A Most Memorable Day – July 20, 1999

(Minghui.org) My two sisters and I visited our father in our hometown, a provincial capital in the north, during summer vacation in July 1999.

At that time many people practiced Falun Dafa and there was a practice site in our hometown too. The three of us went there to do the exercises at 3 a.m. every day.

On July 20, 1999 we brought some money for our breakfast and headed to the practice site as usual. When we arrived, the only one there was an old woman. We asked her where the others were. She told us that the others had gone to the provincial government to ask that the Falun Dafa practitioners who were arrested be released. The three of us immediately decided to join the other practitioners, too. As our father was old, we asked the oldest sister to bring him home, while another sister and I headed to the provincial government.

When we arrived at the road in front of the government building, the pedestrian walkways on all four sides were filled with Falun Dafa practitioners. We immediately joined them. I noticed that many police cars were parked along the road, and police officers were walking back and forth. The entrances to the roads were later sealed and no one was allowed to enter or exit the area. The police also set up barricades to separate practitioners from people who stopped to watch.

The practitioners were soon surrounded by police officers.

When I looked around at the other practitioners, they all looked peaceful and calm. The ones in the front stood while the practitioners in the back sat on the ground. Everyone was quiet. No practitioner was in charge, but everything seemed organized. Everyone just wanted to peacefully express their request to the government.

However, the police officers behaved as though they were dealing with a hostile enemy. Groups of armed police officers drove up and got out of their vehicles holding shields. Behind them were people in cars who filmed us. Then, a vehicle equipped with broadcasting equipment slowly drove by, shouting at everyone to disperse.

The practitioners did not move. As time passed, more and more people came to the scene, asking the police to open the roads so that they could pass through. Some people were even pushing between the police and the spectators. It was obvious that the traffic jam was caused by the police.

Dozens of big buses came and the police ordered the practitioners to get on them. We were taken to the provincial stadium. They told everyone to sit on the stairs and everyone just sat there quietly.

Then an announcement was broadcast, telling everyone to sit according to their family's address. Practitioners from the same region were to sit together, and the practitioners from every region were to hold a card. No one moved. Everyone just sat there quietly. Practitioners on the left and the right kept saying, ‘Don’t move, don’t move.” Hours passed but no one moved. Our hearts were united.

People were watching the four big entrances and many people stood outside watching us. Some kindhearted people bought in food. Some practitioners got up and took the food, and then sat back down.

The police officers' tactic of trying to divide us into our regions failed.

They employed another tactic. They called in buses to take us away again. There were so many buses that we could not see the end. This time, the bus drove for a very long time. The buses drove off in groups and went to different places. Our group was taken to a small primary school in some outlying location.

On the way there practitioners on the bus clarified the truth to the police. I thought in my heart that it was useless to talk to them. I detested the way they treated us and I hated them. My xinxing was too low. In contrast, the practitioners who clarified the truth treated the police officers with compassion. This showed that they studied the Fa well.

After I read Master’s latest lectures, “How Humankind Came To Be” and “Why the Creator Seeks to Save All Lives” I felt bad that I lost so many opportunities to save people.

We were later taken to a suburban primary school and told to sit in the classrooms. There was some food placed on the rostrum, but most practitioners did not take it. Those that did placed money on the rostrum to help pay for it. Some practitioners were carrying backpacks. They had taken trains from other places and brought food, so they shared their food with us.

The police officers played videos, but we did not watch them. They played recordings, but we did not listen to them. This went on until afternoon, when the broadcast asked everyone to sign paperwork before our families were allowed to bring us home. However, no one signed.

They kept repeating the message that as long as we signed our names, we could go. Only a small number of people signed. Most practitioners simply got up, walked towards the entrance and then went outside. We did not want to sign, so we just got up and walked out.

There were so many police officers, but they could not stop everyone. The police knew that Falun Dafa practitioners were good people. They were just following orders. It was getting late and they also wanted to go home. After we walked out of the school, we used the money we brought and took a cab home.

As we could not contact our families, they were all very worried. Our relatives and friends were all searching for information about us.

When our 86-year-old father heard about our ordeal, he said, “Whatever they object to is a good thing. Dafa practitioners really did well. From today on, I also want to practice Falun Dafa with you.”

Neither my sister nor I ate or drank all day, nor did we go to the restroom. However, we were not hungry—instead we felt happy and energetic. This was really unbelievable for a person who was nearly sixty years old.

When I look back on that day, I feel that our experience was miraculous. This is the strength and protection bestowed upon us by Master. Master said,

“When disciples have ample righteous thoughtsMaster has the power to turn the tide”(“The Master-Disciple Bond,” Hong Yin II)

Our experiences showed that Falun Dafa is amazing.