(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Yang Xiuzhong was a Senior Lab Technician employed by the Southwest Petroleum Institute. Since he firmly cultivated Falun Dafa even after July 20, 1999, the Institute's administrators put him on a blacklist. He was placed under house arrest, forced to retire early, had his home ransacked, was detained, was forced to live under constant monitoring, had his home phone bugged, and was followed and harassed constantly. Due to the constant mental and physical torture, he died in June 2003, at the age of 61.

In 1983, Mr. Yang contracted Hepatitis B, which turned into severe cirrhosis of liver, and he also suffered from hepatic portal vein cirrhosis in 1994. He became very weak. In addition, he contracted the skin disease vitiligo. He had to be hospitalized for more than 10 days every semester, and spent more than 1,000 yuan on medicine every month. His diseases were a burden for his employer and his family, and constituted a mental burden for him.

Therefore, he was overjoyed when he started practicing Falun Gong in March 1996. Soon after he started to learn the Fa and practice the exercises, his severe cirrhosis and vitiligo disappeared. He became a healthy person, as Falun Dafa gave him a new life. He solidly believed in Falun Dafa and conducted himself strictly according to the standards of a practitioner. He worked very hard and always thought of others first. He saved a lot of money on medical costs each year, and avoided the financial burden to his workplace and family.

However, after July 20, 1999, he was placed under house arrest by his employer and forced to attend brainwashing sessions because he refused to give up cultivation. Facing people who tried to brainwash him, he explained the truth about Falun Gong by using the example of his own dramatic mental and physical recovery. He was laid off temporarily in November 1999 for more than 6 months, and paid only 60 yuan in salary per month, because he absolutely refused to be brainwashed. In July 2000, he was arrested and detained in the Shunqing District Detention Center in Nanchong City, his home was ransacked, and his yearly bonus was confiscated. In July 2001, his home was ransacked for the second time. He was forced to become destitute and homeless for a period of time in order to resist abduction to a brainwashing class. After he returned to the Institute, his salary was frozen for several months. Due to the prolonged persecution and constant mental pressure, his mind and body were both damaged severely and, tragically, he died in June 2003.