\(Clearwisdom.net) My name is Zhang Qinghui and I am 58 years old. I was originally employed at the Baoding Film Factory. In April 1996 I was fortunate to begin practicing Falun Gong. Prior to practicing Falun Gong I had hepatitis, nephritis, and other illnesses. Due to my weak body and lingering sickness, I was unable to do my normal job or study, and just suffered the hardships of the illnesses. I sought medicine and medical treatment in every possible way, and had practiced several types of qigong, but they all failed to help me or improve my condition. Yet, not long after practicing Falun Gong, my hepatitis pain disappeared and my urinary tract system returned to normal. Having practiced Falun Gong and studied the Fa [Law and principles, the teaching of Falun Dafa], my body became very comfortable, energetic, and full of vigor. I obtained great benefits from Falun Gong's marvelous effects by keeping fit, expelling sickness, and building a healthier body. I was therefore diligent in doing the exercises and Fa-study together with fellow practitioners, and spreading Falun Dafa, bringing honor to the practice.
On July 20, 1999, when the persecution of Falun Dafa began, I went to Beijing to appeal for understanding regarding Falun Dafa and was illegally arrested and taken back to Baoding. After returning to Baoding, my employer threatened me with a layoff or firing.
On February 9, 2001, when I was distributing flyers explaining the truth of Falun Dafa, the authorities illegally abducted me, and I was imprisoned for three months, during which time I suffered all kinds of mistreatment and insults. After being released I learned that my family paid 8,700 yuan to get me released.
In July 2001 I returned to my hometown, Liangzhai Village, Wenren Township, Qingyuan County. I continued to explain the facts of Falun Dafa by distributing truth-clarifying materials and Dafa books. I told the villagers of the grandeur of Dafa, based on my own personal experiences. At the same time I exposed Jiang's and his group's slander of Falun Dafa, and helped fellow villagers understand the truth of Dafa. I also shared experiences with those practitioners who had not yet stepped out to validate the Fa. We went out together to eliminate the evil by putting up posters, distributing flyers, and doing the three things that Dafa disciples are supposed to do [study the Fa, explain the facts of Dafa and the persecution and send righteous thoughts].
During the night of July 20, 2001, I was abducted a second time, and all truth-clarification materials and Dafa books were taken from my home. I was taken to the Wenren Township government building and subjected to cruel beatings. Later, after being detained in that building for three days because of my inability to pay the 8,000 yuan "fines" that the enforcers demanded, I was sent to a brainwashing center in a northern urban district of Baoding. I was handcuffed as soon as I arrived and hung on a window frame by the handcuffs. I was left in this painful position, unable to turn for the whole day and night. I was not let down until the guards came to work the following day. By then the skin on my wrists was torn, my arms were swollen, and I could not walk.
I was illegally kept at the brainwashing center for a week, and was interrogated every other day. One time the police attempted to reform me ["reforming" is forcing one to renounce Falun Gong]. I told them the facts of my own experience with Falun Dafa. The second time they threatened me, and demanded that I pay a fine of 5,000 yuan. I thought, although I don't have the money, I am not going to accept their attempt at reforming me! I know I ought to firmly continue the practice. Two days after, they sent me to the Baoding City Dongjiao Detention Center. That was my second time being in that detention center.
As soon as I entered the detention center, two people pushed me into a room with more than thirty people. Because toilet breaks were forbidden, plus with so many people being there, the temperature was quite high and one could hardly breathe. The prison warden ordered several people to brutally beat me, stating that it was on orders from higher authorities.
After being cruelly beaten I felt dizzy. I could not bend my legs and I was unable to walk steadily. I was persecuted in this manner for over three months. Because I did not give up the practice, nor give them any sense that I was being reformed, I was sent to the Bali Village Forced Labor Camp in a southern urban district of Baoding for two years.
The camp head forced me to do the work of washing clothes. That day more than ten Falun Gong practitioners were abducted and brought there. All of us were forced to work continuously until after midnight. The next day some guards and other personnel conducted an unlawful interrogation. I told them that people had been mislead about Dafa because of the fabrications and propaganda spread in the media, and that the purpose of our distributing flyers is merely to let the people know the facts. I told them that Falun Gong does not try to seize any power or position, and that it is a great qigong practice for keeping fit, expelling sickness, and building a healthy body. I continued by saying that the practice teaches one to be kind, by practicing Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance), and practitioners strive to become genuinely good people. I told them the reason I distributed flyers was to eliminate the misunderstandings about Falun Gong. They had nothing to say in reply.
I was imprisoned under such conditions for over a year, and was released on February 12, 2002.
When I arrived back to home, my small yard and room were empty -- nothing was left. I went to talk to my employers at the factory. They ignored me and even verbally abused me. In those days it was really difficult to make a living, because the only recourse I had was to depend on my brothers, younger sister, other relatives, and my friends. With their support I got by. Because my wife was sick and needed to be looked after, I could not work out of town, and had no money to even buy vegetables. Because of the abuse I had suffered in detention, I was physically quite weak, extremely skinny and frail, and more dead than alive. Although being faced with such difficulties, I certainly would not give up the practice, and I still filled my heart with Dafa. I held the book Zhuan Falun [the principle text of Falun Dafa], faced Master's portrait and said, "Master, I am Zhang Qinghui. As long as I have one breath, as long as I am alive, even if I have to beg for food, I will still practice Falun Gong. I will never go back on my promise."
I did what I promised. To this day, I have never skipped my Fa-study and exercises. Whenever my wife would get a little better, I read to her from Zhuan Falun, and we sent forth righteous thoughts and studied the Fa together. Later my wife recovered and my family became more harmonious. With Teacher's Dafa [great Law], his published lectures and guidance, a big tribulation like this was cleared up.
For these past five years on this road of practicing Falun Dafa, I have experienced many difficulties and have navigated a rough, uneven path. I encountered many kinds of troubles and setbacks, but I also learned many lessons, had many inspirations, accomplished certain goals, and steadily improved myself. During these years I also walked tortuous stretches along the path, which was due to my lack of Fa-study and because of ordinary people's notions and attachments that I still had not let go of. Every time this happened, the problems were resolved by Fa-study, from reading Teacher's lectures, or with the help of fellow practitioners.
These are my experiences during my five years of Falun Dafa practice. Please point out any misunderstandings I might have.
