(Clearwisdom.net) Twelve years after the Falun Gong practitioners’ peaceful appeal in Beijing on April 25, 1999, I have gathered a few comments from those who have recognized the goodness of Falun Gong in China to commemorate that unforgettable event.

'I Am a Falun Gong Supporter!'

“My neighbor is a Falun Gong practitioner. He went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong on April 25, 1999. I heard about it after he came back. Because I hadn’t seen him going out to do the exercises for a few days, when I saw him I asked what he was busy with these days. He told me that he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.”

“I knew that he had greatly benefited from practicing Falun Gong. His son had back problems and had been bedridden for years. However, he was healed after practicing Falun Gong. Everyone in our neighborhood knew about this. News about these miracles spread very fast. Many people started practicing Falun Gong because of it. Even those who didn’t practice admired Falun Gong a lot.”

“Because I didn’t practice Falun Gong, I initially felt that what happened on that day was strange. I thought to myself, ‘You guys can just do the exercise at home. Why go to Beijing to appeal?’ Later when my neighbor came to my home to chat, I asked him my question. He told me about the beating of Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin, he described other cases of interference by the authorities that were intended to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from doing the exercises, and about other events. Of course, now the facts and why it happened are clear.”

“When I heard what he said, I understood that Falun Gong practitioners’ going to appeal was just out of their personal conscience and goodwill to stand up for Falun Gong and its founder. I even said, ‘You should have asked me to go with you.’ He said, ‘But you were not a practitioner.’ ‘That’s true, but you are a Falun Gong practitioner and I am a Falun Gong supporter!”

'I Saw the Kindness and Preciousness of This Group of People'

“I had heard about the exercises, but didn’t know any details about it. After 'April 25,' I wondered why all of sudden there emerged so many Falun Gong practitioners? What force had attracted so many people into Falun Gong? My curiosity led me to get in touch with quite a few practitioners. I found that what had changed them was the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that Falun Gong advocated. The people were honest and kind. They came from different social levels and were in different professions. They were just regular members of our society. They wanted to become better people and in their spare time they studied the teachings and did the exercises.”

“One thing I will never forget is that after ‘April 25,’ a lot more people had heard about Falun Gong. There was one old lady who was in very poor health. She went to a Falun Gong practitioner and said that she wanted to learn the practice. That practitioner worked hard to buy the book Zhuan Falun and an exercise music tape for the old lady, and then taught her the exercises. Seeing that the old lady was financially stretched, that practitioner didn’t ask her for any money. At first I thought that the practitioner must be rich. Later, I was told that this practitioner’s financial situation was not good either. I also learned that one summer day her three-year-old child saw his playmates eating ice-cream bars, so he ran to her asking for one, too. She was teaching some people the Falun Gong exercises at that moment. Seeing her child crying, she took some coins and bought him the cheapest frozen treat there was. Her son smiled, with the tears still on his face. I cried when I heard the story.”

“I know this is not a big deal. But I felt the Falun Gong practitioners’ kindness. I saw the preciousness of this group of people.”

“Later, as I got to know more Falun Gong practitioners, I felt that they are the backbone of society’s moral standards. Their perseverance and selflessness for sure will carry Falun Gong forward. A lot of facts revealed later have already proven this. We have seen that no matter how Falun Gong was suppressed and persecuted [in China], it has spread to over 100 countries and regions and brought physical and spiritual benefits to people of all nations. Falun Gong has brought peace to society and increased moral standards. Those are facts that everyone can see. This is the best evidence to prove the worth of Falun Gong and the strongest fulcrum from which Dafa can spread around the world.”