(Minghui.org) When Falun Gong was banned in China in 1999, tens of millions of practitioners from all walks of life were practicing it. Continuing from Part 5, this article highlights two successful engineers – Mr. Wang Zhongming and Mr. Zhang Wanwu – and how practicing Falun Gong improved their health and spiritual well-being. Sadly, both are now facing persecution for their belief.
Mr. Wang Zhongming is a senior engineer at China Metallurgical CISDI Engineering, CO., LTD.
A Sad Childhood
Mr. Wang was born into a teacher's family in 1965, the youngest of three. Soon after his birth, the Cultural Revolution began and both of his parents were imprisoned in “Cow Shelters”—temporary prisons for scholars targeted by the Red Guard. His brothers dropped out of school. The eldest had no choice but to take him, an infant, to the countryside where the educated brother was to be “re-educated” by farmers.
After his father was released, young Zhongming walked with his father 10 miles every weekend to see his mother who was still in prison. His father passed away when Wang was just ten. It was not until the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976 that his life could return to normal.
Halted by Hepatitis B
The harsh circumstances of his childhood and simple lifestyle established Mr. Wang's kind and humble personality. He loved to learn in school and was always at the top of his class. He attended Chongqing University and, with his excellent undergraduate record, was admitted to a graduate school program without taking graduate school entrance exams.
Mr. Wang graduated in 1989 with a Master's Degree in Engineering. He was hired by Chongqing Iron and Steel Design and Research Institute (CISDI), which was mainly engaged in scientific research and engineering technology.
Just as he was ready to engage his talents and skills in the projects at work, Mr. Wang was diagnosed with Hepatitis B. Doctors told him that there was no treatment for Hepatitis B, a monster that turned his life upside down. He felt hopeless. No longer could he work toward his life dreams.
Mr. Wang lost a tremendous amount of weight as the illness progressed. He often felt dizzy and sick. He was hospitalized three times in seven years. He saw many doctors and tried both Western and Chinese medicine. He tried qigong but nothing helped. Although married, he could not have children because he feared the disease would negatively affect his child's health.
Mr. Wang was once hospitalized in a hospital that was not covered by his company's health plan. After his return, his work unit refused to reimburse his medical expenses.
His mother appealed to his work unit manager asking him to treat her son's case as exceptional. The work unit reimbursed his medical costs and, from then on, the work unit's manager remembered him as “a young employee by the name of Wang Zhongming who often got sick.”
Outstanding Achievements
Mr. Wang struggled for eight years with Hepatitis B. During a trip to Shanghai in 1996, he learned about Falun Gong. Soon after he began to practice the Falun Gong exercises his health improved; all symptoms of Hepatitis B vanished. A few months later, his family and friends were amazed to find him full of energy.
Mr. Wang's story turned to a new page. He and his wife had a child in 1997 and Wang was recognized for his outstanding achievements.
Managers and colleagues alike deeply appreciated his work. He received a Model Employee award four years in a row and his story was posted on the bulletin board at the main entrance of his company.
Searching Inside to Dissolve Family Conflicts
When Mr. Wang's child was born, his parents came to help care for the baby. During this time his wife and mother developed some conflicts between them. When his wife complained to him about his mother, Mr. Wang replied sincerely, “I must have done something wrong. It must be my problem. It's not an accident that this has happened. I must have fallen short in some areas. Take it easy, I promise that I'll improve.”
Surprised, his wife did not expect him to find fault in himself when it was she who had conflicts with his mother. She felt so much better after that and grew to respect her husband, and Falun Gong, even more.
Not only did Falun Gong cure Mr. Wang's disease, but also improved his moral standards and elevated his xinxing. The conflict between his wife and mother quickly dissipated.
His wife also became a Falun Gong practitioner. Both husband and wife began to follow Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and cultivated together. When conflicts occurred, they looked inside to find their own faults. They lived harmoniously with his mother.
A Food Poisoning Incident
On an out-of-town business trip to a steel plant, everybody in the group except Mr. Wang had symptoms of seafood poisoning and were taken to the hospital. His colleagues were surprised to find out that only Mr. Wang did not become ill.
“Why is he fine?” they asked. “The food poisoning didn't affect him. Is it because he practices Falun Gong? Falun Gong is indeed magical.”
At that time the government-controlled Chinese media was beginning to slander Falun Gong with negative propaganda. This incident, however, made his colleagues ponder, and they began to doubt the legitimacy of the government's propaganda. Many of them still talk about that incident today.
The vice president of the company who accompanied the group on the business trip, chatted with Mr. Wang later. “What's wrong with Falun Gong? Why did Jiang Zemin (the former communist party leader) want to persecute Falun Gong practitioners?”
Mr. Wang did not know how to answer his questions back then, so he said, “I can lend you the book, Zhuan Falun, and you decide what this book is about.”
About two weeks later, the vice president returned the book and told him, “I've read it. There's no problem. You can continue practicing Falun Gong.”
Upstanding Colleague
Mr. Wang was promoted to expert-level engineer even though he was relatively young for such a promotion. He lived up to expectations and played an important role in a series of domestic and international projects. He never took credit for the role he played in the projects’ successes.
In addition, he refused to take any gifts from suppliers and strictly followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
“Because I'm a Falun Gong practitioner, I won't do anything that violates the principles of my belief,” he said.
Mr. Wang was honest and fair with everyone. He would help anyone, whether it was a relative, friend, colleague, neighbor, or nanny. Whoever had difficulties he would help. There was no distinction between poor or rich for him.
A co-worker once had a car accident. Mr. Wang volunteered to drive him to work and take him home every day for more than a year. He gave poor people money to help them through difficult times. He invited widowed elderly people to his house to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family. When they left to go home Mr. Wang always let them pick a bag of New Year's gifts from his table.
Mr. Wang has always adhered to his belief at work and in everyday life. He practices his understanding of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and has earned a high reputation among his co-workers and neighbors.
Mr. Zhang Wanwu had a weak constitution ever since he was young. As an adult, he had many health issues—cerebral neurasthenia, sinusitis, heart disease, tuberculosis, stomach problems, rheumatism, chronic appendicitis, abdominal vasculitis, and arthritis.
He took dozens of meds each day and was often hospitalized. Because of his poor health, Mr. Zhang paid special attention to medical information. When a new medicine was released, he'd try it out right away. His co-workers often teased him and said that his home was a drug testing center.
However, the medicines did not cure Mr. Zhang’s illnesses. Instead, the side effects caused more illnesses. In the summer of 1996, he suffered another physical setback: debilitating back pain. The pain was so severe that Mr. Zhang could not sleep.
The factory where he worked was not doing very well, so he had not been paid, and there was no health insurance.
Failing to find the cause of the pain, his doctors did not subscribe any medicine for him.
Mr. Zhang received a copy of Zhuan Falun in 1996, a few days before the Chinese New Year. As he read the book, he felt as if the book was talking to him, and all the questions he had about life were answered.
He learned that people were sick because they had accumulated karma. If he wanted to be free from illness, he had to be a good person who put others before themselves and would not harm others. He understood that only after he paid back the karmic debts he owed could he get his illnesses cured.
After understanding this truth, Mr. Zhang was excited and had hope.
He immediately asked his wife, "This practice is magnificent. Do you want to practice with me?"
Without hesitating, his wife said yes and they embarked on their cultivation path of Falun Gong. They strictly followed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and became illness-free.
Mr. Zhang has not taken any medicine for more than 20 years. As his health improved, he also put a great deal of effort into his work. His family finances have improved as have his moral standards.
Mr. Zhang worked in the factory's technical department and was engaged in product development. He frequently traveled to Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing to purchase supplies.
Although bribery is illegal in China, people commonly take advantage of loopholes in the law. Suppliers will reimburse personal expenses and offer free food and drink to ensure business partnerships. Mr. Zhang absolutely refused to comply with any practice that was not lawful and was very conscientious of any gray areas when dealing with other companies.
Falun Gong opened his wisdom. In 1998, Mr. Zhang was awarded the title of “advanced individual in the development of new products” by the Jilin Provincial Department of Machinery and Electronics Industry.
In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated a brutal suppression of Falun Gong. Good people like Wang Zhongming and Zhang Wanwu have been subjected to the persecution for nearly two decades.
Because he persisted in his faith, Mr. Wang was arrested in September 2017, and has been detained since then. Mr. Zhang was laid off by his factory and has been repeatedly persecuted.
*************Background
Falun Gong was first taught to the public in 1992. Nearly 100 million people across China were soon practicing it due to its proven reputation for improving health and spiritual wellbeing. Jiang Zemin, former head of the CCP, perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the Party's atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban Falun Gong on July 20, 1999.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners due to persecution over the past 19 years, though the actual number is suspected to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith. Evidence also shows that the CCP has been harvesting organs from detained practitioners, who are killed in the process, to supply the organ transplant industry.
Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Gong.