond modern science. Seeing the miracles that had happened to her, one person after another joined the people who were practicing Falun Dafa.

When our parents were seriously ill (and during the subsequent funeral), my three sisters and I, who are all Dafa practitioners, took the lead in taking care of my mother and providing financial help. All the conflicts that we had in this big family of eight children [6 sisters and 2 brothers] dissipated like the clouds in the sky.

In July 1999, the disaster (the persecution on Falun Gong) began in China. Several evil persons started to use their ill-attained power to crackdown on Falun Dafa and its practitioners. All the television stations, radio stations and newspapers were mobilized to take part in the smear campaign. Many lies were fabricated. False accusations were heaped on our Teacher and Falun Dafa practitioners. All these wrongful actions have deceived and misled scores of people.

In the past year, thousands and thousands of Dafa practitioners gave up their own safety and went to appeal to the government and the general population in hopes that people would wake up from the cloud of lies. I remember that Teacher Li said on November 21, 2000, in his speech at the Western US Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference of Falun Dafa, "During the time when the evil came in an overwhelming way, a lot of people were fooled by the vicious fabrications and deceitful lies; they had hatred toward Dafa and my disciples; those people were fated for elimination in the future; yet even with that being the case, by presenting the truth we've enabled them to know the facts and get rid of their previous views and evil thoughts, and it's very likely that they can be saved."

During this period, in the face of genuine tribulations, my sister and I, like numerous other practitioners, have not wavered in our belief. On the contrary, all the tribulations make us even more convinced that a lie is still a lie, even if it is repeated a thousand times -- and the truth is still the eternal truth, even after undergoing all the tests. I also got a better understanding of the preciousness of life. Every Dafa practitioner is putting all of his or her life's effort into letting people awaken to their good conscience that has been buried for a long time, so that kind-hearted people shall know and cultivate Dafa and embark on their journey of returning to his or her true selves. Spreading Dafa to the people in the world, I will firmly go along my chosen path of cultivation, no matter how difficult it is. This is also the happiest time in my life.

In this period of time, Falun Dafa practitioners have been fearlessly and selflessly spreading the truth to the various levels of governments and to the population at large. However, what we have received from the government in return is illegal detention, torture, and sentences to labor camps or prisons. Many Dafa practitioners have been beaten to death or died from other brutal tortures while in custody. Being in adversity and enduring various degrees of torturing, we practitioners are still using our compassion to awaken people to their good nature.

One practitioner, a 29-year old female college student, was illegally detained in Xingtang County Detention Center of Shijiazhuang City in Hebei Province. The guards pierced her nipples with metal wires and then connected the wires to an electric generator to electro-shock her. She was in intolerable pain and screamed from the suffering. It was too horrible to watch and listen to. No matter how unfairly we are treated, every Dafa practitioner can still hold him or herself to the standard of not hitting or swearing back after being hit or sworn at, and are still trying to use his or her great compassion and forbearance to enlighten people's good nature. However, none of the criminals who have beaten people to death were punished -- on the contrary, they got promoted and rewarded. It is crystal clear who is right and who is wrong.

Because of our persistent effort in letting people know the truth, my sister and I have been illegally detained in Shijiazhuang City Labor Camp for over a year. There are more than a hundred Falun Dafa practitioners detained here, who account for over one third of the members of the No. 4 Brigade in the labor camp. Among the practitioners are workers, peasants, officials, intellectuals, government servants, police officers, and private entrepreneurs.

My sister often mentions that her life has been given to her by the Fa (the law of the universe) and she should selflessly pass on what she has obtained to kind-hearted people by letting "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance," the principles of the universe, light up their lives. To awaken people's conscience and to demand the release of all illegally detained practitioners, we started a hunger strike in the labor camp. Because of the hunger strike, we were punished. For 45 days, more than 12 hours a day, they forced us to stand against a wall. This happened even under the scorching sun, and also during the days when the stormy winds, carrying sands and dust, were on a rampage. Because of all that standing, 50 practitioners' legs swelled up and some fainted. On April 25, 2000, to commemorate this special day, several dozen Dafa practitioners practiced in the yard. As you know, on April 25, 1999, more than ten thousand Dafa practitioners went to appeal to the Central Government in front of Zhongnanhai [the headquarters and residential area of the Central Government leaders]. When seeing us practicing, the camp leaders and common prisoners came up to us, swarming around us they started another round of violent tortures. They became frantic and never stopped beating and cursing. Our Dafa practitioners who had suffered so much and almost had reached the maximum limit of their tolerance, failed to awaken even a tiny bit of the conscience of the camp leaders and the prisoners. They are still unknowingly ruining themselves by following the orders of Jiang Zemin.

In March 2000, in nine days I was inhumanely tied up three times in a special way, a severe type of torture. Altogether, I had been tied up four times in that month. I remembered that it happened on March 25, 2000. Several labor camp leaders surrounded me and I quickly realized that they were ready to torture me. They claimed that I was leading the practitioners. Two male guards took turns beating me. They held down my head between their legs and fiercely pushed me while they were speaking dirty and disgusting curses. Then they tied me up with all their strength. At that moment I had only one thought: I should keep the unshakable heart. While they were tying me up, they breathed heavily. After tying me up they took turns slapping my face. Ever since that day, my blood rose and ranged from 80 to 140 mmHg to 140 to 110 mmHg and I had a headache for more than 40 days. Many other Dafa practitioners were also beaten and shocked with electric batons and clubs, and slapped on the buttocks. The buttocks of many practitioners thus became dark purple. Even so, they forced us to walk in formation. Some practitioners were tied up consecutively so many times that the ropes wore out. Under the extreme torture that made my life worse than death, I suddenly realized that I would never give even the smallest number of government leaders the excuse that Dafa practitioners would "commit suicide." No matter how much pain I am going to suffer, I will never commit suicide. To reveal the truth and expose the evilness, being able to suffer in the human world is the happiest thing to me. At the same time, I also ask my friends and relatives to be my witness: if I die in prison some day, it is them who killed me, because the principle of Dafa prohibits "committing suicide." Please hold on to this justice for me!

These severe tortures only made me more determined in practicing Falun Dafa and cherishing every living being. Perhaps, being weak in physical strength, I cannot protect Dafa by myself. However, I will do my best to protect and encourage my fellow practitioners. I will use my limited but precious life to tell people what the truth is.

Families and friends: you may ask, is it worthwhile for you to sacrifice so much? My friends who are in the tumult of human conflicts, who are experiencing the human partings, reunions, sorrows and joys, and who are painfully struggling with illness, you know that in the endless journey of life there are still many people who are seeking for the true meaning of life. Here I tell you from the bottom of my heart that Falun Dafa is the truth! This is what the thousands and thousands of Dafa practitioners are trying to tell you while they are forced to leave their families and are bearing the severest torture.

I will tell all my family and friends about the most sacred and wonderful Falun Dafa. Please cherish this present, rare opportunity! Extend your help to Dafa, and help to promote Dafa.

Liu Juhua

November 2000

Editor's note:

In December 2000, 99 practitioners detained in the No. 4 Brigade of Shijiazhuang City Labor Camp filed a class action lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for his abuse of power, for his violation of the Chinese Constitution, and for his crimes of murdering more than one hundred Dafa practitioners. Dafa practitioner Liu Juhua and Zhu Hong were illegally arrested for submitting this lawsuit. They were labeled as criminals and accused of committing "a crime of slandering," and were jailed in Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center. It was the Xinhua District Court of Shijiazhuang City that handled the suit.

A brief about Liu Juhua and Liu Caihua:

Liu Juhua is a 50-year old lady. She was transferred on November 15, 1999 from Kaiping Labor Camp of Tangshan City (in Hebei Province} to the No. 4 Brigade of Shijiazhuang City Labor Camp.

Liu Caihua is one of Liu Juhua's sisters. Liu Caihua was previously an official of Tangshan City Steel and Iron Company. She holds a Bachelor's degree. Her home phone number is 315-2813929, and pager 126-8028482. Her home address is Jian'gong Building 119-1-7, Lunan District, Tangshan City. She went to Beijing to appeal on July 20, 1999, on September 6, 1999, and on September 29, 1999. On November 1, 1999, she was illegally sentenced to three years of detention in a labor camp. She was detained in Kaiping Labor Camp of Tangshan City. On November 15, 1999, she was transferred to the No. 4 Brigade of Shijiazhuang City Labor Camp, together with Dafa practitioner Liang Shuxiang and her sister Liu Juhua.

The address of Shijiazhuang City No. 2 Detention Center is 23 Beijiao Street, Shijiazhuang City, 050051 (postal office code), phone number, 311-7755213, 7794374, or 7794348.

The Detention Center Chief is Du Xilin, 311-7755213.

The political instructor is Zhang Hongqi, 311-7755202.

The associate detention center chief is Wang Zhibin, 311-7755202.

The phone numbers of Xinhua District Court of Shijiazhuang City are 311-7029482, 7029474, 7899294, and 7039247.

The phone number of the personnel on duty is 311-7038637, office number, 311-7039433; Political Work Office, 311-7019304; Criminal Court, 311-7018949; Economy Court, 311-7019174; Administrative Court, 311-7039246; Shigang Court, 311-7756330; Enforcement Court, 311-7821374, 7046835, and 7018847; Union Court, 311-7761839 and 7720342.

The phone number of Xingtang County Detention Center of Hebei Province is 311-2981316.

The address of the No. 4 Brigade of Shijiazhuang City Labor Camp is 8 Gaoji Street, Shijiazhuang City, 050061 (postal office code).

The chief of No. 4 Brigade is Shang Changming, whose phone number is 311-7793644 and 7780336.

The Administrative Office is 311-7777689 ext. 663.

The phone number of No. 2 team is 311-7777689 ext. 666.

The guard of the No. 2 team is Li Zhenping, 0311-7779557.

Provided by practitioners from Mainland China

April 10, 2001