Recalling My Experiences of Standing Up for Falun Dafa in Beijing

(Minghui.org) Looking back on the difficult years I’ve gone through to validate the Fa, every step I’ve taken is inseparable from Master’s compassionate blessing and care.

I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998 when I was in my 40s. I was bathed in the light of the Fa every day, and my excitement was indescribable. I felt so lucky and that I was the happiest person in the world.

However, in July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Dafa. Master was also viciously attacked by lies. I couldn’t just sit home, so, in late autumn 2000, I decided to go to Beijing to validate Dafa.

The moment I closed the door to my home I felt sad because I didn’t know if I’d return. After I and a few other practitioners got on the train to Beijing I let go of everything. I was going to fulfill my sacred mission and responsibility.

I stayed in Beijing for less than four months. I had to change locations every few days, which was difficult. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s Master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun). I knew everything was arranged by Master.

The practitioners in Beijing arranged accommodations for us. There were fewer than 10 people in our room. Everyone went out every day, some sent letters, some put up posters, some passed out materials, and some hung up banners. We went out before dawn. When I pasted the “Restore Master’s reputation” sticker, my heart felt very relaxed. I was finally able to defend Master.

When I was pasting stickers in a residential area I was seen by the watchtower people. Two policemen took me to the station. One policeman watched us. I said, “Let me out!” He agreed. This policeman was very kind, so I told him the truth about the persecution. He asked, “How do you practice the exercises?” I showed him how to do the fifth exercise. He slowly fell asleep. Just before dawn I quietly opened the door and walked out. No one noticed me, so I ran away. I knew Master helped me. I went back to the place we were staying at.

But after a few days the landlord told us, “You need to leave!” Because the neighborhood security asked him what the people who rented his house did. He was frightened. We left.

I went to a new residence. There were about 30 people. Everyone was very diligent. We practiced the exercises together in the morning, studied the Fa in the evening, and did what we had to do during the day. No one asked each other’s name, or where they came from. We just organized ourselves and went out in twos and threes. The environment in Beijing was already very dangerous. Even on the buses, there were people checking ID cards.

Because there were too many people staying in the new residence, meals became a problem, but everyone was very considerate. We bought some steamed buns, pickles, spinach, and made some soup. We were all happy that we had food and a place to stay and that we were able to validate the Fa.

The people in Beijing did not understand the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa. When they saw unfamiliar faces in the building, they stared at us. We went out before dawn. Even if we were really quiet, they knew there were people outside if the dog barked. Some residential community guards were particularly vigilant. Some practitioners who went out in the morning did not come back in the evening.

While we were making a banner someone knocked on the door and asked what we were doing. We didn’t dare answer or move. They waited for a while and then left. After we made sure they were gone we quietly packed our things. A few of us came out of the house. We got into a car and drove some distance. I remember being very scared, even the cells of my body were scared. My heart was pounding. I later heard that the police car came after we left.

I walked to Tiananmen Square three times. The first time I planned to display banners, the evil in the other dimension tried to stop me the night before: “If you go, your head will explode.” I was not afraid. After breakfast the next day, I walked to Tiananmen Square with a few practitioners. We unfurled banners and shouted: “Falun Dafa is good.” Then plainclothes officers came over, held us down, pushed us into the police car, and drove us to the nearby police station. Before I got there, I saw a practitioner whose face and white shirt were covered in blood.

There were many people in the police station. The hallway was filled with two long rows of practitioners. They all recited Master’s poems from Hong Yin. After a while, a policeman came and told us to sign a document and asked where we came from, but we didn’t tell him. Everyone signed the document: “Falun Dafa practitioner.” I felt extremely proud and honored. How fortunate I was to be a Falun Dafa practitioner!

During that time many practitioners went to Tiananmen Square, but they were all taken away one by one. I was taken to Yanqing County, Beijing, and locked up in a large room. After a short time, the police came and led us out. We were not allowed to wear shoes. We were beaten in the hallway, and then taken to the police station. We walked barefoot on the icy road, but we didn’t feel cold. I knew Master was protecting us.

After we arrived at the station I told two policemen, “We are all good people, Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Many people in the world read Zhuan Falun. If you read that book, you will see that there is not a single word that teaches people to be bad.” One of them picked up the electric baton and beat me. I was not afraid. I recited:

“In life, nothing sought,In death, regretting naught;Washing away all wrong thought,Buddhahood, with less adversity, is wrought.”(“Nothing Kept,” Hong Yin).

I reminded myself I was a cultivator, and Master protected me. After a while they stopped beating me.

The other practitioners were also tortured. Some were beaten and had black and blue eyes, some were blistered by the electric batons, and others were exposed to the cold weather outside. We were not given food or water. We were sent to a detention center in an unknown location. As I was leaving, I saw a row of shoes on the ground. The owners of those shoes—practitioners—had not returned. I didn’t know where they were or what kind of persecution they suffered. I was very worried about them.

Many practitioners from all over the country were held in that detention center. Everyone sat together and exchanged experiences of validating the Fa. I was locked up in an unheated room with three other practitioners. The cement floor was bare. It was already cold but the police put an electric fan next to the door to blow cold air on us. I wore a thin cotton coat. I lay on it for a while and put it on for a while. My chest was cold when I took it off and lay on it, and my back was cold when I wore it.

The next day the police took us to the mountains. After the car stopped, they said, “If you practice Falun Dafa you must get out, and if you don’t practice, you can stay in the car.” We all got out of the car. But we didn’t know where to go, so we ran up the hill for fear of being caught again. When we looked back after a while, they were gone. We decided to go back to the city. After a while, a truck came and stopped. The driver said, “Where are you going?” We said we wanted to go to the train station. He said, “That’s far away, I’ll take you there!” We were happy and surprised. Master arranged for someone to pick us up! We thanked him and took the train to Beijing.

The second time I planned to unfurl a banner (99 meters long, embroidered with Master’s poem) with fellow practitioners. We waited there at the scheduled time. There were many plainclothes police. The atmosphere was very tense, as if the air was frozen. We quietly waited for the practitioners to arrive. When they came, we spread out flyers in order to draw the policemen’s attention so the other practitioners had a chance to put up the banners. Several plainclothes people pounced on us, held us down, kicked and beat us. I saw the other practitioners opened the banner, and walked towards the center of Tiananmen Square.

We were sent to a place, and practitioners were in every room. I heard the crackling sound of electric batons in the other rooms. At eleven o’clock in the middle of the night, the policemen were notified to release us (not all of us). Because I was beaten so badly (my face and legs were bruised and black and blue), I was released first.

An elderly practitioner from Shandong Province was released with me (I realized that Master arranged for her to take care of me). We had to find a place to stay and she helped me get to a hotel. The lady at the front desk asked if we had an ID card. We said no, then she said, “The check is strict now, you can’t stay without an ID card. Someone always comes to check.” We asked her to help us. She was very kind and allowed us stay, but said we needed to leave early next morning. The next day, we came out early to avoid causing trouble for the hotel owner.

Under Master’s arrangement, I found another place to stay, which belonged to a young couple who were practitioners. There were five people staying in this room, including a young female practitioner from Jilin Province. Her husband was arrested because he spray-painted messages about Falun Dafa in public places. This practitioner is remarkable, without excessive sadness, and did whatever she had to do. Sometimes she carried her baby on her back and went out to pass out flyers. I couldn’t pass out flyers anymore because of the injuries on my leg, so I sent materials via mail. I didn’t know where the mailboxes were, so I took the bus to tour the city. Master helped me find them.

We didn’t go out except to clarify the truth. One of the practitioners brought us food. We couldn’t stay in that place for long, so for safety, the practitioner asked me to live somewhere else with her baby. We stayed in a college dorm room when the college students were on vacation. There was no one else. In addition to cooking, I also studied the Fa and practiced the exercises. Because I couldn’t go out, I couldn’t see other practitioners and I was very lonely. I truly sensed what loneliness feels like, because I did the same thing over and over again every day.

Later, when my leg got better, I thought, why did I come to Beijing? If I can’t validate the Fa, I should go home. So I went out to clarify the truth again. Residents in Beijing were very sensitive. When I went to a residential building to pass out materials, they stared at me because I was an outsider. So, I had to get in and out fast. I remember one time when I was just going upstairs and an old man came up after me. I pretended to tie my shoes. He asked me who I was looking for. I didn’t squeak, I quickly went downstairs. He chased after me. I finally got on the bus. It was really difficult to validate the Fa in Beijing.

One day, before dawn, I went to a residential area with a male practitioner to pass out materials. The police arrested me and took me to the police station. They first beat me with electric batons. Later, they asked me where I came from, what my name is, where I got the materials, where I stayed. I didn’t say anything. They were mad and forced me to stand on my hands [do a handstand]. Within a few minutes I couldn’t hold up anymore. In the evening, they sent me to a detention center.

Because the detention center was too crowded we were sent to the dispatch office in Beijing the next day. When we got there, a few policemen stood there with electric batons. As soon as we entered, we were told to crouch down, and the electric batons were placed on our backs. Then they took us to the playground, removed our clothes and searched us. It was February and we shivered from the cold. They didn’t let us get dressed after the inspection.

The police there were very harsh. They held electric batons and walked around us every day. They gave us three minutes to use the toilet and we had no time to wash. Our job was wrapping disposable chopsticks during the day. If there was no work, we had to walk, even the old lady had to walk. If someone didn’t walk straight, she was beaten and scolded. The wrapped chopsticks had to be taken to the warehouse. I’m a small person, so it was really hard for me to carry a sack full of chopsticks.

One practitioner was shocked so badly with an electric baton that her neck swelled. When it was time to eat, we had to wait to get food. When it was your turn you had to kneel down, raise the rice bowl with both hands above your head and say: I beg for food.

I was illegally jailed for one year and six months at the Xin’an Women’s Labor Camp in Beijing. These are some of my experiences in Beijing.

Master said, “...in order to save you the Buddha once begged for food among everyday people.” (“True Cultivation,” Essentials for Further Advancement) What I suffered was really nothing. I didn’t feel bitterness, tears, or sadness, and didn’t think about home and my children. I was happy, because I did what I should do, upheld Dafa, and fulfilled my promises.

Master! Thank you, thank you for choosing me to be your student, thank you for your mercy and salvation, thank you for taking me on the road to return to my true self and guiding me home.