(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held activities on May 8, 2021, at the War Memorial Bridge in Christchurch to celebrate the 22^nd World Falun Dafa Day and the 70^th birthday of its founder Mr. Li Hongzhi. 

Practitioners in Christchurch on May 8, 2021, celebrated Falun Dafa Day and wished Master Li Happy Birthday.

Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises and played traditional Chinese waist drums to celebrate the occasion. They told people about the ongoing persecution of the practice in China and collected signatures on a petition to condemn the persecution. The event attracted many people who stopped to watch and take photos. A local self media programmer recorded videos for his social media.

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises.

Traditional Chinese waist drum performance

Grateful to Master Li

Ms. Zhang Lihua (first from right) shared her story of how practicing Falun Dafa positively changed her life.

Ms. Zhang Lihua, who began practicing Falun Dafa 23 years ago, talked about how much she changed after she started to practice. She said, “March 26, 1998, is a day I will never forget. I started practicing Falun Dafa on that day. I suffered from many health problems and needed to take a handful of medications every day. Soon after I began practicing, all my ailments, such as heart disease, cirrhosis, a stomach ulcer, chronic enteritis, and neurasthenia, were gone. I truly experienced the feeling of being healthy and free of illnesses.”

Ms. Zhang said that not only did she experience significant physical changes after she began practicing Falun Dafa, more importantly, she became a better person. She always puts others first. She said, “When my work unit was restructured, I gave up my position twice to my coworkers. The director of my work unit appreciated me very much and said nobody else could do that.”

Mrs. Zhang said, “I'm so grateful to be a Dafa practitioner. Please remember: ‘Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!’”

Local Self Media Programmer Helps Expose the Persecution

Adam Nuttall (left) interviewed Falun Dafa practitioners.

Adam Nuttall, a local self media programmer, has followed up on practitioners' activities in Christchurch several times. He invited a practitioner to give a speech about the CCP's (Chinese Communist Party) persecution of Falun Dafa and its infiltration into New Zealand during a rally in March this year.

Adam has interviewed practitioners at their events before. He was moved by their calm and peaceful demeanor. After learning about the CCP’s persecution of such a peaceful group, he said he understood more about the evil nature of the CCP. He appreciated practitioners’ perseverance in keeping their faith while clarifying the truth all year round. Adam and one of his friends signed the petition against the persecution and his friend asked for leaflets so he could pass them on.

People Condemn the CCP

One passerby said he was impressed by how calm the practitioners were while they did the exercises, and he felt they were surrounded by positive energy. When he learned how the CCP persecutes practitioners in China, he immediately signed the petition. He said he could not accept communism destroying freedom and democracy in New Zealand. He asked for more information about the CCP’s live organ harvesting for profit.

A visually impaired man stopped by to learn more. He wanted to sign the petition, so he dictated the spelling of his name and asked a practitioner to sign on his behalf.