(Minghui.org) Mei was the ninth child born in a poor family in eastern Taiwan. Having to support her family, she learned sewing and tailoring when she was very young, and became good at it. When she was 18, she went to work in Taipei, the capital city. She sewed clothing and continued to improve and sharpen her skills.

A few years later she met her husband and married at 21. It was the beginning of her misery.

Paying Off Family Debt

Her husband came from a poor family, and there were many conflicts between his family members. She had a hard time getting used to her new family. Her father-in-law later became indebted and owed over a million USD. Mei had to work night and day to help pay it off.

Her husband did not show his appreciation for her kindness and tolerance. Instead he made her do all the hard work and chores. “After I married into that family, no one cared how I felt. My husband had a bad temper, and I had no one to talk to. I didn’t want to complain to my parents because it would only make them worry,” she said.

In addition to the financial burden, she had to take care of her child and brother-in-law, who had epilepsy. She finally helped her husband’s family pay off the debt, but her ordeal did not end there. Her father-in-law had a stroke, and she and her husband had to take care of him. “My husband reached a breaking point, and often went to the shore and stared at the ocean,” she said.

Her father-in-law passed away 11 years later, during which time her health deteriorated. “At first I had stomachaches and headaches and often felt lethargic. Whenever I felt I had reached my physical limit, I’d go to the hospital and get a shot, and came home to continue doing the enormous amount of work. No one could help me out and I had no time to pay attention to my health. I just hung in there,” she said.

Due to the constant stress and overwork, she developed cirrhosis. “The disease prevented my body from making blood normally, and my nerve endings did not get enough blood. It felt like I was constantly stabbed by needles. My fingers hurt and would not bend, my eyes hurt and would not open, and I couldn’t fall asleep at night even when I took sleeping pills. I was in constant pain. If it wasn’t for my young child, I wouldn’t want to live a second longer,” she said.

A Book Changes Everything

A friend lent Mei a Buddhist book, hoping that she could find some comfort in it. She said, “In the scripture it said that at the End Time, Buddha Maitreya would come to offer salvation. When I was in so much pain and couldn’t fall asleep at night, I wondered what would Buddha Maitreya do to offer people salvation, ‘Would he bring people to heaven? My body was so messed up, could I return to the pure and healthy state like when I was born, and have the opportunity to go to heaven?’”

Despite her difficult life, Mei remained kind, which changed her fate. When she was 41, she saw a flier in the mailbox about a Falun Dafa nine-day workshop. Since it was free, she decided to give it a try. She felt she had nothing to lose.

After the first day, a practitioner suggested that she read Zhuan Falun, Falun Dafa’s main book. That night she waited until everyone fell asleep and read the book word by word. “As I was reading, I felt many things turning in my body, my head, neck, and every finger. I felt a stream of heat flowing in my body all night. I was worried at first. As I kept reading, I knew it was Falun (law wheels) turning!”

Mei reads Zhuan Falun.

She finished reading the book that night, and afterwards she felt brand new. “The next morning I felt so comfortable. The stabbing pain was gone! I started coughing out very sticky phlegm a few times a day for nearly a month. I knew that Master [Li Hongzhi, the founder of the practice] was cleansing my body.”

Mei said, “I felt so happy. I finally knew there was hope for me. Every day I felt significant improvement in my health. No words can express how I felt and the emotion I went through. I was so lucky that Master saved me.”

Letting Go of Grudges and Husband Changes

She went from being bed-ridden to energetic. She exercised in the park every morning, returned to work, and started to generate income. Despite her visible improvement, her husband remained suspicious of Falun Dafa and non-supportive. “No matter what I did, he disapproved. He always said hurtful things and was violent,” she said.

She knew her husband’s irritability and anger were a result of the way he was brought up, and it wasn’t his fault. “I was not a good practitioner and genuinely kind. Hence no matter how nice I acted, I couldn’t move my husband,” she said.

As soon as her way of thinking changed, her husband’s irritable and stubborn attitude changed as well. “He started to quietly do house chores. He said he’d do the dishes when the weather was cold. When I came home from work, he had already taken down the laundry and put the clothes away. His interactions with his family and friends continued to improve. The atmosphere at home was no longer hostile,” she said.

Promoting Traditional Chinese Attire with Needle and Thread

After years of sewing and tailoring, she improved her skills in making various textiles and clothes. After she became a practitioner, she grew more appreciative of traditional Chinese clothes, and realized that every stitch embodies virtue. She and some practitioners started the Tangzhuang Workshop in 2004.

Mei appreciates traditional Chinese clothes, and said every stitch embodies virtue.

She participated in the Third Global Han Couture Design Competition hosted by NTD Television in the United States in 2010. Her work “Consummation and Enlightenment” won the Exquisite Craft Award. Three years later she won the Third Prize in the same competition with her Ming Dynasty Empress’s Costume “Heaven and Earth.” She said the empress would only wear a specific costume on very formal occasions. The crown had nine dragons and four phoenixes, and the outfit was embroidered with various birds and animals. The dark color represents heaven and yellow the earth, encompassing the five elements that correspond to the unity of the universe and mankind.

Mei and her work “Heaven and Earth”

She got into sewing and tailoring because she was poor and had to use her skills to support her family. With her finely-honed skills developed over the years, combined with her faith and persistence, she knew she could do more.

Looking back she said, “My life was once hopeless, and I did not see a future. After I began practicing Falun Dafa, my life became positive. I continued to improve my character with Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and when I truly changed, bad things turned good. Falun Dafa has given me everything.”

Mei said Falun Dafa has given her health and a selfless heart; it allowed her to build a beautiful life and much more.