July 20th Commentary: Truth Shines Through Despite 23 Years of Dark Persecution in China

(Minghui.org) The past 23 years in China were no ordinary times. While everything appeared normal with the usual hustle and bustle in society, a large number of innocent people were being detained and tortured for their faith inside the detention centers, labor camps, and prisons.

They are practitioners of Falun Gong, a meditation system based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, numerous practitioners have been targeted for striving to be good citizens. Many detained practitioners were subjected to physical torture, forced labor, mental abuse, involuntary drug administration, and even forced organ harvesting.

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Consistent with the tradition of self-cultivation and spiritual enlightenment, Falun Gong quickly spread in China after being introduced to the public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. The main teachings of Zhuan Falun also became one of the best sellers in Beijing in January 1996.

In March 1995, Mr. Li was invited to give a seminar at the Chinese Embassy in France. Mr. Li next held a lecture session in Paris between March 13 and 19, 1999, bringing Falun Gong to the world. By 1999, the practice had attracted about 100 million people from nearly 30 countries. 

But the totalitarian Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime could not tolerate such a peaceful practice whose students had outnumbered CCP members. In July 1999, then CCP leader Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide suppression and vowed to eradicate the practice in three months. Inspired by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, however, Falun Gong practitioners have never wavered in their faith or stopped raising awareness of the illegality of the persecution even if that means facing detention, imprisonment, forced labor, torture, intense brainwashing, or even forced organ harvesting.

Unable to crush Falun Gong, the CCP staged self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square on January 23, 2001, on the Chinese New Year Eve. As many Chinese citizens turned on TV to watch the annual new year gala, they were shocked to see footage of the self-immolation instead. The CCP’s propaganda claimed that the self-immolators were Falun Gong practitioners, thus successfully instigating the public’s hatred towards Falun Gong. 

Several months later, 36 Falun Gong practitioners from 15 countries gathered at the Tiananmen Square on November 20, 2001. Sitting in two rows, they unfolded a banner with the words of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” and began meditation. Although they were arrested by the police in less than one minute, this scene and the news told the world how people from various countries cherished Falun Gong. 

To help stop this severe human rights abuse, practitioners in the U.S. sued Jiang in 2002. Later on, similar lawsuits were filed in Argentina, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, and other countries. 

The Supreme Court in China issued “Opinion on People's courts implementation of reforms to the case filing registration system,” which promised to guarantee the registration and processing of all complaints filed. After it took effect on May 1, 2015, over 200,000 practitioners and their family members in China filed criminal complaints against Jiang within one year. They sought to stop the persecution and hold Jiang responsible for the harm done to them. 

Contrary to what the CCP had expected, the persecution also helped more people to hear about the practice. Within a short time, the number of practitioners in Taiwan rose from 3,000 to hundreds of thousands. Twenty-three years have passed since the persecution started in 1999 and the practice has brought endless benefits to people in over 100 countries. 

Warmth in the Cold Arctic Circle

Located within the Arctic Circle, Finland’s capital city of Helsinki is one of the northernmost cities. When the European Figure Skating Championships took place there in January 2009, the freezing cold did not stop Falun Gong practitioners from coming here and raising awareness of the suppression in China. 

When practitioner Sinikka was putting up a banner, an elderly man came by and read a Falun Gong pamphlet. “Everyone needs to know about this atrocity in China, especially the forced organ harvesting,” he said. 

“It’s very rare to see people coming out like you on such a cold day. What you do must be very important,” he added. 

Upon hearing how practitioners were determined in upholding their faith in the harsh persecution, he was moved to tears and offered Sinikka a hot drink. 

As they continued talking, the man learned that practitioners did all these not for themselves, but for people to make a right choice in this battle between good and evil. In fact, the world would be a better place if more people could reject the vicious CCP. “Yes, we all need to know the truth, but finding it is not easy,” the man explained, “Thank you for bringing it to us.”

Another man agreed. “We have to expose the bad deeds by the CCP. Well done and please keep it up!” A young man and his friends read the posters one by one. “This is horrible!” he exclaimed, “We must stop it immediately!”

A visitor from China accepted the materials and said he has a coworker who is also a Falun Gong practitioner. He agreed to quit the Young Pioneers, a CCP youth organization, that he had joined many years before. 

In addition to Helsinki, practitioners in other Finnish and Norwegian cities in the Arctic areas along with Arkhangelsk in Russia often come outdoors, telling people the real story of Falun Gong and how to stay safe in the chaotic world. 

Miracles in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Across the earth in the largest Brazilian city of Sao Paulo live a couple named Gilberto and Sueli who own a small business with over 10 employees. The couple works hard and live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Their employees have all understood the illegality of the persecution in China and even offered to help with Falun Gong activities.

Striving to be good citizens, the couple are considerate of others and treat their clients with honesty and kindness. With the economic recess in Brazil these few years, many of their peers have gone out of business, but their business is still doing well. “I think it is blessing from Falun Gong,” remarked Gilberto.

After helping their employees to learn about Falun Gong, he also distributed the Chinese version of Minghui Weekly in Chinatown every Saturday. Brainwashed by the CCP’s propaganda, some Chinese people rejected the materials and even threw the materials in Gilberto’s face. Through learning Falun Gong teachings, he knew those people had been misled by lies. He decided to help them awaken and treat them with greater compassion. 

The area around Sao Paulo Museum of Art is also a popular place for both local residents and tourists. Gilberto and other practitioners went there each month with banners, posters, materials, and exercise demo. Many people heard about Falun Gong there and some became practitioners. Shocked by the atrocity in China, passersby signed petition urging to end this severe human rights abuse in the modern society. 

A True Gem 

From Europe to Asia, from Americas to Australia and Africa, people across continents are drawn to Falun Gong. Besides the health improvement, they know the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will hold our society together and bring us to the next chapter of history. 

One example is Bogdan, a 24-year-old man living in Calgary, Canada. He started doing drugs at age 15 and was twice jailed for stealing to feed his addiction. Seeing no hope for their son, his parents gave up on him. 

Once Bogdan needed to run some errands at the city center, and he received a flyer from a Falun Gong practitioner there. That changed his life. Four months after beginning to read Zhuan Falun, Bogdan completely quit drugs. “Even if there are drugs in front of me – either in real life or in a dream, I am able to turn it down,” he explained, “This is a true miracle for me.”

Four months into his practice, he decided to find a job and make a living. He landed a job as a chef in a restaurant. During the pandemic, his coworkers got infected one after another, but Bogdan was healthy as usual. He also helped other chefs to cover their shifts or worked overtime without complaining. “You saved my business,” the restaurant owner said to him. 

There have been numerous reports on Minghui.org attesting to Falun Gong’s miraculous power in helping people recover from terminal diseases, chronic illnesses, depression, drug addiction, and many other symptoms. Many practitioners have also become kinder and better people. After all, if a person truly strives to be good every day, what awaits will be a bright future.