(Minghui.org) Ms. Zhao Guiyan (赵桂艳), a village resident from Qianxi County, Hebei Province, was illegally arrested on the morning of July 30, 2014, as she was talking to people about Falun Gong on Lixiang Square. Her eight-year-old granddaughter, who witnessed the arrest, was left alone on the square in tears.
At the Qianxi Suburban Police Station, police officers pressured Ms. Zhao to renounce her belief in Falun Gong and to turn in other practitioners. With no hesitation, Ms. Zhao said she would not. Instead, she told her captors how much she had benefited from practicing Falun Gong. She then began a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention.
When Ms. Zhao became ill on August 3, the guards told her that they would take her to a nearby medical clinic for a physical exam. After she got in the police van, however, they sent her to the Tangshan City First Detention Center.
Her husband and other family members did not know about Ms. Zhao's being transferred until some time afterwards. When they came to visit her and requested her release, they were denied visitation by the detention center officials.
This was not Ms. Zhao's first arrest. She was previously arrested on July 2, 2013, at a farmers’ market in Xinji City when she talked to people about Falun Gong. She was released five days later.
Severe Illness Cured by Practicing Falun Gong
What was Ms. Zhao's motivation for talking to people about Falun Gong? It all started on a winter day in 2011 when she experienced acute abdominal pain. It was as if her internal organs were being twisted and she was unable to sit, stand, or lie down due to the excruciating pain.
After visiting numerous hospitals in both Hebei Province and Beijing, the cause of Ms. Zhao's illness still could not be diagnosed. She spent nearly 2,000 yuan for medical consultations and took the medicines prescribed by doctors, but her agony persisted.
One day as Ms. Zhao visited a relative, she experienced a severe episode of her illness. She did not know what to do and cried out because of the pain. Seeing Ms. Zhao's despair, her relative tried to comfort her but Ms. Zhao could not be comforted. The relative later said, “I heard that Falun Gong is very powerful for curing illness. Do you want to give it a try?”
Ms. Zhao had in fact practiced Falun Gong for a short while before it was suppressed by the Chinese government in 1999. Intimidated by the massive persecution and slanderous propaganda, she became afraid and quit practicing.
Ms. Zhao's illness now led her to give Falun Gong a second try. Although she was a beginner, her illnesses – including the stomach problems and sinusitis – miraculously disappeared in a few days. Her temper also improved significantly. Instead of projecting complaints and anger, Ms. Zhao developed a more positive attitude in every aspect of her daily life.
The majors changes in Ms. Zhao surprised her family, friends, and neighbors. Some questioned, “The news media always says Falun Gong is bad. Why then did Ms. Zhao become such a good, healthy person after she started practicing?” Seeing their confusion, Ms. Zhao began to explain to them that the government-controlled media has been defaming Falun Gong since 1999, and that they should learn the facts to understand what Falun Gong is really about.
Ms. Zhao is currently still detained at the Tangshan City First Detention Center. Despite ongoing pressure and threats, she remains determined in her belief and refuses to do forced labor.
