(Minghui.org) On the orders of Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese dictator, the Chinese communist regime has persecuted Falun Gong since 1999. What I have experienced since the onset of the persecution will remain imprinted in my mind forever.
I got married the year the persecution of Falun Gong began. The overwhelming propaganda by the communist regime that slandered our cultivation practice covered the globe.
Many Falun Gong assistants were arrested and sentenced to prison. We read on the Minghui website that fellow practitioners were tortured and murdered.
Our colleagues and friends suddenly treated us as enemies, or even as if we were a terrorist group. The team leaders pressured us to give up Falun Gong, because if we didn’t, they might lose their bonuses or other benefits, or be demoted. Even our family members lived in fear and told us to give up cultivating.
We went to the provincial capital and to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. We were arrested several times, beaten, and detained. However, we knew that our belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was not wrong.
Arrested and Detained in 2001
When I was pregnant in 2001, I had to watch my husband get arrested. That evening the police yelled, “Don’t move! Don’t talk!” They ransacked our home and confiscated our computer, printer, and other personal belongings. They beat my husband in front of me, and they took us both to the local police station.
A practitioner had been murdered in that police station not long before. It was dark and eerie, and I worried about my husband's safety. I worried that they would torture him to find out the source of the Falun Gong informational materials they had found in our home. Two days later, I was told that my husband had escaped. He became homeless.
The police knew that I was pregnant, but still detained me for days. They extorted nearly 1,000 yuan from me and refused to give me a receipt.
Remembering Hardship and Loneliness
Both my husband and I held advanced degrees and had good jobs. My husband was forced to quit his job and went missing. I was demoted to a cleaning job with a poverty-level salary. I did not purchase any new clothes, and only bought the cheapest food.
But the most unbearable burden was the loneliness and missing my husband, especially the times when I gave birth to my son, when my son asked about his dad, when I saw a happy couple, and when I learned that my son's teacher had tried to find out his father's whereabouts.
Why do we have to suffer such hardship and misery? We only want to be good people and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be healthy in body and mind. That can only benefit society, and certainly does not cause any harm.
The Altruism of Fellow Practitioners
Fortunately, with the selfless help of fellow practitioners and the guidance of Falun Gong, I was able to endure the difficult times.
Aijie (an alias) gave me a stroller just after my son was born, often bought food and clothes for him, talked to me, and cheered me up. Bixia babysat for my son and did not accept any payment. Caige and his wife fixed whatever was broken in my home. There was so much they did for me and my son.
I have taught my son the Falun Gong principles and told him to be truthful, kind, and tolerant. He is very reasonable, healthy, and smart. He has never fought with other children. His grades are among the best in his class. My relatives and my coworkers admire him.
Practitioners Have Great Virtue
It has been 17 years since practitioners began risking their safety to clarify the truth about our cultivation practice. More and more people have seen through the Communist Party’s lies. They’ve learned that practitioners are people with integrity and of great virtue. Practitioners are respected by more and more people. It is just like the proverb that says, “Higher virtue, higher respect!”
The persecution has not ended yet. Some bad people are still committing horrible deeds. But I believe it will not be long before Falun Gong will be redressed, and the bad people will incur their punishment.
All kind people and practitioners will witness the day when justice is done and the new future dawns.
