(Minghui.org) Heaven and Earth is a quarterly Chinese language magazine from Minghui printed on A4 (11.7 by 8.3 inches) paper instead of the regular A5 (5.3 by 8.3 inches) size, which was favored by most practitioners in China for years. This A5-size is easier to print in large quantities and easier to carry around for distribution. Some practitioners are unwilling to hand out the larger-sized publications, and some have said that “No one likes to read them.” Even though there are also practitioners who try to print out the A4 magazines, they do not have much experience in doing so.
It’s true that booklets printed with A5 paper are easier to carry around, and there were even smaller versions in the past. People are used to such small items. However, the characters in them are tiny and crowded, making them a bit difficult to read, especially for people with poor eyesight. Nowadays, many people prefer to look at CDs or USB drives with videos. As for reading materials, they hope that the characters will be big enough to read easily, and the layout more elegant and visually appealing.
In the fall of 2021, the Minghui Editorial Board selected one choice from dozens to do a redesign. The size was changed from A5 to A4, the font and line spacing were significantly increased, and full-color printing was used to make reading easier. Considering the printing capacity of material production sites in China and the image of the publication, the magazine would be printed as A4 two-in-one, that is, two A4 pages printed on one A3 sheet at a time, with saddle-stitched binding. The new product was the Heaven and Earth periodical, published quarterly, with 64 pages in each edition. Taiwan uses traditional Chinese characters for factory printing, while in mainland China, simplified characters are used for family-based printing.
I heard that some practitioners in China printed two A4 pages on one A4 sheet and complained that the font was too small and difficult to read. This was caused by incorrect printing: the original version uses a large font, with each page formatted for A4. When printed as A5, the font was reduced by half, and the characters became hard to read.
Some practitioners showed resistance to the new version, a very common reaction among everyday people when facing changes or unfamiliar things. However, as long as we understand why we feel uncomfortable, we will be able to get past it.
Kids usually feel curious and excited about new things, with an urge to explore and learn instead of feeling fearful or resistant. However, adults have experienced many things in life and developed all kinds of notions, which often become obstacles when they face new challenges.
Of course, due to the long persecution ongoing in mainland China, many practitioners have various concerns and difficulties, and thus have problems printing truth-clarification materials. These are issues that we experience in the current situation. Some practitioners choose to print other Minghui publications if the magazine is not suitable for their area.
A recent article on Minghui.org “Some Recent Experiences Distributing Falun Gong Materials in China” discussed the effectiveness of distributing information about Falun Dafa in mainland China. It said that many practitioners found the new version of Heaven and Earth exquisite and professional. They usually give it to company managers, university professors, teachers, business owners, or elderly people who prefer reading printed materials. The effect has been quite good.
Over the years, practitioners have become used to distributing flyers and booklets or putting up self-adhesive stickers, but due to limited personal contact, there has been a lack of reader feedback. A magazine is a different form of truth-clarification material, in which readers can find favorite sections and articles to read.
One practitioner working at a material production site in China said, “We really like the new version of Heaven and Earth. Although the persecution is ongoing, we now produce such a good magazine. I like printing high-quality materials like this. We have a local practitioner who hands out only this magazine, and each week, she hands out 20 to 40 copies, sometimes even more. This practitioner interacts with people from all walks of life who say they enjoy reading the magazine for its interesting content. Although people in China are living under the shadow of the CCP Party culture, they still have deeply ingrained traditional values.”
The practitioner who hands out Heaven and Earth said that when she showed people the magazine, they all wanted to have a copy because it looked grand and both the editing and writing were refreshing. They also mentioned that they prefer the A4 version, as it can be printed like a book, and looks more professional than something with saddle-stitched binding.
I read some reader feedback provided by a practitioner in China, and find such feedback is helpful in broadening our thinking about ways to save more people.
For example, one practitioner said, “I only print a small number of magazines and hand out fewer than ten copies a week. I only give them to suitable people, such as those with a higher education and are willing to accept information about Falun Gong. All those who accepted the magazine said they think Heaven and Earth is a high-quality magazine.”
She also shared some feedback from two readers that she knows well. One is a 53-year-old man and a former classmate of her family member. He is a business owner who deals in antiques, teas, and other goods. He has many friends in business circles and is trapped in the pursuit of fame, personal gain, and lust. He was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer when he was 51, and was told that he would not live long.
In the spring of 2023, the practitioner and her family member went to see him. They gave him a copy of Heaven and Earth (edition 294), which contained an article about the true meaning of money and the golden rule in doing business, which emphasized the importance of benefiting others in every business action or exchange. There was also an article about how an irresponsible husband gave up drinking and smoking and became a new person.
Later, this businessman said, “Heaven and Earth is very good.” He realized that he had some moral problems and wanted to improve himself. He became more caring toward his family and spent more time with his wife. At a reunion with his former classmates, when he learned that one classmate also had cancer, he said in front of everyone, “Let’s all practice Falun Gong!”
The other reader is the son of a fellow practitioner. He is 25 and a postgraduate student at a medical college. He thinks that Heaven and Earth is better in quality than other informational materials, and both its size and content are very good. He said: “Articles in Heaven and Earth are both informative and insightful, offering a comprehensive and objective presentation of the subjects. They inspire thoughtful reflection and encourage the pursuit of kindness. We don’t see anything like this in today’s society. The magazine offers a fresh perspective and is quite eye-opening.”
He said he particularly enjoys reading articles in the “Eastern Culture” and “Western Arts” sections that emphasize values such as “help others to do good, do not help them to do evil,” “Five Virtues,” “Huangzhou, Huizhou, Danzhou” (three well-known cities in China’s ancient history), as well as articles about Socrates. He also likes reading “The Mystery of Traditional Colors,” “The Development of Human Thought as Seen from a Period of Art History,” and “Secrets of Basic Art Training.”
He enjoys reading articles in the Shi Hai Shi Zhen (Historical Insights) column, such as “Reflection on Chinese Cultivation Culture Through the Lens of the Evolution of Furniture” and “Gu Jin Zhen Yan” (Ancient and Modern Philosophical Sayings).
He said the cultivation stories in Heaven and Earth are very good and easily resonate with everyday people. The content is authentic, credible, and easy to accept.
The practitioner said that they also received good feedback about the recent content of Minghui Weekly.
She said that when a fellow practitioner talks with people about Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong), they often say to her, “We are not against Falun Gong, but we don’t understand why your flyers or booklets say that no matter who he/she is, as long as one recites the Falun Gong’s two phrases and practices the exercises, one’s illnesses will be cured, one will not die or encounter other troubles, and the whole family will be blessed with good things. However, looking at the people around us who practice Falun Gong, it’s not always like what is said in the flyers and booklets.”
She said that the contents of Heaven and Earth are objective, with no elements of Party culture. There is an article in the most recent edition about a Taiwanese woman born into an unfortunate family who experienced the pain of losing her daughter. However, after she took up the practice of Falun Dafa, she was able to free herself from the pain and agony and became broadminded and kindhearted. Readers feel that Falun Dafa can help people ascend from pain and suffering with new hope and purpose in life. This is another reason that some mainland Chinese like the magazine because it is not biased or narrow-minded.
The feedback highlights the importance of what we include in our truth-clarification materials and publications and how we present them to the people.
The Shen Yun Performing Arts Company has committed a great deal of effort, manpower, and financial resources to bring Shen Yun dance, music, stage settings, and costumes to world-class standards. Although we are only making some simple truth-clarification materials, for more than 20 years Dafa disciples have compiled, typeset, printed, produced, distributed, and handed the materials to people in person. The entire process has been guided by the principle of “a Great Way has no form” and the inspiration of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Practitioners have cooperated tacitly to achieve good results so that people can truly understand that “Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance is good.”
We don’t have a list of practitioners working on this project, no office, and we don’t even know each other. However, when the Fa-rectification comes to a successful end in the future, when we look back, we will see that this part of our journey was also very special and precious.
The above is only some of my humble input to inspire greater ideas so that we can do even better and pay more attention to the effectiveness of our efforts to save more people.