I just heard a friend who works at a TV station in Mainland China complain about the "reaction" of his employer to the broadcast in Changchun of the truth about Falun Gong. To guard against similar incidences, his TV station put a picture of Falun Gong's founder at a spot that everyone had to pass when entering or leaving, and forced them to tread on it. The picture was monitored by a person full-time; if anybody refused to do as demanded, he would be treated as a Falun Gong practitioner and be detained on the spot. This friend also said in disbelief, that it was hard to imagine that Falun Gong practitioners could be "truthful" to such an extent that a gimmick like this would work. He was also grumpy that all his colleagues at the TV station had been monitored like convicts; besides, they had to tread on a stranger's picture against their conscience. I really didn't know what to say upon hearing his words.
It is well-known that Falun Gong preaches Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, but I had been doubtful whether it was for real or not. From this episode, it seems certain that when it comes to pursuing Truthfulness, it is for real; otherwise, who would be so stupid? Before, I had heard that it was the easiest job for police to catch Falun Gong practitioners. All they needed to do was to ask whether the person practiced Falun Gong. Those who were real practitioners would answer "yes." Since those people would never say anything untruthful or tread on the picture of their Master, even at the cost of being detained, the police could identify them from one remark or picture. However, for such a dignified place as a national TV station, isn't it true that its resorting to such a device is the same as openly admitting to everyone, "Falun Gong practitioners tell the truth?" And I couldn't figure out whether this was guarding against Falun Gong or promoting it.
In the long-running propaganda battle between Jiang--and behind him, the whole state machinery at his disposal--and Falun Gong, I had been confused over who was telling the truth and who was telling lies. The story about the TV station, however, did help me understand. Although Falun Gong adherents should have been more flexible on this, rather than being honest in those circumstances, when doing so would put their personal safety at risk, their courage was truly admirable for me. No wonder back in August, 2000, there were two Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Zhu Kaiming from Hong Kong and Mr. Wang Jie from Beijing, who were so courageous that they openly delivered their letter to the Chinese Supreme Court accusing Jiang of the illegal persecution against Falun Gong. Of course, they were immediately rounded up in secret. Needless to say, those two people were a bit too na ve, that they were willing to risk prison, for these days, who would believe the mainland government was really serious about its "rule of law?" But after all, this was not something an ordinary, faint-hearted person was able to do, and it was an act that was truly commendable. Actually, the fact that the Falun Gong founder has mentored such honest-speaking students is definitely gratifying to him in person.
We are often told by the mainland government that somebody has leaked state secrets, but isn't it true that this plot by a national TV station leaked a highly classified state secret? Who would be deluded by them in the future?
