(Minghui.org) A Ning’an City, Heilongjiang Province, resident, is facing a prison sentence for her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999.

Ms. Chen Xueyan, in her late 60s, was arrested on August 10, 2023, and taken to the Mudanjiang City Detention Center. Mudanjiang City oversees Ning’an City. Her case was later assigned to Hailin City, which is also under the administration of Mudanjiang City.

The Hailin City Court heard Ms. Chen’s case on December 14, 2023. Prosecutor Luo Jinpeng accused her of “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext used to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners. Her lawyer refuted the allegations and demanded her acquittal. Ms. Chen intended to testify in her own defense but was stopped by judge Yan Junlong.

Ms. Chen’s sister was the only family member at her hearing. It was unclear whether other family members were not allowed to attend the hearing or they could not make it to the hearing.

Ms. Chen was previously arrested on December 16, 2022, for distributing calendars bearing information about Falun Gong. She was released hours later.

Ms. Chen Xueyan

Finding Falun Gong

Ms. Chen’s husband died of illness when she was in her 50s. Having spent all their savings on his treatments, she had to work extremely hard to support herself and her child. She contracted liver disease but couldn’t afford medical care. Her condition worsened after she developed gout (a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and swelling in joints), which made it difficult to walk. She eventually lost her ability to work and had no source of income. 

She thought about ending her life but didn’t because of her child. Her fate changed after she ran into an acquaintance one day. Ms. Chen was shocked to see the once sickly acquaintance had turned into a healthy and energetic person. She asked for her secret and the acquaintance said it was all thanks to Master Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Gong. 

A light bulb suddenly went off in Ms. Chen’s head: Master Li Hongzhi? Master Li? Isn’t he the Master Li that my father told me about when I was 10 years old? Her father once said that a Master Li would come to save the world’s people one day. She had been waiting for Master Li to lift her out of life’s misery for many years. 

Ms. Chen was overjoyed and began to practice Falun Gong right away. In no time all her symptoms disappeared and she was able to work again. 

Ms. Chen’s Three Clients 

Ms. Chen applied for a house aide position in Shanghai and was asked to go through a physical examination first. Her doctor was surprised to see her results, “Except for the calcification of your liver, you don’t have any other diseases. There are very few people your age who are as healthy as you!”

Ms. Chen worked for three families during her stay in Shanghai. She strove to live by Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and earned her clients’ trust and respect.

Her first client was an elderly woman who was very frugal and not even willing to buy yummy food when her grown children came to visit. Ms. Chen used her own money to buy fruit, drinks, and other goodies to treat the woman’s children, who were very moved by her generosity after finding out about what she did. 

The elderly woman sang high praises of Ms. Chen whenever she ran into her neighbors, who in turn fought for Ms. Chen by offering much higher pay. Ms. Chen declined and stayed with her first client for three years until she passed away.

Ms. Chen’s second client was a woman who had dementia and often forgot where she placed things. Once she could not find her necklace and accused Ms. Chen of stealing it. Ms. Chen was not offended and simply helped her look around the house. The necklace was still nowhere to be seen and Ms. Chen overheard her complaining to her daughter on the phone that night. The woman insisted that her daughter fire Ms. Chen. Her daughter said, “I hired her for you and we wouldn’t be able to find anyone as good as her if I fired her.” 

A few days later, Ms. Chen found the necklace in a corner of a dresser while doing house cleaning. The woman was elated and hugged Ms. Chen. Her daughter called Ms. Chen two days later to thank her. 

Ms. Chen worked for her second client for two years before she moved away to live with her son.

Ms. Chen’s third client was a retired high-ranking official, whose daughter also lived in Shanghai and whose son worked in Beijing as a government official. After Ms. Chen worked for her for a while, she was so satisfied that she requested that Ms. Chen work for her for the rest of her life. She also promised to give Ms. Chen some inheritance. 

Ms. Chen ended up not being able to work there forever because of family reasons. Her third client thanked her profusely before she returned to Heilongjiang.

Brother Longing for Her Release

Six years ago, Ms. Chen’s younger brother had a stroke and became incapacitated. His wife had to work and their daughter lived in a faraway place. Ms. Chen offered to care for her brother while her sister-in-law worked. 

Ms. Chen took meticulous care of her brother for the past six years before her arrest in 2023. Her bedridden brother now asks for her all the time, “Sister, where are you? Why don’t you come to see me anymore?”