During the Chinese New Year of 2001, the local police and neighborhood Administration Office at North Shengli Street in Qiaodong District, Shijiazhuang City, illegally detained and attempted to forcefully "reform" all practitioners who refused to sign a statement guaranteeing they would not practice Falun Gong.
On January 21st, Chief of police Hou Yong, and Zhang San, a policeman from the local police station on North Shengli Street, together with some neighborhood security guards, went to the 4th Residential District at the Chemical Fertilizer Factory and the dormitory of the Automobile Assembling Factory and illegally arrested more than ten Dafa practitioners. Their excuse for arresting people was that these practitioners refused to sign a "Guarantee Statement." When some Dafa practitioners asked them whether they knew what they were doing was illegal, they said they were acting on orders that came from higher-up, so they were not responsible. One of the Dafa practitioners was Wen Fenglan, a sixty-one year old female practitioner who lived in the dormitory of the Auto Assembly Factory. Her husband, Xing Guochang, had already been illegally arrested and sentenced to 51/2 years imprisonment for cultivating "truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance." In order to oppose evil and promote righteousness, she firmly resisted being taken away. When the police saw that this old lady wouldn't comply, they dragged and carried her out of the room. Seeing that many people were watching outside, she began to speak in a loud voice: "The police are illegally arresting people!" People in the crowd started saying, "How can these policemen be so rude!" This event made an extremely bad impression on the masses.
Before noon, all arrested Dafa practitioners were taken to the local police station at North Shengli Street and were illegally detained in a confinement room. Policeman Zhang San and others took this chance for their revenge. They handcuffed Wen Fenglan, who was already in pain from their rough treatment, to a big tree for 7 or 8 hours. During that time, when the old lady requested to go to the restroom, they maliciously told her, "You want to go to the restroom? No way. We'll keep you handcuffed right here!" Because it was extremely cold that day, (around zero degrees F.) the old lady's hands and face turned red. In the end, both hands were stiff and could not move. That night, they transferred all the arrested Dafa practitioners to a police station in the Qiaodong District and illegally demanded 100 Yuan from each person.
Sun Qingjun (female, 25) and Ren Yanzhi (female, 28) were taken to the same place later and were also illegally detained in the confinement room. Because of the cold weather, Ren Yanzhi's feet were frostbitten. They requested several times to go to the restroom and were refused. One kind-hearted security guard could not bear the sight any more and opened the door for them, and for this he received a tongue-lashing from his political instructor. On Chinese New Year day (January 24, 2001), they were transferred to a detention center on Dongfeng Road.
There were over thirty Dafa practitioners being illegally held in this detention center. Some had been arrested while they were delivering food to fellow practitioners at the local police station, even though they had signed the Guarantee Statement. During their illegal detention, family members were not allowed to visit or deliver food. They even spread rumors that those Dafa practitioners ate very well in the detention center, and they used this as an excuse to require the families to pay 300 Yuan for each person detained. In fact, what Dafa practitioners ate was soup with rotten Napa leaves, corn porridge, and steamed buns. When the practitioners requested to be released without being charged, prison officials would deceive them by saying they would be released on a certain day, then renege on their promise. Dafa practitioners went on a collective hunger strike. Three days later, on February 9, several Dafa practitioners who were residents of North Shengli Street were transferred to a Nursery Home for old people at the Zhengda Community and further persecuted.
The person in charge of the persecution at the new location was Secretary Gao of the Commission for Inspecting Discipline in the Neighborhood Administration Office of North Shengli Street. A man named Zhao and a tall person (whose name is unknown) were responsible for the forced "Transformation Class." They told practitioners they would not release anyone who refused to sign the Guarantee Statement. Dafa practitioners had to continue with their hunger strike again. Five days later, Secretary Gao shamelessly asked each of the practitioners' families for about 2,000 Yuan as a cash pledge, but he was not successful. A few days later, the family members, under great pressure both mentally and physically, could not bear to see their loved ones being persecuted any more, so they agreed to pay 1,500 Yuan as a cash pledge in order to take the detained practitioners back home.
Among those, Sun Qingjun (25, from the 4th Residential District at the Chemical Factory) and Wang Hua (female, 23, from the 4th Residential District at the Chemical Factory) continued to resist the evil forces and were illegally detained for 20 more days. On March 12, the police station forced their family members to pay 1,000 Yuan and released them.
One thing that needs to be mentioned is that Wang Xiaoying (female, 56, from the 4th Residental District at the Chemical Factory) and her daughters, Ren Yanfang (female, 31), and Ren Yanzhi (female, 28) were arrested together. Only Wang Xiaoying's husband and a 4-year old grandson were left at home. After Wang Xiaoying and her daughters were arrested, her husband cried every day and spent a most lonely New Year separated from his family members. In order to send clothes to Wang Xiaoying and her daughters, he had to lock the 4-year old grandson at home. Unfortunately, misfortunes never come singly, as the grandson became sick with a fever. Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoying's husband became mentally and physically exhausted. Through this persecution, Wang Xiaoying's family spent nearly 7000 Yuan (about $850US), which caused them great hardship.
Among the Dafa practitioners being arrested at this time were: Hu Mingzhi (male, 50, from the 4th Residential District at the Chemical Factory), Lu Sujun (female, 47, from the Auto Assembling Factory), Wang Yun (female, 46, from the dormitory at Metal Pot Casting Factory).
In general, during this persecution, the average economic loss for a practitioner has been about 2,000 Yuan. This has caused severe economic hardship to each individual and their families. Moreover, the cost in grief and suffering cannot be measured by numbers.
March 18, 2001