This article was first published in May 2010.
(Minghui.org) On April 25, 1999, ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners went to the State Appeals Office on Fuyou Street and peacefully appealed for Falun Gong, requesting the release of arrested practitioners, the right to publish Falun Gong related books, and the right for Falun Gong practitioners to exercise freely without disturbance. "4.25" marked an important event in Chinese history, and it happened at an important place in mainland China.
The practitioners on Changan Street
In February 1999, three days after the New Year, I went to the Haidian District through Changan Street. The street is about 5 km long, and from beginning to end, I could see groups of people forming straight lines to perform the exercises and hold up Falun Dafa banners. I still remember the day as if it were yesterday, not because of the enormous number of people, but because of the solemn energy field. I was struggling to make a living and had to get up early, but Falun Gong practitioners came and went freely, and they willingly got up early for the morning exercises. There were no enforced rules or the drive to seek benefits. The difference in realms was clear.
Changan Street is one of the most important streets in China. Some Chinese believe that it is "The Number One street in the Divine land." Changan Street was constructed during the Ming Dynasty, at the same time the palace was built, and it was named Changan from the Tang Dynasty, meaning, "long term peace and security."
The Chinese culture of cultivation is long-standing and well established. Falun Gong practitioners abide by the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and aim to return to their original selves, so it was appropriate for them to exercise on Changan Street to promote traditional Chinese culture.
"4.25" and Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai's east wall connects to the Forbidden City. Outside its west wall is Fuyou Street, which intersects with Wenjin Street on the north side of Zhongnanhai. On its south side, Fuyou and Changan streets intersect. The State Appeals Office is located on Fuyou Street but has no specific address. The main entrance of Zhongnanhai, Xinhuamen, is located on West Changan Street, where the words "Serve the People" are carved into the wall.
From reviewing CCTV and other photos, one can see that the wall behind the practitioners was not Zhongnanhai--it was across the street from them. On April 25, 1999, there was no one near Xinhuamen, the entrance of Zhongnanhai. Practitioners were concentrated on Fuyou and West Changan streets.
The "siege of Zhongnanhai" is a complete lie, promoted to deceive those who were not there. To lay siege a place means to surround it from all sides, yet the main entrance was clearly open, and there was no besieging or attack. Prime Minister Zhu Rongji met the representatives that day, and the police were chatting casually nearby. With mutual trust like this, where was the attack?
Zhongnanhai is where the State Council is located. A matter related to 100 million practitioners is a matter of the nation, so it was perfectly justified for the State Council to solve the problem. Falun Gong practitioners peacefully requested their rights without violence or shouting, using only practitioners' serene compassion to resolve the problem. Didn't they do it for the long term peace and security of the nation?
Persecution has brought suffering to the nation and its citizens
The appeal on 4.25 was a chance given to the CCP to make a choice between peaceful dialogue and political persecution. The CCP chose persecution, causing not only the complete decline of the nation's morality but also affecting the entire society, harming all Chinese citizens. The CCP has tried its best to claim that it is only trying to establish a "harmonious society," deceiving people into believing that the tough policy would keep society stable and grow the economy, but the reality is just the opposite.
Recently, Tsinghua University Society Research reported that even though the Public Security budget has reached 75 billion dollars, approximating the military budget, conflicts have been rising steadily, and society has sunk into the vicious circle of "the more you want to maintain stability, the less stable it becomes." The root cause is that the current government politicizes the conflicts brought on by citizens, some relating to basic benefits and basic rights, and has brutally suppressed and cracked down on those people.
The report states: "Research data clearly shows that the cause of so much conflict is the lack of communication and expression for the profit holder. If we do not solve the fundamental issue of benefit imbalance and fairness in society, and just crack down on and suppress the lawful profit holders in the name of stability, this will only increase problems, escalate the conflicts, and cause more instability in society."
At the current time, the CCP has lost the trust of the people and is heading toward extermination. This is the direct result of its decision to persecute Falun Gong after the 4.25 appeal.
