(Minghui.org) In my family, many people practice Falun Gong. I was the last of my generation to start practicing. By the time I took up the practice, the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had already begun. Now, I want to share some of my experiences and insights from participating in efforts to rescue fellow practitioners.
On March 5, 2002, after the success of the Changchun cable TV interception, the CCP began an extensive arrest of local Falun Gong practitioners. My relative, Hongbin, was arrested by officers from the local police station, along with security personnel from his workplace. He was detained in the city detention center. This happened just days after Hongbin had been publicly commended as a model worker.
At that time, the environment was harsh. Police cars roamed everywhere with their sirens wailing, ignoring all criminal cases of theft and robbery, focusing solely on arresting Falun Gong practitioners. The public security on the streets was particularly poor; I was robbed of my wallet while taking a ten minute walk. Our family was also very anxious and tense. Every day we heard about neighbors or fellow practitioners being taken away by the police.
Hongbin’s wife, Mei, wanted to go to her husband’s workplace to demand an explanation, and I accompanied her. While registering at the company’s security office, Mei’s hands were trembling. I told Mei, “Your husband hasn’t done anything wrong. What’s there to be afraid of?” Actually, I was also nervous, as our family members were all kind and law-abiding people who never had any dealings with the police. But seeing Mei afraid, I became fearless, feeling that we must explain the situation to the company and the police.
After entering the company, we were not received by anyone, as the leaders were in a morning meeting. We waited for a while, and seeing that no one paid attention to us, I pulled Mei into the leaders’ meeting room and said loudly, “Hongbin is our loved one and he was arrested by the police while working here. What crime has he committed? Did he commit murder or arson? Or rape and robbery? He has been an outstanding employee in your company and was just commended. Why did you let the police arrest such a good employee? We need an explanation!”
The leaders in the meeting looked up, and the one in charge suggested we wait outside. I heard whispers in the crowd, “This young girl is really something.” In fact, Hongbin was well-respected in the company from top to bottom for being a good person, and the leaders knew he was wronged. Later, the company leaders talked to the detention center and police station and vouched for him. During Hongbin’s illegal detention, they even sent someone to accompany him every day in the detention center, fearing he would suffer if left unattended. That continued until Hongbin was released and not persecuted anymore.
In 2003, when the SARS epidemic was rampant, I was locked down at a school away from home. My family told me that a relative of ours named Ming had an incident; her rented house was ransacked, and she was nowhere to be found. My family asked everywhere about her whereabouts but could not find her. Months later, a relative saw Ming being taken away by a police car near a hospital. One of our relatives followed the car and talked to Ming, who said she was sick, and then the police hurriedly drove her away.
Later, when one of our family members went to Ming’s workplace to ask what happened to her, we learned that she had been arrested while distributing Falun Gong truth-clarification materials. She was tortured by the police to extract confessions. Both of her arms were severely injured, rendering her unable to take care of herself.
After the school lockdown was lifted, I returned home. The whole family was silent, not knowing what to do. One of my family members named Duan suggested that we should demand Ming’s release and rescue her. Another family member named Feng (who does not practice Falun Gong) worried about Ming’s inability to care for herself in the future and the lack of someone to take care of her at home. At that time, Master Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong’s founder, had just published the lecture Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003. Being away for my studies, I hadn’t had the chance to read Master’s latest teachings immediately. After studying the Fa, I understood what needed to be done. I agreed with Duan’s suggestion and we came to an agreement with Feng to bring Ming home first.
The three of us went to the city police department, where an official said, “Why has your family come so late? It has been several months! Someone was placed under house arrest for practicing Falun Gong and violating the law.” I challenged him, “Regardless of her situation, why didn’t you notify the family if you were taking any action? House arrest should be applied under specific circumstances. What exactly happened to her (since there was no evidence at that time that Ming was injured)? You detained a person without any formal procedure. It’s like she vanished from the earth. Is this how the law is enforced?” A burly man immediately took a hostile stance and shouted, “What vanishing? I tell you, I can send anyone to a labor camp whenever I want, for as many years as I say!”
After this confrontation with the police, Feng, who does not practice Falun Gong, also realized that despite their bluster, the police were actually very fearful inside. They were afraid of families pursuing the case because of their brutal and illegal actions causing injuries. Later, Duan and Feng made another visit, and soon after, Ming was released and returned home. Through studying the Fa and practicing the exercises, her health quickly recovered. Feng’s concerns about Ming’s being unable to care for herself did not materialize.
In the autumn of 2012, four relatives were arrested and their homes were raided. They were detained in different locations on the outskirts of the city. Every family within our clan suffered from the persecution. Elderly members were left without care, students had both parents imprisoned, and the police were ceaselessly searching for me. Our family members who did not practice Falun Gong were anxious and distressed; some fell ill, others were scared. Our family members who were illegally detained needed to be brought clothes and money. It was rumored that during the CCP’s 18th National Congress, they would be illegally sentenced.
I was one of the last people in our family to begin practicing Falun Gong, so I was considered a new practitioner in their eyes. I often shared my insights on the principles of the Fa, but this time, as they were imprisoned, I could not discuss or study with them. However, I had Master Li and the Fa. One practitioner and I contacted experienced practitioners to initiate a rescue campaign. We discouraged our family from attempting to bribe the police for their release. We tirelessly clarified the truth to them, encouraging them to demand the release of their loved ones from police stations, the police department, the political and legal affairs committee, the discipline inspection commission, the prison administration brigade, city and district governments, the 610 Office, the procuratorate, and the courts.
During the process of rescuing fellow practitioners, I truly came to understand what cultivation means. In the process of eliminating attachments, I came to rely on a steadfast belief in Master and Falun Gong. My cultivation path requires me to transcend human sentiment and desires. At times, I received calls from the detention center requesting Duan’s health insurance card for medical treatment; at other times, elderly family members were hospitalized and needed care. Sometimes I heard Hongbin was taken from the detention center for medical treatment. Occasionally, family members under pressure cursed and swore at me. Whenever I felt disheartened, discouraged, or at a loss, I would study the Fa, which encouraged me to gather my courage and continue moving forward.
Through the process of rescuing practitioners, I deeply realized that Master is compassionate towards all beings, working to save everyone. A judge handling wrongful cases mentioned to others that Falun Gong practitioners have been wronged and are good people. I remember officials from the city petition office actively helping us contact the authorities handling our cases, and prosecuting attorneys visiting our family members in the detention centers. The head of the prison administration listened seriously when I told him about the injustices faced by Falun Gong practitioners. The director and political commissar of the detention center recorded videos of our family members and visited the elderly at home.
During the persecution, some in the judiciary system were unaware of the truth. Others, under pressure of the authorities, were placed in positions to persecute Falun Gong. As a result, they had the chance to know practitioners.
During the process of rescuing practitioners, I truly experienced the joy of sentient beings being saved. My family members who do not practice Falun Gong gained a deeper understanding of the truth of Falun Gong as we worked to rescue our relatives. The kindness of practitioners contrasted with the dictatorial and thuggish nature of the CCP. From misunderstanding to supporting, they even began to talk about the truth of Falun Gong in public settings, not only freeing themselves from the CCP’s mental shackles, but also becoming medium to spread the truth.
Throughout the rescue efforts, I felt Master’s immense compassion and boundless power more profoundly, sensing his constant protection. Whenever I wanted to find fellow practitioners, I would coincidentally meet them even though I didn’t have their contact information. When I needed to know the phone number of a detention center where a practitioner was held, it was accidentally mentioned over a prison guard’s walkie-talkie. Feeling isolated and helpless, I would find greeting cards sent by practitioners from other areas to those in prison, elegant and respectful, lying on the snowy ground, or see blooming Udumbara flowers in many places. Numerous miraculous incidents occurred.
Every time the journey became arduous and I felt physically and mentally exhausted, as if facing insurmountable obstacles, as long as I persisted in following the requirements of the Fa, the situation would change completely. It’s just as Master said,
“Its broad and immense, profound inner meaning can only manifest itself to, and be experienced and understood by, practitioners who are at different levels of true cultivation. Only then can one truly see what the Fa is.” (“Broad and Immense,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
After facing personnel from the public security bureau, procuratorate, and judiciary, I better understood the meaning behind Master’s directive to resist the persecution. I also realized more deeply how family members’ attitudes towards practitioners can affect the degree of persecution by the evil. I actively helped rescue other practitioners, mainly by encouraging their family members to come forward and rescue their loved ones.
I heard that a female practitioner and her mother were arrested, leaving only her non-practicing younger brother at home. When the police broke through the window to arrest the practitioner, they also injured the brother’s leg. The brother was resentful, ignoring anyone who visited his home. Two practitioners and I went to his house. Initially, he wouldn’t even let us in, asking us to talk from outside the door. We patiently explained the truth to him and encouraged him to use legal means to rescue his family members. After several visits, he began to sense our goodwill, letting us into the house and have a seat. However, he was skeptical about hiring a lawyer, believing it would be futile. He was also unwilling to spend the money.
A lawyer came to our area to defend other practitioners. When I heard about the lawyer, I sought out the younger brother and took him to the hotel where the lawyer was staying. The lawyer was busy, simultaneously answering questions from several families and analyzing what needed to be done for each case. After hearing the lawyer’s analysis, the brother dispelled his doubts and was willing to hire a lawyer for his sister and mother.
We continuously encouraged the brother, bringing him gifts during the holidays, which strengthened his sense of justice. He entrusted a lawyer to defend his mother and sister with a not-guilty plea. Sometimes he even helped other persecuted families by providing transportation for their lawyers.
Their case became one of the rare instances in our region to have a public trial where lawyers were allowed to defend their clients in court. The brother witnessed the lawyer’s rational defense, and the prosecutor unable to meet his gaze, deepening his understanding of the truth about Falun Gong. Afterwards, he expressed his desire to study law and become a lawyer himself.
An elderly couple, both high-ranking intellectuals enjoying privileges from the CCP and deeply indoctrinated by Party culture, held a hostile attitude towards Falun Gong. Their son and daughter-in-law, who remained steadfast in their faith, were repeatedly persecuted. Each time, the couple tried to use their connections to lessen their children’s suffering, even asking the police station chief to persuade their children to give up practicing. When a practitioner brought gifts when visiting the elderly couple, the grandmother threw the gifts out the door and down the stairs, rejecting the practitioner’s goodwill.
We were not swayed by their behavior, but approached them with compassion. We told them the truth and explained that if they truly wanted to help their children, they should use legal means to seek redress. The couple eventually bought thick law books, and earnestly wrote letters of appeal, visiting government departments at all levels for a resolution. Some practitioners and I continuously visited them, bringing carefully selected gifts during the holidays, showing concern for their well-being, giving advice, and helping revise legal documents. In our conversations, we exposed the CCP’s evil nature and the kindness of Falun Gong practitioners, hoping the couple could feel the goodness of Dafa practitioners and receive salvation.
They were deeply misled by the CCP’s propaganda and did not fully support Dafa. However, our persistence let them feel the selflessness and kindness of practitioners and understand the injustice their children faced. The grandfather even managed to correct an error in the court’s sentencing of his son and considered suing the so-called “witnesses” who gave false testimony on behalf of his daughter-in-law.
Time flies, and it has been over twenty years since I began practicing Dafa. My journey of cultivation has almost paralleled the persecution of Falun Gong in mainland China. Looking back on my path of cultivation, I am grateful for Master’s compassion, for choosing me, protecting me, and allowing me to persevere in my faith through the red terror, guiding me to where I am today. Only by continually striving forward can I live up to Master’s compassionate salvation.