(Clearwisdom Net)
Hong Kong is a popular place for tourists from Mainland China, and also the only place under China's rule where the people can legally practice Falun Gong. In Hong Kong, the Falun Gong practitioners have been explaining the true situation about the persecution of Falun Gong to travelers, rain or shine every day for years. On September 4, 2004, an Epoch Times correspondent made a special report on the issue, "What are they doing? -- Falun Gong in Hong Kong." The article follows.
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So tourists could see the video, Falun Gong practitioners made this "TV frame" using ready-made materials.
Ms. Zhou Sheng has been coming here, to a spot halfway up the mountain on Hong Kong Island, every afternoon for two years. On the day she agreed to be interviewed, the journalist noticed that the local workers called out her name and greeted her from a distance. The traffic-cops who check her ID everyday also greeted her in a friendly manner.
Zhou Sheng
Ms. Zhou Sheng says it is, "a way of moving peoples' hearts, a sacred work to clarify the facts about the persecution to people" when she unties the knots of misinformation in their hearts by telling people the facts.
Many people don't understand why Falun Gong practitioners keep trying to clarify the truth to travelers from Mainland China. Ms. Zhou said the persecution against Falun Gong started on the mainland, and many people there have been deceived by lies. The situation there is extremely bad under this persecution, and it has been the cause of at least one thousand deaths by torture in China, so it is necessary to speak out about the true situation to the people from Mainland in this peaceful way.
Ms. Zhou remarks, "It is a way of moving peoples' hearts. It is a sacred work to clarify the truth to people" and gives her opportunities to untie the knots of misinformation in the hearts of Hong Kong residents or compatriots from the mainland by telling them the facts. "When someone is falling into the abyss, we need, without selfishness, to rush to save that person's life. It has given me a sense of sacredness and a sense of responsibility for life," said Ms. Zhou.
Upon being asked why she felt that those who didn't know the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong were "standing on the edge of a cliff," Ms. Zhou explained, "A person could hate Falun Gong because he or she was misled by lies and might therefore do something against his or her own inclination to otherwise be compassionate, open and aboveboard, impartial and righteous. Everyone should be responsible for what he/she does. Under such a circumstance, this person would be an ignorant victim."
Regarding some residents' assumptions that what the practitioners are doing is promoting Falun Gong, Ms. Zhou replied, "Actually we are exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. We have no political intentions. We are calling for a stop to this persecution. We wouldn't step out to speak out about the truth to the world if Falun Gong were not being persecuted."
Speaking of the difficulties at the site, she said that in the beginning some of the local workers didn't understand and confiscated their TV for showing a VCD. They had to explain what they were doing to the relevant department and emphasize that their actions are a legal way to communicate with tourists and residents. Only in limited situations would they clarify the truth in this way. "Now they understand us more and more," Ms. Zhou added.
Ms. Zhou said that the attitude of tourists from the mainland has improved. Some of them even told her, "Falun Gong is truly amazing." Sometimes a person would say they, too, do the practice at home. In addition, some travelers encourage them to keep it up and believe Jiang Zemin will be sentenced sooner or later. It is publicly known that Jiang has been sued by Falun Gong practitioners for "Genocide, Tortures and Crimes Against Humanity" in courts in the US, Germany, Belgium, Korea and other countries.
Of course, they have also met those who were against what they were doing. Ms. Zhou mentioned that some travelers snatched flyers and ripped them up, cursing the practitioners by saying, "Earn income from spreading flyers" or "Supported by foreign powers," and glaring at them. Upon hearing the explanation, they might not change their minds immediately, but after passing through a few sites, they would start thinking it over. One day some tourists asked her about the advantages of practicing Falun Gong.
Along with Zhou Sheng, Ms. Lu Jie comes to the practice site on top of the mountain. She said many Chinese tourists were unaware of the inhumane persecution against Falun Gong in China. Influenced by propaganda in a society where "What authorities say is true," Falun Gong's voice has been muffled, so the Mainland Chinese have no opportunity to know the true story about the persecution. If more people know the truth, the persecution won't be that intense, because most of them won't intentionally abuse good people. Ms. Lu said many of the tourists were touched after reading the materials. The Chinese have experienced so many political movements and deceptions that they will immediately understand it once they read the true story.
Ms. Lu Jie comes to the practice site on the top of the mountain to clarify the
truth everyday
Ms. Lu Jie feels that people have changed during the years that they have been clarifying the truth. In the beginning, many Chinese tourists were mentally resistant, but now they are coming to understand what is happening, as "truth wins out." She added that some tourists were very happy to see the banners "Bring Jiang to Justice" or the pictures and the display boards, because apart from the persecution of Falun Gong, Jiang does many bad things. None of the common people like Jiang.
"Such a large scale persecution won't be forgotten by history, which has been witness to all of this. All of those who have participated in the persecution will be held accountable." Lu Jie continued, "For instance, concerning the SARS issue last year, some Chinese officials neglected their duties. One year later, because of investigations, they have had to take responsibility. It is a miserable lesson."
"What we are doing today is not asking for justice for ourselves. We just hope those people won't have a horrible future because of the awful deeds they're doing today. We cultivate Truth, Compassion and Tolerance. Being compassionate means helping everyone walk his or her path of life well."
Since the Chinese authorities started persecuting Falun Gong in July 1999, the practitioners living near Immortal Huang's Temple began telling the residents and travelers the facts of the persecution in China. One of them is Ms. Zhang Zihong.
Ms. Zhang Zihong says most of tourists now understand the truth of persecution of Falun Gong in China.
Ms. Zhang Zihong
Journalist: Some people say the Immortal Huang is a Taoist's Temple, and so you should not spread Falun Gong materials nearby. What do you think about this?
Zhang: I don't think it is a problem. The Immortal Huang is a tourist spot in Hong Kong. The persecution of Falun Gong is an issue of human rights. We hope the people from Mainland China have the opportunity to know the true story. Because of the news blockade in the Mainland, the people can't see it over there.
Journalist: What is their response?
Zhang: Many visitors to the temple have met other practitioners already, so they often say, "We know it." In many cases, they would look at the display boards. Some of them were not brave enough to take a flyer, but they would read it and say, "I understand," or "We won't have opportunities to see this in China."
Journalist: Have you come across anything negative?
Zhang: Once some visitors snatched materials from our hands and threw them on the ground, viciously cursing us. In the beginning some tourists claimed the materials were "Anti-revolutionary" and refused to read them. But after hearing our explanations, they didn't refuse to learn about the truth of Falun Gong.
Now many of the tourists understand. Even if they don't take the flyers, few of them curse. Some of them even talk to us first, "We all know Jiang is bad. Jiang is jealous of the huge number of the people who practice Falun Gong!"
Journalist: It has been four years. Do you have any thoughts about that?
Zhang: In the beginning, I feel I was not compassionate enough. Upon hearing someone cursing Falun Gong, we were easily disturbed by it. But for years we have had calm minds and feel very sorry for those who don't know the truth about the persecution.
Journalist: Why do you want to let tourists know the truth?
Zhang: Because only good people will be rewarded with good. It is bad for them if they do anything bad to compassionate people. Those tourists might be Chinese police or common people. Due to the deception going on in China, it is quite possible that they will do bad deeds to Falun Gong practitioners. In that case, they ignorantly do what they would be unwilling to do if they knew the truth.
Many train passengers stopping in Hong Kong might have seen the truth-clarification site outside the station. Ms. Liang Huiyue has taken advantage her leisure time to volunteer at the site for the past three years. Ms. Liang said they are situated there because of the many visitors that pass by, "In China, a society of 'What authorities say is true,' the media reports about Falun Gong are nothing but lies and slander. We should clarity the truth to them. We told the visitors, 'Falun Gong is legal in HK, because of the 'One country, two systems' policy. Hong Kong is a ray of freedom, so they can feel at ease to learn the truth about Falun Gong."
Ms. Liang Huiyue clarifies the truth here in her leisure time.
Ms. Liang has a job and does this in her spare time, but she doesn't feel overburdened. In fact, she is very pleased to be able to do this. She said that in the beginning some tourists were very wild, snatching the materials, kicking the display boards and smashing the microphone. Some malicious visitors, perhaps Chinese KGB, even kicked practitioners in the stomach. However, Ms. Liang said the situation is now much better than before. Many of tourists accept the materials, and they express their sympathy to the practitioners at the site or give them a "thumbs up" in approval.
Ms. Zhang, who was one of those who was kicked in the stomach, told the journalist that a Chinese plainclothes policeman made a phone call to China right after he read the materials, "We were fooled! The self-immolation in Tiananmen Square was a setup!" After hearing the explanation, some Chinese police working at the "610 Office" lingered around the site, and asked the practitioners what they were supposed to do to make up for their past wrongdoings.
