Chenchen’s Journey: Taking Up Falun Dafa While Rescuing Her Persecuted Mother

(Minghui.org) A Falun Dafa practitioner in an outlying border city of Heilongjiang Province was arrested shortly after New Year’s Day 2021. Previously, she was displaced from other areas where she had also resided, due to the ongoing persecution and threat of arrest. The practitioner’s arrest resulted in her daughter, Chenchen, having to live at their home alone. Her daughter had been working out of town, and moved back to live with her mother when the pandemic broke out in 2020. 

Daughter Changes Her Perspective of Falun Dafa

Chenchen grew up with her grandmother and had been indoctrinated by the lies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At that time, all state-run media continuously and pervasively broadcast propaganda that Falun Dafa was a heresy. Inevitably, Chenchen was brainwashed every day in such an environment, and she slowly developed hatred for Falun Dafa. 

Chenchen did not know anything about Falun Dafa, but up until her twenties, her thoughts and concepts were akin to the CCP propaganda. She often argued with her mother because of Falun Dafa. Without thinking, she refused to hear the reasons her mother practiced Dafa.

However, due to concern for her mother’s safety, Chenchen started to communicate with her mother. After calmly listening to her mother’s cultivation stories, she seemed to wake up from a bad dream and finally understood the goodness of Falun Dafa. She realized why Dafa practitioners like her mother have persisted in their righteous beliefs despite the CCP’s relentless suppression and persecution. 

Mother Arrested

Chenchen’s mother was arrested at home. No fellow practitioners knew about it. I only found out about the arrest from her neighbor three days later after I couldn’t get in touch with her. I was shocked and quickly discussed the matter with fellow practitioners. 

We practitioners felt that it was most important to locate the whereabouts of her daughter Chenchen as soon as possible. We believed that, before the arrest, Chenchen’s mobile phone had been monitored and her residence placed under surveillance by the police. We knew that everyone would be at risk if we went to talk to Chenchen at her house. We thus tried to find her and talk with her somewhere else. 

Fellow practitioners and I went to buy some groceries for Chenchen at the supermarket where she worked, but we did not see her leaving after work. We went to check around her house, but the entire house was dark. We didn’t give up and walked back in the direction of the supermarket, and finally saw Chenchen. A fellow practitioner took Chenchen’s phone and walked away from us, so that my conversation with her wouldn’t be listened in on by the police. Chenchen told us that the police had called one of her relatives before her mother was arrested. 

Chenchen said that a police car was parked downstairs when she came home from work. She stopped and stared at the car blankly for a long time, feeling that something bad was coming. Her mother had been harassed by the police on the phone a few days earlier. But Chenchen still chose to go home, hoping that they had not come for her mother. As she opened the door, she saw policemen in the living room. Her hope was immediately shattered. Her mother was on a stool in front of the closet, restrained by two policemen. The house was in a mess. 

Chenchen was devastated and cried her eyes out all night after her mother was taken away. The police lied to her the next morning, telling her that her mother wanted to see her. It turned out that her mother was not giving the police the information they wanted, and they did not have sufficient evidence to persecute her. Chenchen was ordered to sign a statement as evidence and collect materials for her mother. Due to fear and lack of experience in this matter, she complied with their order – which she later regretted greatly. 

Chenchen and her mother were ruthlessly torn from each other. She needed her mother and felt helpless. She did not know what to do. She was lonely and had no relatives in this city. She also was worried about the statement she’d signed in the police station after being deceived. She feared that it might be used against her mother.

Fellow practitioners comforted Chenchen. We talked to her about Falun Dafa, saying that it is not a cult and that her mother did not break any law by practicing Falun Dafa. We helped her in her day-to-day living needs. We also drew up a rescue plan. With Chenchen’s consent, we retained a lawyer to defend her mother. We clarified the truth to her and at the same time provided her with informational materials pertaining to the law and Falun Dafa. 

After several discussions with practitioners, Chenchen fully understood the innocence of Falun Dafa, and she thoroughly saw the hypocrisy and deceit of the police. The kindness of Dafa practitioners slowly warmed up her chilly heart, and a smile gradually appeared on her face. 

The Policeman Was Moved

Chenchen searched the relevant laws on the internet, and found that her mother was innocent. Full of confidence, she went to the police station and asked for the detention procedures. She questioned the policeman who handled the case as to what laws her mother violated or if any Dafa practitioners had ever harmed anyone. The policeman said he would be able to give her the answer only if he were not wearing his police uniform. 

Fellow practitioners planned to write letters to the police station and related departments to get Chenchen’s mother released sooner. Chenchen took the initiative to write the letter. She has good writing skills. She started the letter from the perspectives of law and morality. She expressed the reasons her mother has practiced Falun Dafa and the miraculous changes she experienced. She described how people have witnessed the beauty of Dafa. She signed this long touching letter with her real name. Many people shed tears after reading it. It was published on the Minghui website later.

Nearly two hours after the letter was delivered, Chenchen was called to the local police station at night. We sent forth strong righteous thoughts for her. She came back safely two hours later and told us what happened in the police station. 

She said, “A young policeman took notes and asked if I wrote the letter myself and how I got online. He recorded my response, but then threw the paper in a trashcan. Then he wrote something again, only to throw that into the trashcan as well. He repeated this behavior several times. It seemed that his heart was conflicted. He said that I was brave to use my real name and advised me to write complaint letters with a pseudonym next time. ‘Writing a complaint letter with one’s real name can make it hard for us to handle,’ he said.”

We were very pleased to hear that the policeman was moved and sympathized with Chenchen. If more policemen read the letter, many of them might think it over and wake up. We made this letter part of our truth-clarifying materials and widely distributed it to the local people. 

Chenchen Regarded Fellow Practitioners as Family

Chenchen is kind and pure-minded. It was not easy for her after her mother was arrested. Several fellow practitioners came out to help her. None of them had this kind of experience, but everyone worked hard. One person found a place for safe communications with Chenchen. Another bought mobile phone shielding bags online for her to block the police’s phone tapping. A practitioner even deposited money for Chenchen’s mother at the detention center several times. Another caring person got the house key from Chenchen and cleaned up her house. Dumplings were cooked for her, which helped with meal preparation and food expenses.

I treated Chenchen as my own daughter. I took her to the zoo and boat rides across the river when the weather permitted. Seeing Chenchen happily walking around the park, I took a photo with my smart phone. This reminded her of her mother. She said that her mother also did this every year when they were in the south. On one occasion, she locked herself at home for several days to write persuasive letters to the authorities. I could not get in touch with her and started to get worried about her safety. Moved by our care and love, Chenchen said that, without her mother around, we were her dearest people.

The Story of the Lawyer

All of Chenchen’s relatives were in other towns, and they basically worked in public institutions. They did not come out to help for fear that they might be implicated by the authorities. After further discussion, we decided to have Chenchen retain a justice lawyer for her mother. She learned from her research into the law that practicing Dafa is completely legal in China, and she confidently signed a power of attorney with the lawyer. 

We accompanied Chenchen and the lawyer to visit her mother and review files in the court and the procuratorate several times. This lawyer fought for justice. On the way out of the detention center, we said to the lawyer that he must be blessed by the divine because miracles seemed always to happen wherever he went. The lawyer said, “Under the sun, there will be blessings from gods and buddhas.”

The lawyer told us, “One time, I was about to run out of time for the return train when my case was over. I ran as fast as I could all the way to the gate, but I was exactly one minute late. However, I was able to hop on the train just before it actually departed. The clock ran this one minute late just for me.”

He added, “On another occasion, I handled a case for a Falun Dafa practitioner and it was getting late for the return train home. It was only a few minutes before the departure time as I reached the checkpoint. The monitor identified me as a Falun Dafa practitioner, and thus, it would take more time to pass through the gate. I would surely miss this train. Right at this moment, the train conductor called my name and told me to board the VIP compartment quickly. As I got on the train, I realized that my regular ticket had been upgraded to a VIP package. What seemed like a mistake turned out to be a big help.”

A practitioner asked the lawyer, “Was it a mistake that ‘Falun Dafa’ was marked on your ID card?” The lawyer replied, “They did it on purpose to intimate me into not representing Falun Dafa practitioners. But I must do it to uphold justice.” 

“Did you encounter any pressure representing us?” asked a practitioner. The lawyer said, “There is always pressure. The Bureau of Justice already asked me why I took on this case.” 

I asked him, “Why did you accept this case while other lawyers were afraid and looked the other way? No one is coming out to catch thieves nowadays. Why did you do it?” 

He replied, “In this morally corrupt period of time, we must choose justice and distinguish right from wrong.”

One day before our meeting with the lawyer, he was harassed again by the authorities. He was interrogated for an extended time and missed the morning flight, forcing him to reroute to Beijing. When a practitioner asked him what he thought about practitioners, the lawyer called us an invincible group. Chenchen rushed to add, “These aunties are so united. They are the only shoulders to support me and for me to cry on.” 

Some lawyers have been suppressed for defending Dafa practitioners, and their certificates were revoked. However, there are still many upright and kind lawyers who insist on defending the just despite the pressure. This lawyer was really awesome. We all admired him for his insistence upon justice and his resistance to CCP pressure.

Illegal Court Hearing

Chenchen was listed by the court as a so-called “witness” in her mother’s hearing, but was not allowed to attend the hearing. This really upset Chenchen because she had no chance to see her mother in court.

We arrived early in the morning of the day of the hearing and waited in front of the court. Sirens suddenly sounded in the distance, and a car with shaded windows approached the gate. We could only vaguely see a person waving at us behind the driver’s seat. We thought that it must be Chenchen’s mother, so we waved back as the car turned onto a side street. 

Without warning, Chenchen charged toward the direction of the car. I was not sure what she was trying to do, but my first thought was to make sure she was not in danger. So another practitioner and I quickly ran after her. 

The door to the courthouse garage was slowly raised, and Chenchen managed to get through the door and look around. Two bailiffs got out of the car, and one of them told her to move back so that they could lower the door. Chenchen did not move, shouting loudly that she wanted to see her mother. The bailiffs were furious and threatened to enforce the law, but Chenchen did not back down and continued shouting heart-piercingly. A bailiff pushed her away and she then totally lost control. We held her arms, and explained to the bailiffs that she hadn't seen her mother for half a year. They seemed to understand, and slowly, the car moved into the building and disappeared from our sight.

Chenchen calmed down and said, “I just wanted to see my mother and let her see that I am fine so that she can feel relieved. I know I was a little irrational. I have decided to retain the lawyer and continue writing letters to clarify the truth and save people.” 

Although this young woman was not yet practicing Dafa, she knew to look inward to save people and worked hard to rescue her mother. We were happy for her. Chenchen said that this perhaps was also arranged by Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa!

Chenchen Starts to Practice Falun Dafa

A few days after the illegal hearing, Chenchen told a fellow practitioner that she wanted to study the Fa. Fellow practitioners were all pleased to hear that. They brought her a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. They seized the time to study the Fa with her every day. Dafa has continuously rectified Chenchen’s thoughts and behavior. She has made great progress, and has learned to measure the problems she encounters according to the teachings of Dafa. 

Chenchen chose a career that requires a college diploma, and she also had to pass an exam. Her relatives suggested she should just go and get a fake certificate. As a Dafa practitioner, Chenchen did not think that was the right thing to do. She wanted to behave according to Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She decided to study to improve her knowledge and pass the test on her own. It was a big step on her cultivation path. 

We thank Master for protecting Chenchen along the way and arranging for us to accompany her steadily through this unusual rescue journey. Her mother has been illegally detained in prison for months. Chenchen has missed her mother so much, but she is not able to visit her due to the pandemic restrictions. Yet with the protection of Master and the help of fellow practitioners, Chenchen started to study the Fa and practice the exercises every day. Obtaining the Fa and purifying her intrinsic true self was her mother’s greatest wish and expectation!