(Clearwisdom.net) July 20 is an ordinary date for most people; however, it is not so for Falun Gong practitioners. Exactly five years ago, on July 20, 1999, the regime of Jiang Zemin (the former leader of Chinese Communist Party) began its unprecedented persecution of Falun Gong in China. Since that day, according to confirmed reports on the Clearwisdom website, more than 1,000 practitioners have been murdered.

After five years of unrelenting persecution, Falun Gong has not disappeared. Instead, practitioners in China have demonstrated peacefully and resisted the persecution, while telling the Chinese people the facts about Falun Gong.

Outside China, Falun Gong is freely practiced in over 60 countries. Every year, around July 20, Falun Gong practitioners gather in Washington DC, the Capital of the United States, to appeal to the Chinese government to end its persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is gaining greater popularity with each passing year, and has grown internationally since its inception.

Therefore, more and more people have questions. Since Falun Gong is now becoming a well-recognized entity, where does it get its funds? Does it have the backing of governments, institutions, organizations, or industrialists? Please read below a special report, prepared by the "Weekly Economy" of the New Tang Dynasty TV Network. Its reporter interviewed the organizers of the Washington DC Falun Gong activities, Ms. Ge Min, and several DC Falun Gong practitioners and their families.

• The More People, the More Strength

Dong Fang: Ms. Ge Min, thank you for accepting our interview. Could you tell us about the activities that Falun Gong has planned for the July 20 period this year?

Ge Min: We will have a large scale experience sharing conference during which practitioners will share how they have benefited from practicing Falun Gong. Besides the experience sharing conference we will also have a grand parade and a big rally.

Dong Fang: How many people would you expect and where are they from?

Ge Min: It is estimated that four to five thousand Falun gong practitioners from all around the world will participate in the activities.

Dong Fang: I have calculated the cost that would be needed for such an event. The average transportation cost would amount to 100 US dollars per person and the accommodation for the three-day activities would also cost $100 per person. Then if you add local transportation, meals and other costs, we can add another $50. So, adding all this up we estimate that each person would spend an average of $250. From your estimates, there will be around 4,000 people attending the conference. We thus estimate that this would come to around one million US dollars, which is quite a lot of money. Do you reimburse the participants or do you provide them with financial support?

Ge Min: It's very interesting to hear the figures you mentioned. My major is mathematics, but I haven't really felt the need to look at what it costs for the individuals or the group. We don't have any funds available to us. The practitioners will not get any support. All practitioners spends their own money if they choose to attend this event.

Dong Fang: Then who provided the funds for all other conference and activity costs?

Ge Min: Yes, it is true that we have to carry all conference and activity costs. Practitioners provide the funds.

Dong Fang: I see. Every penny counts. The more people, the more funds will be available! But, we also understand that Falun Gong activities are not limited to this one event. There is a parade every spring in New York. Every year, during the UN human rights conference in Geneva, many Falun Gong practitioners go there too. I estimate that every year the practitioners will spend no less than three million US dollars. Isn't it correct that all this money comes from practitioners?

Ge Min: Yes, that's correct. This is difficult to understand by those who do not practice Falun Gong. Actually, if you have benefited from the exercises and when you benefit both physically and mentally, you don't need to spend any money on supplements or medicine. Also, many practitioners are well educated; therefore, they all have very good jobs. So it is not difficult for them to spend this amount of money. Practitioners themselves finance all Falun Gong activities.

Dong Fang: Although Falun Gong practitioners have held many activities and spoke to people from all walks of life over the past few years, quite a number of people still do not understand Falun Gong practitioners. They do not understand what motivates Falun Gong practitioners. It appears that all this, especially the handling, the source, and the management of funds, is always a mystery to many. In today's program we'll take you to the homes of some of the practitioners and observe them up close.

Many envy the couple we are interviewing. The husband is Ge Yifu and his wife Li Yuling. Ge Yifu obtained a Master's degree in physics back in China and Li Yuling also finished her postgraduate study in China. She specialized in developmental psychology. The couple came to the United States to study in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Mr. Ge graduated with a Doctor's degree in physics and Mrs. Li with a Master's degree in applied social studies. At the end of 1995, they moved to Maryland, which is close to the nation's capital, Washington DC.

At the moment Ge Yifu is doing management work for a high-tech company. He is in charge of the development programs and customer services. Li Yuling is currently a senior advisor for medical analysis. Ms. Ge explained that they both have advanced degrees, hold stable jobs and are well paid.

Dong Fang: What is your combined income per year?

Ge Yifu: Over 150 thousand US dollars.

Dong Fang: Ge Yifu and Li Yuling live on the outskirts of Maryland. They have already experienced the immigrants' dream come true. They have cars, a house, and good jobs. In 1995 and 1997 they had a son and a daughter. Now both the children are in primary school. This is a typical happy family with four members living together happily and harmoniously.

Ge Yifu and Li Yuling began to practice Falun Gong at different times.

Dong Fang: I was told that the money used for Falun Gong activities all comes from practitioners, and there is no financial support from any government institution. Is this correct?

Ge Yifu: Yes, that's correct. Personally, we think Falun Gong is very good, but it is now persecuted in China. Since we have gained a great deal from the exercises we must defend Falun Gong. Preparation is always an inseparable part of the activities. Usually we will do things during our spare time and all the cost is covered by us.

Dong Fang: In America, your family is considered one of high-income. Have you contributed funds in the past to Falun Gong activities?

Li Yuling: Some of the practitioners wanted to make truth-clarification TV programs. Because they started from scratch they had no money and no equipment. They needed equipment. Therefore, we donated three thousand dollars for the purchase of the equipment.

We also donated money for some Falun Gong activities, such as the July 20 parade, and the experience sharing conferences. Last year, DC practitioners held an experience sharing conference, with more than four thousand practitioners participating. We needed many display boards, and because the conference was held in DC, we were the hosts. Therefore, we took responsibility to make all preparations. We needed a lot of material for the display boards and banners.

My husband and I bought a lot of wood sheathing for the display boards. He went to Home Depot several times, sometimes several times a day. Each time he would spend six to seven hundred dollars. Besides the materials we also bought some tools to cut the wood and to make the display boards. We made a lot of frames and stands for when painting exhibitions were held to help spread information about Falun Dafa around the world. We also bought things for parades, and items such as drinking water. Altogether, we spent several thousand dollars.

• How Can Practitioners With Little Means Overcome Costs Associated with Transportation and Accommodations?

Dong Fang: This elderly couple is from Shenzhen, China, Mr. Chi Haiquan, and his wife Ms. Chi Yingqing. Their friends call them Daddy Chi and Mummy Chi. They came to the United States four years ago and live with their daughter and son-in-law.

Dong Fang: Do you have your own income?

Daddy Chi: We mainly live on our pension from China; however, it's not much when we convert it into the US dollars.

Dong Fang: Roughly how much will that be?

Daddy Chi: It's around 400 US dollars, or maybe a little less.

Dong Fang: What do you usually do?

Daddy Chi: We are involved in a number of things, such as taking care of the grandchildren, going shopping, cooking meals, cleaning the house, weeding the lawn, and planting flowers.

Dong Fang: What kind of Falun Gong activities do you generally get involved with?

Mummy Chi: Well, there are the group exercises on Saturdays, and we try to also participate in other activities.

Daddy Chi: Generally, we go to the Chinese embassy to practice the five sets of exercises and appeal. We also go to the shopping mall or other locations to hand out truth-clarification materials and flyers. In addition, we attend Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conferences at different locations in the United States, and we participate in a number of festival parades.

Dong Fang: Falun Gong practitioners hold activities all over the world. It seems that the activities in the United States are more frequent than at other places. Do you take part in all of the activities?

Mummy Chi: We go to almost all the major activities. Yes, we just try our best to go. This includes Florida, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. And of course we take part in all of our local activities.

Daddy Chi: We have also have traveled to Toronto Canada, Geneva Switzerland, Stockholm Sweden, and Paris France.

Dong Fang: According to what you have told me you spend almost all of your income on these activities?

Daddy Chi: It is quite a lot if you add them all together. However, each time we find the cheapest way, so we can attend the activities at various locations. Sometimes fellow practitioners give us a ride, and sometimes practitioners will arrange for a bus. For example, we took the bus to Boston, Florida, Chicago, and Toronto. Even if we must take a plane we try to find the cheapest tickets.

As for accommodations, we always ask the local practitioners to find cheap hotels. We generally share a room with a few other practitioners so the cost is manageable. Sometimes we stay at the local practitioners' homes. All of this has helped us save money.

Dong Fang: This is the bedroom of the elderly couple. Inside there is one bed and one table. They told me that they had purchased very little clothing during their four years in America. They asked their relatives and friends in China to buy clothes when they were needed and ship them here. Even the quilt came from China.

Daddy Chi: Actually I bought several items when attending group activities. This one is about seven to eight dollars and that one is about four dollars. And this one is a little more than ten dollars. They said that they only charge what it costs to produce the products. Therefore, we did not spend much.

• The Many Years of Appealing Cannot be Assessed by Economic Concerns

Dong Fang: There is a Chinese proverb, "Those who have money, contribute money and those who are endowed with physical strength contribute physical strength." This proverb applies to Falun Gong practitioners. Since July 1999, when the persecution began, Falun Gong practitioners have practiced the exercises and appealed to the Chinese government to end its persecution of Falun Gong in a small park outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C., here in the United States. They call this park Tiananmen Square. Many other organizations, groups, and individuals have come here to appeal, but none have continued with their appeals, day-in and day-out and year after year as have Falun Gong practitioners.

Dong Fang: Mummy Tao is one of the few. Since 1999 she has come almost daily to the embassy to hand out flyers, and neither wind nor rain will stop her. Several DC media outlets have reported about her.

Dong Fang: You spend so much time appealing for your cause. How do you manage your work and the other activities?

Mummy Tao: Yes, it requires a certain amount of time and energy. However if you can manage your time well it all works out. For example, I work at a nursing home. If I work the morning shift, I can come in the afternoon, and if I work evening shift I can come in the morning. As for the housework, there is always time to take care of this. Therefore, it all works out well. I am able to go to the embassy or to the Space Museum to clarify the truth to Chinese visitors.

Dong Fang: Mummy Tao came to America in the early 90s. She had previously suffered from migraine headaches, and once passed out due to the pain. She could not go to work for three weeks. Her husband suffered from serious heart disease, and in 1997 was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment seven times. Doctors said that he could only live for another five years. The couple began to practice Falun Gong in 1998, and since then have become very healthy. All their illnesses have disappeared.

Dong Fang: You go to the Chinese embassy every day, do you get paid?

Mummy Tao: No, Chinese people and tourists ask me this question frequently when I appeal at the embassy or hand out flyers at tourist spots. I always give the same response: One cannot measure things like this appeal with money .

I am no longer young and have lived in America for quite some time. My sons and daughters all have good jobs, and we live a very comfortable life. In all kinds of weather Falun Gong practitioners come to the embassy or tourist spots to appeal and clarify the truth. If it's springtime, with warm and sunny weather it might be all right, but the winter in Washington is really very cold. It's freezing. As for the summer, sometimes it's very hot. Now you tell me, how much money would it cost to find people to do these things in this kind of weather. To be frank, if it wasn't something I wanted to do from the bottom of my heart, no matter how much money you gave me, I would not do this. Moreover, my daughter might not let me. We were forced by actions of the Chinese government to come here to appeal. If there were no persecution of Falun Gong I could live comfortably at home.

Dong Fang: Do you think what you are doing will bring any result?

Mummy Tao: It all depends on what kind of results you are talking about. In my opinion, because of our persistence in coming here many people have learned the truth of Falun Gong. They now understand that Falun Gong is the most peaceful group in the world and Falun Gong actually teaches people the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The practitioners are all good people. They now understand that the persecution of Falun Gong should not have happened. Looking at it from this viewpoint, I think my efforts have been effective.

You might ask yourself if this persecution is effective. It has not ended, and it has lasted for five years. However, as practitioners we sincerely hope this persecution will end very soon. We hope the Chinese government will deal more wisely with this issue.

Dong Fang: I would like to ask you a question. Why are Falun Gong practitioners sacrificing like this? Why do you want to do this?

Ge Yifu: To tell you the truth, we have two purposes in holding these activities. First of all, we want to let it be known that Falun Dafa is good. This is because many people have been deceived by the Chinese propaganda and do not know the truth.

And secondly we intend to call on the world's people to help Falun Gong practitioners put an end to the persecution of these innocent people in China. These are the two purposes.

Daddy Chi: The two of us were all in very poor health and it is Falun Gong that made it possible for us to be healthy again. Therefore, Falun Gong is like our savior. Now Falun Gong has been persecuted in China and many practitioners were tortured to death, so we are obligated to voice our grievances on behalf of Falun Gong and call on more and more people to help put an end to this persecution.

Mummy Tao: We hope this persecution will end as soon as possible. There is no other reason for us doing this beyond ending the persecution. We think the persecution should not have happened in the first place. So many good people have been persecuted and Falun Gong has suffered from such a cruel repression. All this should not have happened.

What's more, so many Chinese do not know the truth of persecution. Their minds were poisoned and they have done much that is plainly wrong, and they have said so much that should have better been left unsaid. This is actually a betrayal of moral standards and conscience. I feel very sad whenever I see them.

Dong Fang: A song called "Coming for You" is now spreading among Falun Gong practitioners. This song reflects very well the state of mind and the purpose of Falun Gong practitioners. These are the words:

Coming from far away,
Again and again, I came for you,
I came for loving you.
Precious Chinese people, please listen to my heart-felt voice,
Falun Dafa is good, Falun Dafa Hao!
See the truth behind those lies.

Facing violence and danger,
Again and again, I came for you,
I came for loving you.
Precious Chinese people, did you know that the whole world is saying,
"Falun Dafa is good, Falun Dafa Hao!"
Do not miss this precious chance.

Do not miss this precious chance, this precious chance!