(Clearwisdom.net) Poet and writer Mr. Li Hong, a Falun Gong sympathizer who dared to expose the brutal nature of the communist regime, was also editor-in-chief of the “Aegean Sea” website. He died on 31 December 2010 in Ningbo City at the age of 52. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took strict measures to prevent anyone attending an event mourning his death. Why does the CCP fear his influence, even after his death? What is it all about?
Li Hong’s original name was Zhang Jianhong. He was born in Yin County, Zhejiang Province. He started publishing literary works in 1980, beginning with a students’ poetry publication, Horizon, and a literary magazine, On Earth. This lead to him being placed under police surveillance. Li Hong was a prolific writer whose creative works included poetry, prose, plays, and novels. He and his friends founded the literary and news website “Aegean Sea” in August 2005. He was its editor-in-chief.
Between May and September 2006, Li Hong published a large number of commentaries on overseas websites that expressed sympathy toward Falun Gong and exposed the tyranny of the CCP. Among the commentaries were a number addressing the CCP's crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, including “Organ harvesting unfolds as the Beijing Olympic Games are about to open,” “Facing the exposure of organ harvesting – (the CCP) tries to draft a law for handling emergency incidents,” “What would Bush say faced with the report on organ harvesting,” “I’m willing to participate in this historical investigation,” “Spreading ‘Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party’ and Quitting the CCP – the CCP cannot survive these.”
The above articles directly targeted the communist regime’s monstrous crimes of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners. When an overseas Chinese writer surnamed Wu questioned the report on organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners at Sujiatun, Li Hong published an article, which, through close analysis, thoroughly reputed Wu’s misleading comments.
Li Hong is one of the very few intellectuals who dared to speak up for Falun Gong in the extremely adverse environment in Mainland China. What Li Hong took on in terms of morality and justice fully reflected his conscience and the integrity of a traditional scholar.
The communist regime hated Li Hong and is afraid of his legacy, one of the main reasons being because Li Hong, as a third party, verbalized the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong. He did not practice Falun Gong, but his fair understanding of Falun Gong and his deep sympathy toward Falun Gong after he learned the facts had the ability to inspire the public to pay attention to the persecution of Falun Gong.
At the time Li Hong spoke out for Falun Gong in China, quite a number of people were still taking a “neutral stand” regarding the persecution. Their typical comment was, "I’m not against Falun Gong, and I’m not against the CCP either. I don’t believe what either side says." But when the gruesome facts were revealed, their “neutral stand” effectively showed that they refused to take a stand out of fear. Li Hong’s article largely clarified the confusion in people’s minds that resulted from the regime’s tyranny and lies. The stand Li Hong took represented justice and conscience – how people should react when they see their fellow countrymen being brutally persecuted. But if they condemned the regime, they would live in fear of its tyranny.
The CCP could not tolerate what Li Hong said, as his words touched a sensitive spot where the CCP is most fearful. Think of it, if a regime harvests organs from living human beings, can it still maintain a foothold in China? No matter how hard the regime tries to cover up its crimes, the exposure of this fact alone would be enough for the people to abandon the regime. That is why this Party that rules through lies and deception is trembling with fear at the thought of Li Hong, a morally upright writer who dared to speak the truth.
Li Hong was unlawfully detained the evening of September 6, 2006, on criminal charges. The Ningbo Intermediate Court tried him covertly on January 12, 2007. The regime convicted him of the following “crimes:” “Zhang Jianhong unscrupulously slandered and defamed our state government as a ‘sworn enemy of the whole of mankind.’ He said: ‘The CCP tyranny is illegitimate’ and it is ‘a post-totalitarian regime,’ it is ‘anti-freedom and anti-human rights’ and is a ‘fascist tyranny that comprehensively slaughters human rights and a bloodthirsty and unrepentant murderer; it is a tyranny that has committed and is still committing more serious and more horrific crimes against humanity and civilization than the Nazi empire.’ He advocated that ‘the current criminal tyranny must be put to an end as soon as possible' and stirred up people to ‘say goodbye to the terror of the totalitarian regime and to reverse the course of events.’ He openly incited people to subvert the power of the state and to overturn socialism.” The official conviction of Li Hong shows us the strength of his power and, of course, the evilness of the regime. In the end, the regime authorities unlawfully sentenced Li Hong to six years of imprisonment, charged with inciting subversion of the state's power.
Of particular mention is the fact that the verdict avoided all mention of “Falun Gong” and “organ harvesting.” Clearly, the regime tried its hardest during the covert trial to avoid these facts that they fear most. This shows how fearful the regime is of Falun Gong and Li Hong.
In May 2007, Li Hong was diagnosed with a rare neurological illness that caused severe muscular atrophy in his arms, and the symptoms were spreading to his legs. He was facing complete paralysis. Later on, his wife applied many times for medical parole with the judiciary authorities in Zhejiang Province, but it was never approved. Because of deteriorating health, Li Hong was sent to the central hospital of prisons in Zhejiang Province. It was said that he was suffering from a neurological motor disease, which the medical community defined as incurable. Even so, Li Hong was refused bail for medical treatment until June 5, 2010, by which time he was completely paralyzed and unable to speak or breathe on his own. He had to rely on a breathing machine and infusions to maintain his life. His condition deteriorated over the next six months and he died in a hospital. Around the time of his death, the hospital swarmed with the police from the Domestic Security Division.
Of course the prison did not have the authority to approve his bail for medical treatment. No doubt his case involved the regime’s high-level officials. After Li Hong's death, the police in Zhejiang acted very swiftly to prevent dissidents in China from participating in a mourning ceremony. This demonstrates the regime's control of Li Hong's affairs, even after his death.
Why is the communist regime so frightened of an individual even after his death? They do not fear his body, but are afraid of what people would associate with his name – the regime's unlawful sentencing and imprisonment. And of course they are most afraid that when his name is mentioned, people will associate it with the reasons behind the persecution he suffered. The regime tries to cover up the facts and prevents people from mourning his death; this alone shows that the regime acknowledges the facts he made public. The regime is responsible for Li Hong's death because they were terrified of what would happen after he exposed the Party's persecution of Falun Gong! The regime dares not reveal these facts, but they are already deeply engraved in people’s minds; and when the regime disintegrates, these facts will also be inscribed on Mr. Li Hong’s tombstone.
Li Hong challenged the regime’s tyranny with the strength of an individual. His strength was based on a fearless conscience and noble integrity. Countless Chinese people with a conscience are behind him and support him. Those who know the facts will automatically side with him; those who have yet to learn the facts will also form a force – to support Li Hong's writings once they have learned the facts. He was crystal clear about his conscience and the sacrifice he was making. Such conscience is the foundation of hope for China. What he did is an inevitable choice for all Chinese people with a conscience, and this, of course, is what the CCP fears the most.
Although Li Hong is gone, the moral power he left us is inspiring the consciences of more and more Chinese people. In China today there are more and more people like Li Hong who are stepping forward to speak up for Falun Gong. The communist regime's terror-stricken state after Li Hong’s death clearly shows that this is the case.
Finally, let us quote a paragraph from an essay Li Hong wrote in August 2006 in Ningbo, “Sidelights on 40 years of resistance against tyranny”: “To date, I’m still grateful to Heaven that within the tightly besieged environment under the CCP, it has bestowed upon us seven months’ time, allowing us to say what makes the tyrants tremble with fear and [be] in constant anxiety!”
Li Hong is gone, but his words still resound across the vast land of China.
Category: Perspective
