My Memories of the Peaceful Appeal in Beijing on April 25, 1999

(Minghui.org) Twenty-four years have passed, yet scenes of the historic appeal by 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing remain vividly clear in my mind.

On the night before April 25, 1999, I heard that dozens of Falun Gong practitioners had been unlawfully arrested in Tianjin. The next morning, I went to Fuyou Street (where the State Council Appeals Office was located in Beijing) by bus. As my home was quite a distance from the city center, I had to change buses three times along the way, and by the time I got there, it was already after 9 a.m.

When I arrived, I saw practitioners lined up on the sidewalk on the west side of Fuyou Street. There were so many of them you could not see the end of the line.

The opposite side of the street was almost empty. Behind the high red wall, was Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the central government of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

There was a large signboard over the entrance gate that read “State Council of Appeals Office,” and soldiers were standing guard.

Back then, I still believed in the government and wanted to tell the officials that it was wrong to assault and arrest Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin. I wanted to tell the government that Falun Gong was a good practice that teaches people to be kind and always considerate of others. Because I had benefited from the practice, I hoped that the government would support it. I believe everyone who went there shared the same thoughts.

I kept walking, trying to find someone I knew. I made a turn on Chang’an Street and saw everyone there in good order of their own accord. There was a line of people standing on the curb in the front–some were reading a Dafa book, while others were just standing there quietly.

Those in line left a passageway behind them to allow pedestrians to pass by. On the other side of the passageway, there were lines of practitioners sitting on the ground. Most of them were middle-aged or young people. Some were in military uniforms. Everyone looked very sincere and kind. They were just sitting there quietly with no signs of anxiety or impatience, and with no banners or slogans.

I was overwhelmed by an atmosphere of extraordinary noble spirit and uprightness. With tears in my eyes, I had a strong feeling that I had never experienced before, a feeling of broadmindedness, with no complaints, no regrets, a feeling of forbearance, self-discipline, and fearless spirit, a feeling that one could only feel by being there. It was so profound that it was hard to put into words.

As I was walking, I noticed two police officers standing against the wall, chatting and smoking. If Falun Gong practitioners had indeed “sieged Zhongnanhai” as the state media later described the peaceful appeal, would the police on duty have been so relaxed with nothing to do?

When I came to the end of the street, I saw an open space. There were also many people sitting there, some reading a Dafa book, and others doing the exercises.

At last, I saw the assistant and some fellow practitioners from our practice site. Everyone was very happy to see me. I walked over and sat down with them.

We later learned that a few practitioners had been called into Zhongnanhai to seek the release of the practitioners in Tianjin and express our desire for a peaceful cultivation environment. We all waited patiently for the results of the meeting.

Occasionally, a car drove by slowly, as if taking photos or videos. A van also drove along the street, broadcasting something like “The government would not do anything against people practicing qigong. Please disperse as soon as possible.” We didn’t pay much attention to those vehicles and just stayed where we were, waiting for more information from the meeting between our representatives and government officials.

Someone then came along handing something out, which caused a bit of a disturbance. Just then, a female practitioner stood up, holding up a piece of paper with four large characters that read “Maintain our xinxing (character).” Almost instantly, everyone calmed down and sat quietly as before.

I also noticed two young female practitioners walking around slowly in the crowd, collecting people’s trash. In fact, there was very little rubbish around, and the surroundings were kept very clean.

I heard later that the two practitioners picked up every tiny piece of rubbish on the ground, including the cigarette butts thrown out by the police.

Sitting next to us was a 16 or 17-year-old girl, who was plainly dressed, with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. She was reading a Dafa book quietly while sitting in the lotus position. She looked so pure and natural and it reminded me of the saying, “The land of each place nurtures its own inhabitants.” The pure land of Falun Dafa certainly nurtures pure people like that girl.

We still hadn’t heard any news from the meeting by 4 p.m., and I had to leave due to other commitments. Our site assistant was also concerned about the practitioners who hadn’t come, so he asked me to go back and help get them together to do the exercises.

When I got back, I fetched my tape player and went straight to the practice site. A few practitioners were already there waiting. I told them briefly about what was going on and we did the exercises together.

We learned later that the government officials at the meeting promised to release the detained Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin and not to interfere with people doing the Falun Gong exercises. After that information was relayed to those waiting outside, the peaceful and rational appeal by around 10,000 practitioners ended without any complications.

We never expected that an unprecedented, nationwide persecution by the CCP regime was about to start.

That very night, I got a phone call from my employer, asking if I had been out that day, and when did I get home, etc.

Since that day 24 years ago, the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners by the CCP has never stopped, nor have our unyielding efforts to clarify the truth and resist the persecution in a peaceful and rational manner.

Evil never prevails, and the persecution of kindhearted Falun Dafa practitioners in China will end sooner or later.