(Clearwisdom.net)

None of my relatives, fellow practitioners, nor I had heard about the incident in which the Tianjin police illegally captured and arrested Falun Gong practitioners, until the afternoon of April 24, 1999. We could not understand how our country's authorities could use the police for violence against Falun Gong practitioners who cultivate themselves to the highest standard: "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." We lived in the Beijing area so we had the advantage of directly appealing for the truth to the central government. We had the responsibility for Dafa, and we had a need to help fellow practitioners by appealing and deterring the police from committing further malicious acts. Because we all understood in our hearts that Teacher instructed us to be good people, and to be even better and nobler people, our hearts were pure and upright. Chinese people have experienced politically turbulent events several times, and lived through "The Cultural Revolution." They have been blinded by the government, corrupted, and have been changed beyond recognition. However, this time we were pure cultivators and had absolutely nothing to do with politics. All that we did was what practitioners should do. Therefore, four of my fellow practitioners who lived close to each other decided to go to Beijing to appeal together on the following day.

That night at around 11:30 p.m., we received a few phone calls in succession, and then I realized that the situation was extremely complex. One of the phone calls was from my brother-in-law. He said, "Tomorrow, you 3 sisters (all 3 of us practiced Falun Gong) definitely cannot go to Beijing. I have good friends in the police bureau in Beijing. They specifically told me that they are prepared and will not spare anyone [who goes to appeal]." A few moments later, he made another phone call to me, and warned us again: "There are already large numbers of military troops stationed around the Zhongnanhai area. My friend told me: 'I know your sister-in-law is a good person. You should keep her at home, lock her up, and do not let her go to Zhongnanhai. The authorities told us to take a hard line against everyone. We were to spare no one regardless of who they were. If you guys definitely plan go, I am warning you now." My other sister also called us to say: "Someone called my son, and told him not to let me go out no matter what because everything has been set up..." I asked my sisters if they would change their minds, and they all laughed.

Just like this, we three sisters individually began our "4.25" journey with dignity.

Because I lived near the suburbs of Beijing, I arrived at the north end of Fuyou Street before 6:00 a.m. There I saw many familiar and unfamiliar practitioners. We went there without any appointment, greeted one another with a nod, and were peaceful and kind.

Gradually from all directions and from every street alley, groups of Dafa practitioners walking out of different transportation systems merged and flowed into a large river of humanity. Each of us, however, acted very calm and kind. At the same time, more and more policemen gathered. They first obstructed practitioners who walked southward from the north of Fuyou Street at the intersection to the south of Fuyou Street. Then suddenly, they let practitioners pass. At that time, Dafa practitioners like a calm tide walked forward quietly and peacefully. They walked very stately in a rational, natural and orderly manner down the west of the sidewalk. We saw the practitioners from the south quietly walking northward. We stopped at a place that was perhaps less than 100 meters away from the west gate of Zhongnanhai. Then, suddenly, policemen commanded us to all stand across the street (the east side of the street). A moment later, they let us return to the west side of the street. Practitioners quietly went back again to where they had been without making any sound or complaints. Everyone was standing close together, and was very calm. Each of us felt calm and confident as we stood up for fellow practitioners, for Dafa, and for "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance" from the depths of our hearts. Practitioners around us were from different areas. They were mainly from Zhangjiakou, Chengde, Shijiazhuang (all of them are cities in Hebei Province), some from Liaoning Province, Shangdong Province, and from Miyun and Huairou (both are counties in the Beijing area) etc. While we were waiting for the results, we wasted no time to share our experiences, and some did the exercises. One practitioner, who was around 80 years old just sat there, very calm and serene. Another elderly practitioner with silvery white hair closed her eyes and recited Zhuan Falun. The practitioners around her quietly listened. Some practitioners pulled transcribed copies of Teacher's articles out of their backpacks, and read them silently. All turned a blind eye to police, police cars, military vehicles, and news reporter vehicles. From time to time, the dialogue progress between Government officials and practitioners and news from Tianjin were passed on to the practitioners. However, everyone remained calm and waited for whatever news came....

At about 9 o'clock at night, we were all told to go home. Even though we were not sure of the final results, we knew that the Tianjin practitioners who were arrested had been released. The dialogue representatives already left so the whole appealing crowd began to disperse.

The "4.25" appeal of the tens of thousands of people initiated the beginning of the "peaceful appeal" and "peaceful petition," and has become a guide for Dafa practitioners who firmly validate Dafa and clarify the truth under the cruel persecution. The "4.25" appeal was also a silent thunder that sparked the spread of Falun Dafa to the whole world. Every Dafa practitioner had a heart of kindness and each displayed the light of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." No one can change such righteous thoughts of practitioners. Today, as a witness who experienced "4.25," I just want to tell everyone the truth of the peaceful dialogue between the benevolent, patient practitioners and the government authorities. We just want a peaceful environment for practicing cultivation, and we just want to keep the most holy and pure belief in our hearts: "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."