(Minghui.org) I was living in a dormitory housing in 1996. One day in December, my roommate left a book on the desk. Reading in bed helped me fall asleep, so I picked up the book as I was getting ready for bed. This book did not put me to sleep; on the contrary, I became wide awake.
Prior to reading this book, I was frequently short of breath and had to do deep breathing exercises. While I was reading this book, my breathing got smoother and easier. The name of the book is Zhuan Falun. It took me less than two days to finish reading the entire book. That was how I became a Falun Gong practitioner.
My guidance counselor in college was especially generous when it came to me, as I was a poor farmer’s child who studied in a big city. During those four years, he often invited me to his home for meals. He even helped me financially. For the next dozen years after graduation, I thought about how to repay his kindness.
After I started practicing Falun Gong, I knew the best gift for him – introducing Falun Gong to him. I wrote him a long letter to tell him about the changes in me because of Falun Gong, and recommended that he practice it.
In my letter, I wrote: … for my whole life, I was seeking the truth, reading classic books on theory, philosophy, religions… I studied them carefully, I also tried other qigong, but, there were still so many questions unanswered. In the past few months of practicing Falun Gong, I finally found what I was looking for. I found answers to all my questions and no longer was confused!
Furthermore, I recovered from all my illnesses. As a child, I had nosebleeds a lot. By the time I was an adult, my sinus would often get inflamed. Beside nosebleeds and congestion, my nose was red and covered with ugly bumps.
My job was teaching, I could not work whenever I had a flare up because I was unable to talk.
I used to be so afraid of the cold. Even in the summer, I had to wear leg warmers and long pants.
I lived in Wuhan, a city famous for its hot summers. The sun was still blazing hot in October, I was already wearing a padded winter coat and scarf. Strangely dressed for the time of the year, I could be seen among the crowd. When my acquaintance met me in the street, they would say with a surprised look: “You scared me!” As a result, I was well known among friends and colleagues.
As I regained my health after practicing Falun Gong, I dressed normally again.
On July 20, 1999, the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Jiang, began to ruthlessly persecute Falun Gong and Falun Gong practitioners. Dafa and Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, were defamed. Tens of thousands Falun Gong followers lost their jobs. They were arrested, tortured and some of them were even beaten to death! Like many other practitioners, I did not yield to the evil and stayed faithful to my cultivation. I wanted to clarify the truth about Dafa to people.
Sometimes in the winter of 2001, I had the thought of using the improvement of my health as a conversation opener when I talked to people about Falun Gong.
The weather turned cold, other people were putting on sweaters and jackets. I was still wearing summer clothes. Again, I stood out in the crowd.
Wuhan is known for its hot summer, yet its winter is still quite cold. After the new year, it drizzled during the day and felt icy in the night. Every morning when I walked into the classroom, students were shocked to see what I was wearing. School buildings in Wuhan are not heated. My students were in their early 20s. They wore ski jackets in class and rubbed their hands together to keep them warm.
One morning, it was raining. Students were staring at me when I walked in with a raincoat on. I took off the raincoat and people could see that I wore only a white cotton shirt. Students let out “Oh my!” Of course, most of my students knew I practiced Falun Gong.
When I waited outside to pick up my child from the school, other parents shivered in their winter coats, hats and scarfs. I walked over in my cotton shirt.
“You scared me!” Some would say to me. “What’s your trick brother? You are not afraid of the cold?”
“My trick is practicing Falun Gong.”
“Be careful what you say, brother, this is not a joke!”
“I practice Falun Gong, and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” I replied, “I don’t lie.”
On one cold rainy day, I was riding the bus. The bus driver looked at me and said, “Is your shirt high tech?”
“My high tech is Falun Gong.”
I emigrated to Canada in 2003. A couple former colleagues of mine who were living in Canada reminded me to bring more warm clothes, as Toronto was not Wuhan. There is still snow on the ground in April.
They saw me right away when they came for me at the airport. In the snowy weather, I was only wearing a shirt.
On January 15, 2006, the CCP TV station organized “The Same Song” concert at Toronto. Many Falun Gong practitioners gathered outside to protest.
At detention centers and labor camps in mainland China, “The Same Song” would be played when a Falun Gong could no longer endure the brutal torture and renounced their faith.
Therefore, this song has utilized as a tool to mentally torture and brainwash Falun Gong practitioners.
It was the coldest month in Toronto. Icicles were everywhere and people’s breath was visible in the air. I stood there for several hours, quietly protesting in my white shirt.