(Clearwisdom.net) On December 14, 2008, more than 7,000 practitioners attended the Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference held at Zhongxing University in Taiwan, in which more than 20 practitioners shared their cultivation experiences based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Among them were students, senior citizens and members of the military. I found that this level of attendance was meaningful: the people and government of Taiwan are not fooled by the CCP's propaganda.
In the early years when the persecution first started, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime went full force with their propaganda machine and utilized various diplomatic means to slander and defame Falun Gong worldwide. They put all kinds of terrible labels on Falun Gong and fabricated vicious accusations. While many people did not believe the one-sided allegations from the regime, they did not know much about what Falun Gong really was either. They did not want to "get involved"and be persecuted, so they simply chose to keep their distance from Falun Gong.
In Taiwan, though, the number of people practicing Falun Gong has steadily increased and now it has reached 500,000.
No matter how much the regime slanders Falun Gong in its propaganda, the people in Taiwan, which is not under the CCP's suffocating control, have their own ability to judge. They know the difference between good and evil, and do not believe the CCP's propaganda.
From the annual cultivation experience sharing conferences in Taiwan, we can see that similar to mainland China, Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan come from all walks of life and diverse professions. There are government officials, university professors, doctors, workers, farmers, students, military personnel, retirees and children. Indeed, Falun Gong has become a popular cultivation practice in Taiwan society.
As a group, Falun Gong practitioners are quite remarkable. Take a recent event for example. Not long ago, a Communist official came to visit Taiwan. During his stay, many local people opposed his entry to Taiwan due to the scandal where the CCP was responsible for toxic baby milk powder. There were clashes between the people and the police, sometimes even turning violent. Although the CCP has been persecuting and killing Falun Gong practitioners, causing countless practitioners to suffer injuries, disabilities and even death, thousands of practitioners in Taiwan sat quietly, holding banners that exposed the persecution. They were telling the Communist officials not to participate in the persecution and that they should quit the CCP to gain a bright future for themselves. The scene was solemn, dignified, and peaceful.
It's easy to see that Falun Gong's behavior is great for social stability, and it's telling that the CCP has gone so far out of its way to persecute and try to snuff out such a group.