(Minghui.org) Jixi, a major city in Heilongjiang Province, China, sits on the west side of Jiguan (chicken crest) Mountain. With a population of about two million, it comprises four county-level regions. 

An ancient legend is associated with Jixi City and Jiguan Mountain. A long time ago, the Muling River contained a lot of water. After passing Laoye Mountain, it slowed down in the plains area, providing water to farmland on both sides of its banks, and boating and fishing for local residents. 

Unfortunately, a tortoise spirit came and hid deep in the water. It frequently emerged and attacked livestock. From time to time, it made waves that overflowed the banks, submerged the farmland, and destroyed the crops. Devastated by their losses, people prayed to the Divine to remove the harmful creature. 

One day, the tortoise messed things up yet again by creating thunder, lightning, and heavy rain that threatened to destroy the farmers’ crops. Just then, two 6-foot tall roosters flew in from the west, crowing loudly. They took turns attacking the tortoise, pecking at its eyes. Thrilled by the scene, local residents beat drums to celebrate. Whenever the tortoise emerged from the water, they threw stones and lime at it. The battle lasted several hours until the roosters had blinded the tortoise, and the stones thrown by the local residents had broken its shell. In the end, the tortoise died. 

The giant roosters landed, crowed three times, and turned into two mountains that formed the shape of a crest. Locals named them “Big Jiguan” (chicken crest) mountain and “Small Jiguan” mountain. The tortoise also became a tortoise-shaped hill. 

A history book stated that the two roosters were from the Pleiades star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Dispatched by the Jade Emperor, they came to the human world to eliminate the danger posed by the tortoise. After the roosters eliminated the problem, people in the region returned to a peaceful life. The birds also brought their habit of crowing to wake up the human world. In Shending Peak, near Jixi, the highest place in the region, roosters crow at 2:30 a.m. to welcome the morning. This is the also the place where the sunrise is first visible in the region. 

Like many other areas in China, residents of Jixi took up the practice of Falun Dafa when it was introduced to the public in 1992. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began suppressing adherents in July 1999, countless practitioners have suffered miserably to protect their beliefs. 

Introduction of Falun Dafa

Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder and teacher of Falun Dafa, introduced the practice in Changchun City, Jilin Province, on May 13, 1992. Embodying the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and five sets of exercises, the practice improved people’s mind and body, and eventually earned the public’s trust. 

After hearing Master Li lecture on the principles of his cultivation way in person, two practitioners in Jixi told others about Falun Dafa. Soon, more and more people joined the practice and by 1999, the number of adherents was about 20,000. 

The following are some stories that highlight the physical and spiritual guidance of the practice. 

Eager to Read Dafa Teachings

By the spring of 1997, the number of practitioners in Jixi had increased dramatically. One evening in May, practitioners went to the Jixi Mining Bureau Hotel to do the group exercises outdoors as usual. After the assistant of the practice site said Master’s new article had arrived, practitioners were very eager to read it. It was already dark, so over 30 practitioners gathered under a street light to study the new lecture. 

Fireflies hovered around the street lights and people were walking nearby. But practitioners were concentrating on the lecture and didn’t pay attention to their surroundings. Some new practitioners in the group were experiencing body cleansing. They found the part in which Master talked about illness karma very helpful and they were able to pass the tribulations in a short time. 

Learning from Practitioners in Changchun

After hearing that practitioners in Changchun—the birthplace of Falun Dafa—did very well at studying Dafa teachings, the practitioners in Jixi decided they wanted to learn from them. In the summer of 1997, about 10 practitioners went to Changchun to meet the cultivators there. 

As they approached the provincial capital of Harbin, they decided to stay for a while. A coordinator in Harbin took them to visit a practitioner in her 60s who was able to recite Zhuan Falun, the book containing the teachings of Falun Dafa, from memory. When another practitioner randomly picked a paragraph from the book, this woman recited the paragraph without error. “Many people in Harbin are reciting this book now,” she told them. 

Upon arriving in Changchun, the practitioners from Jixi joined some local practitioners in Shengli Park, where Master Li used to teach Falun Dafa. They formed lines and began to do the exercises as the instructions and music were played on a portable cassette player. In the evening, the group from Jixi joined a local group study session. About 100 practitioners gathered in the lobby of a clubhouse, sat neatly on both sides of the hallway, and read the Fa. Most of them were in their 20s. 

That day, they were studying Lecture Five in Zhuan Falun. “We will continue from where we left off yesterday,” a practice site assistant said. “Please recite if you have memorized it; otherwise, just read from the book.”

One practitioner started by reciting the text from memory, followed by another person. They continued like this until one section was completed. The practitioners from Jixi were impressed because those who recited from memory did not make a single mistake. 

During the four-day trip, practitioners from Jixi witnessed how Changchun practitioners were reciting Dafa teachings just as Master had said. They felt motivated to do better studying the teachings and introducing Falun Dafa to others. 

Experience Sharing Conferences

Since experience sharing conferences help practitioners in their cultivation, the Jixi adherents held one in the summer of 1998. It was a fine day and many practitioners said they were thankful that the event was occurring. The facility couldn’t hold everyone. All 1,200 seats in the Jixi Nursing School auditorium were taken and practitioners were standing near the stage, in the hallway, and outside the auditorium. 

A practitioner from Hengshan District shared that she and her husband divorced after he had an affair, which left her mentally and physically stressed. With the pressure of raising several children alone, she felt tired and depressed every day. She also lost interest in her work and almost wanted to end her life. After she encountered Falun Dafa, she learned that her situation was not accidental. Her hardships had a purpose—paying back karma from past wrongdoings. As her understanding of the Fa changed, she found her life had purpose. Her children stopped arguing with her, her relationships with coworkers improved, and she enjoyed her job again. Besides good health, she also lived a happy life every day. “I am so fortunate to practice Falun Dafa,” she said. As this practitioner told her story, several people saw a giant falun rotating near the auditorium ceiling. 

The experience sharing conference was a success. By listening to others’ experiences, practitioners throughout Jixi City learned how to be more diligent in their cultivation. In order to improve their understanding of the Falun Dafa teachings and act according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance every day, those who had a full-time job often spent each Sunday studying Zhuan Falun at a forest near the Jixi Mining Bureau. Some practitioners read the book alone at home while some studied with others. The elevation of their moral values and return to good health were recognized by their family members, relatives, and the community. 

Realizing that many other people may have difficulties in life, practitioners often went out to talk with local residents about Falun Dafa. Some practitioners made copies of Master Li’s audio and video lecture cassettes. Many went to nearby cities, towns, and villages to introduce Falun Dafa to people. They put up banners, played Master’s video lectures, and taught residents the five sets of exercises. 

One banner of Falun Dafa 

Posters related to Falun Dafa

Group practice near Jixi Mining Bureau Hotel

Local residents read Falun Dafa posters.

Practitioners introduced Falun Dafa to people before it was suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1999.

Over time, more and more people heard about Falun Dafa from word of mouth and began to practice it. The number of practice sites soared. There were practitioners in the parks, near the roadside, at schools, in factories, and across many villages. When the CCP started to persecute Falun Dafa in 1999, there were already over 20,000 practitioners in the region. 

(To be continued.)