(Minghui.org) It takes real wisdom for people who live amidst the Chinese Communist regime's constant barrage of lies to still be able to see things for what they are. In the many years of the persecution of Falun Gong, the Chinese regime churned out constant propaganda through its state-run media, slandering and framing the spiritual practice. Nonetheless, many people have decided to find out for themselves what Falun Gong was about and ended up finding the best thing in their lives.
The following are stories of some of these bold individuals who were undeterred by the propaganda and stood strong in the face of the persecution.
Standing Up for Falun Gong Leads to Practicing
Lanzhou City practitioner Ms. Zhang Zhenmin's husband talked about how she became a Falun Gong practitioner. “She saw the news on television accusing Teacher Li of scamming practitioners for money. She wasn't a practitioner then, but there were many practitioners in our family at the time. Knowing that we didn't pay anything for participating in the practice, she realized that the news on television were lies to frame Teacher Li and slander the practice.”
The couple visited Ms. Zhang's parents, who both were Falun Gong practitioners, a few months after the persecution started. She learned that her parents had stopped practicing because of constant harassment from the local police. Her parents were so scared that they would not even mention the practice. She was pained that her parents, who were law-abiding citizens, had to suffer for trying to stay healthy. She decided to go to Beijing to protest against the persecution along with other practitioners. Along the way, she began studying the practice as well.
Media Professional Sees Through the Propaganda
All the state-run media began to attack Falun Gong after the persecution started. The news was especially harsh about the peaceful protest on April 25, when 10,000 practitioners went to the central government compound seeking fair treatment. The news claimed it was a planned attack on the government. Ms. Chong Jinxia from Gansu Province repeatedly watched the news and saw that no one was attacked, with the practitioners standing quietly in a line and some meditating.
Ms. Chong was a part-time television news anchor and broadcaster in her company's propaganda department. She understood how the news works in China. As the media continued to defame Falun Gong, she talked to her coworkers who used to be practitioners. She then borrowed and read the main book of Falun Gong teachings, Zhuan Falun. The teachings resonated with her, and she took up the practice.
Buddhist Discerns the Real Reason Behind the Persecution
Ms. Liu Guorong retired from Bureau of Materials in Nanyang City. She was a Buddhist before the persecution. As she saw that the television news was attacking Falun Gong around the clock and that practitioners were arrested one after another, she decided to find out what Falun Gong was. Seeing that the teachings promote kindness and honesty, she realized why the communist regime attacked it, and she became a practitioner.
Curiosity Sparked by Propaganda
After seeing multiple propaganda pieces against Falun Gong on television news, Ms. Li Cuifang from Gansu Province became curious. She bought a copy of Zhuan Falun and started reading it in front of her shop. A neighbor walked by and seeing that she was reading a Falun Gong book, stopped to warn her. “The police are seizing Falun Gong practitioners. Are you sure you want to be reading it?” her neighbor asked. Ms. Fang was drawn to the principles in the book as she was reading and experienced tremendous energy in her body. She felt comfortable and illness-free. “Such a wonderful book. Yes I'm reading it, why not?” she replied. She didn't hesitate to join the practice.
Top Student Unswayed by the Propaganda
Mr. Qu Yanlai from Heilongjiang Province was a brilliant student and won the provincial Olympiad of chemistry and mathematics. He was accepted to one of the country's best universities, Shanghai Jiaotong University.
When the persecution began in 1999, he hadn't finished reading the book Zhuan Falun. However, he knew that the propaganda on television was false, a tool used to incite public hatred against Falun Gong and justify the unlawful persecution. Mr. Qu, unswayed by the news, finished reading the book and became determined to follow the teachings of Falun Gong.
Related reports:Ms. Zhang Zhenmin Brutally Tortured While Imprisoned
