Persevering Through Hardship and Tribulations

(Clearwisdom.net) When I was 20 years old, I began to have all kinds of health problems. I suffered from high blood pressure, arthritis and gynecological disorders. An injury in my right knee caused severe problems. I had to wear wool pants in the summer and lost my ability to do most household chores.

In 1999 I was fortunate enough to learn Falun Dafa. On the third day after I learned the practice I got rid of my heavy pants. On the tenth day my blood pressure became normal, and the pain in my leg was gone. I began to do household chores. I felt very healthy and happy. My family members all felt the amazing effect of Dafa. My husband was very supportive of my cultivation. Through reading Zhuan Falun, I came to understand many principles. I had absolutely no doubt about Dafa and our Teacher. I was determined to cultivate Dafa.

After July 20, 1999 when the persecution began, I went to Beijing to appeal. After returning to my hometown, I kept distributing truth-clarifying materials to people. In September 2001, "610 Office" personnel arrested and sent me to a forced labor camp. (The "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.) Because I did not pass the physical exam, the labor camp refused to accept me. Instead of releasing me unconditionally, the "610 Office" authorities kept me in a detention center. To protest the illegal detention, I started a hunger strike on December 27, 2001. On January 6, 2002, the eleventh day, I was unconditionally released.

During my detention and hunger strike I strongly believed in Dafa and our Teacher. Although I was detained, I was innocent. The detention was a form of persecution. I refused to cooperate with the evil's demands, did not sign any documents and insisted on unconditional release. They finally let me go.

Soon after I returned home I decided to go to Beijing again to appeal for Dafa. On January 14, 2002, I went to Tiananmen Square to display a banner that spoke the truth about Falun Gong, and Beijing police arrested me. Soon after, policemen from my hometown came to identify me and picked me up. On January 16, they sentenced me to three years of forced labor in the Dashagou Detention Center. On January 15, still on my way to the detention center, I started a hunger strike. On January 20, they started to force-feed to me. I thought, "They won't be able to insert the tube to my stomach." Indeed, they couldn't do it. The doctor sprayed anesthesia into my nose and forced the tube into my nostrils. Every time they force-fed me, my whole body would twitch terribly. I passed out many times. After waking up, my whole body felt numb and stiff.

After three months on the hunger strike, my attachments emerged, and I stopped the hunger strike for about a month. Starting from July 5, 2002, I resumed my hunger strike. This time, the evil persecution was even more severe than the last time. Before the force-feeding I sent forth a thought, "I want none of their evil stuff." As a result, the food all spilled out. Once when I was unconscious, they dragged me in the yard barefoot. My toes were cut so badly that they did not heal for two months.

After continuing this hunger strike for months, my physical appearance was every weak, even though I didn't feel uncomfortable. I was sent to the hospital repeatedly for emergency treatment. Sometimes they couldn't even detect my blood pressure. However, the police did not let up with the persecution. For ten days they force-fed me with salt water. As a result, my body trembled terribly and I lost consciousness frequently. I maintained very strong righteous thoughts. Whenever I was awake, I would send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. I also clarified the truth to the police officers.

Policeman Zhao Lihua, notorious for violently torturing Dafa practitioners told me, "We won't release you, even if you keep on with this hunger strike. We will definitely send you to a forced labor camp, even if we have to spend money to bribe people [to accept you]."

Although the "610 Office" authorities did everything possible to send me to the forced labor camp, I had no fear. I told myself that no matter where I go, I am determined to cultivate Dafa. Every time they did a physical examination to check if I was fit to work in the camp, the results always came back saying that I was not fit enough. The labor camp refused to accept me. The policemen would say, "It's strange. As soon as you arrived there, your physical condition appeared to be so much worse. The change is so dramatic."

In early October 2002, my condition became critical. They rushed me to the emergency room. Doctors found that my heart and stomach were not normal. They couldn't even inject an intravenous drip into my arm. I weighed about 60 lb. Even my family members couldn't recognize me.

Fearing that I might die in custody, the authorities from the "610 Office" finally released me on October 8, 2002.

Looking back, I held two hunger strikes that totaled 175 days. Every minute and second was meaningful. Everyday I had many feelings and experiences that were hard to express. My strongest feeling is that Teacher was there all the time with great compassion to help me pass the tests. I have a strong will to cultivate Dafa. I am Teacher's disciple, and I follow Teacher's requirements. As long as I maintain strong righteous thoughts, I can overcome any hardships and barriers.

January 3, 2003.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2003/1/3/42147.html

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