(Minghui.org) The province of Yunnan in southwestern China is a beautiful and unique place. Many different ethnic groups have resided there since ancient times. Mr. Li Hongzhi started teaching Falun Dafa in May 1992 and the meditation practice was introduced to Yunnan in August 1994. The practice quickly became known among residents by word of mouth because of its amazing ability to resolve illness.
In July 1999, then Chinese leader Jiang Zemin launched a persecution against the practice and destroyed the lives of many practitioners. Jiang's goal was to eradicate Falun Dafa. Even though the persecution has continued for 21 years, not only was the practice not eradicated in China, it became widespread and is now practiced by people in over 100 countries and areas around the world. More and more people have awakened to the goodness of Falun Dafa, experiencing major improvement in body, mind and spirit.
The miracles that have happened to Falun Dafa practitioners, and their positive experiences, have inspired many in Yunnan. In this article we share the amazing stories of several older practitioners in Yunnan Province.
1. Vows to Help Others by Telling Them about Falun Dafa
An 88-year-old practitioner looks like she's in her 60s. She has few wrinkles and can see, speak, and hear clearly. When people see how healthy and energetic she is, no one believes that she's nearly 90 years old.
This practitioner grew up in a family that practiced Buddhism for generations. She began her journey of practicing Falun Dafa after she attended Mr. Li’s lectures. “I became a different person after I attended the classes. My illnesses disappeared and I viewed the world differently. After I found Falun Dafa I knew that this is what I had been looking for all my life.” She introduced the practice to her family and friends and to the people she met. She never turned away people who wanted to learn the practice.
After the persecution started, she remained steadfast and refused to renounce her faith. The local police arrested her and put her in a detention center. In the end the police sent her to a forced labor camp for a year. She was 70 years old at the time and was subjected to unspeakable tortures.
An officer instigated a detainee to beat her and forced her to lick the toilets clean. Because of the beatings, her entire body was covered in bruises. The labor camp guards punished her by making her stand still for long periods of time. They continually cursed at her and forced her to do labor-intensive work.
Despite the abuse she suffered, after she was released from the forced labor camp she continued to practice Falun Dafa and tell others why the persecution was wrong.
She went to the parks where people gathered to exercise or hold events. After chatting with them, she would ask them to guess her age. When people were surprised by her real age and asked how she stayed so healthy, she told them about Falun Dafa's amazing power to resolve illnesses by citing her own experiences. “I used to work in a factory that made batteries. Many of my coworkers died from lead poisoning. I am the only one who is still alive, thanks to Falun Dafa.”
Once, after she told a man about Falun Dafa and the persecution, he told her that he was a police chief. Without any fear of being arrested, she said, “I don’t care who you are. We met for a reason and I want to help you by telling you about Falun Dafa and also tell you that the persecution is wrong.” By the end of the conversation the chief told her, “Well said. Please stay safe. But from now on, ask people what they do before telling them about Falun Dafa.”
One time she saw a group of people sitting on the grass listening to a person give a presentation. After the person was done talking, she walked over and asked him if she could talk to the group. When asked what she wanted to talk about, she replied, “How to stay fit and healthy.” The person was glad and asked everyone to listen carefully. She began to tell the stories of how her life changed for the better after she became a Dafa practitioner. The people were impressed. She gave everyone Falun Dafa fliers and amulets after she was done talking. She had 36 copies of fliers and there happened to be 36 people there that day.
This practitioner has never stopped telling people about Falun Dafa and the persecution. “Master [an honorific used in China for a highly respected teacher] saved me, so I want to help others. I will stay true to my vow and always tell people that Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
2. Survived Being Run Over By a Bus
Ms. Wu Xinglan is 97 this year. She was born with rickets and later developed heart problems and low blood pressure. She was 1.4 meter (4 ft 7 in) tall, weighed less than 40 kgs (88 lbs) and was constantly ill.
Ms. Wu heard about Falun Dafa in September 1997. All her illnesses were resolved after she began practicing. She lived harmoniously with her family of four generations. The persecution ruined their happy lives but she refused to give up practicing Falun Dafa. She continued telling people how wonderful Falun Dafa is and how she escaped death several times thanks to Master’s protection.
The following is her account of a life-threatening experience that took place on May 13, 1999.
“I took the No. 22 Bus in Kunming City to the last stop. As usual I let others get off first. When I stepped off the bus, another bus full of passengers hit me from behind. The bus wheel ran over my right foot all the way to my face. I screamed, 'Stop the bus! Someone is under the bus!' The bus halted immediately.
“I lay on the ground and the bus wheel was on my chest and face. People tried to pull me out but I was stuck. Someone suggested that the driver move the bus backward but he was so shocked that he couldn’t drive. People began to manually push the bus backward. The wheel went across my abdomen and foot again. In the end they got me out from under the bus. There were many people surrounding the scene and all of them looked terrified.
“I moved my leg and it felt fine. I slowly stood up and said, 'Everything is fine. I am going home.'
“Just as I was about to leave, the supervisor of the bus company and the traffic police arrived and insisted that I go to a hospital. I told them that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and I would be fine. 'I don’t need to go to the hospital. Look at my hands and legs, I can move just fine,' I said. The police officer responded, 'I know Falun Dafa practitioners do not take medicine.' I loudly said so everyone could hear me, 'Master never told us not to take medicine. But true practitioners are perfectly healthy and don’t need medicine.'
“The officer kept insisting that I go to a hospital and get checked, 'The government is paying for it, you should go.' I didn’t want to waste taxpayers’ money and told him, 'There's no need, I am fine.' The bystanders tried to get me to go to a hospital. One of them even wept and said he'd feel better if I did. I told them not to worry, 'I practice Falun Dafa and Master will protect me from harm.'
“The police wanted to take a photo of me so they could file a case. I knew that if a case was filed the driver would be in trouble. Master told us that we must put others first and be good people. I was determined to prevent the driver from being punished. I raised my right hand to cover my face, which was swollen, to prevent my picture from being taken. My shoulder hurt so much that I could only move my forearm. I told others that nothing was wrong and wiggled my wrist and fingers. The supervisor offered to give me money since I didn’t want to go to a hospital. 'Absolutely not,' I said. He then offered to call my family to come pick me up. I quickly turned him down and said, 'I have over 30 family members and most of them are not practitioners. If they saw me like this, they would get upset and demand compensation. You don’t want that!'
“Before they took me home, I told the supervisor not to give the driver a hard time, 'It was an accident, he didn’t do it on purpose. And don't worry, I won't contact you in the future or cause you any trouble.'
“When I got home, I covered my head with my coat, not wanting the neighbors to see how badly I was injured. I struggled to climb up to the fourth floor and my husband opened the door. Before he found out how badly I was injured, I thanked the people who helped me get home and politely asked them to leave.'
“I showed my husband, who is also a practitioner, my face and told him what happened. It was time for him to do the exercises with other practitioners. I urged him to go and not to worry. As soon as he left, I started vomiting because of the enormous pain in my chest. Shortly after, I felt sharp pain in my stomach. By leaning against the wall I made it to the bathroom. I had terrible diarrhea. Not wanting my husband to see how I was hurting, I cleaned up everything despite the pain.
“My husband told the practitioners at the exercise site that I, a 76-year-old, was run over by a bus but made it home safely. He expressed his gratitude to Falun Dafa.
“Some practitioners came to see me. By that time my head had swelled up terribly. I could barely open my right eye. Half of my face was black and purple. The right side of my chest was swollen up to 10 cm (4 inches). My right leg and toes were all dark purple and swollen. The practitioners were amazed that I'd survived, by the power of Falun Dafa.
“Three days later the driver came to see me. I comforted him and told him to go on with his life and not to worry.
“Despite my condition, I persisted in studying the teachings of Falun Dafa. A week later all the swelling was gone. I knew Master saved my life. The people who knew what happened were able to witness the miraculous and mighty power of Falun Dafa.”
(to be continued)
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