The Zhu Baolian that I Met in a Detention Center

(Clearwisdom.net)

I have read several articles on the Clearwisdom website about the collective efforts made by UK practitioners, trying to secure the release of Zhu Baolian, who, after being illegally arrested, has been in detention. I first met Zhu in a cell of a detention center where I had been kept for a period of time for validating Dafa in Beijing. Although our acquaintance was short, my impression of her was so deep that I would like to put my recollection in writing.

It happened on January 23^rd, 2001 (Chinese New Year's Eve) at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. While unfurling a banner to clarify the truth, I was arrested and detained at the No.5 Police Station overnight. The next day (Chinese New Year), I was transferred to No.7 Police Station. The police wanted to put me in jail. I protested and demanded to be freed, saying that I hadn't committed any crime and was not a criminal. I refused to enter the jail. The warden tried to persuade me to go in, telling me that there were two other practitioners inside as well. The thought that there were already two other practitioners in the jail made me lose guard - I was somehow pushed into the jail.

The first person in the jail I met was Zhu Baolian. She looked at me with a kind smile. Zhu was about thirty, slim and about 1.65 m tall. She wore her hair short and had a soft voice. Both Zhu and the other practitioner (whose name I have forgotten) in the jail came from Beijing. Zhu said she had been in captivity for about forty days then. Her father was a well-known physician. I learned later that he passed away after the stress and grief of her being in detention caused him to have serious health problems. She asked me about the contents of Teacher's article, "Beyond the Limit of Forbearance." As I did not memorize it, I could only tell her what I remembered from my own understanding. But after listening, she said that she understood.

The cell was only small, about ten square meters in area. About 15 or 16 people were already there when I arrived. Among the prisoners, there were murderers, drug addicts, prostitutes, robbers, and others. The washroom was located in a corner of the cell. On the ground was a large piece of wooden board (which was our bed). It took up 80% of the room's surface, leaving a narrow passage, one end of which led to the entrance, and the other end to a tightly shut vent-door. Every week, the vent-door was opened for about ten minutes to allow fresh air in from the courtyard. The courtyard was less than ten square meters. It was in the middle of winter, and the yard was piled up with snow, leaving only a tiny clear patch to stand on. There were no windows in the jail. Above the entrance, we could see through a narrow opening, the legs of the warders walking past. Although the cell was installed with cameras, they put the inmates on roster duty, two shifts a night, to supervise the cell. Its purpose, they said, was to keep an eye on suicide attempts. If a shift attendant dropped off to sleep while on duty, the next day, her name would be put on the penalty roll for hard labor. Our daily routine was - sit, eat, watch TV, and work. Work in the cell involved sewing up cotton quilts. Every time the cotton stuffing flew around in the tiny and poorly ventilated cell, most people nearly choked themselves to death from coughing. At night, all the people detained in the cell had to sleep on their sides, tightly curled together, with their noses rubbing against the back of the head of the person in front. The bed cover was dirty, smelly and far from warm. We were given two meals a day, two buns in the morning and two yam buns in the evening. Because I protested by going on hunger strike, the rice that was sent for me (because I am a New Zealand citizen, I was given a bit special treatment) was distributed to the others.

Zhu Baolian was a person of few words, but what she said moved people. I remember a young girl, about twenty, was put in the same jail after being charged with assault and battery. She seemed to like Zhu's company a lot. After she was introduced to Dafa, she could even memorize the Lunyu (the preface of Zhuan Falun), and some poems from Hongyin (a collection of Teacher's poems) as well. One day, she was involved in a heated argument with another prisoner, and nearly got into a fight. Later, Zhu patiently and kindly explained to her the principles of living. I noticed that the girl was crying while listening. The next day, she apologized and admitted her fault to the other person openly at a meeting. Her action drew a reciprocating apology from the other person as well.

On another occasion, a prisoner was transferred from Beijing Rail Authority to our cell, on finance issues. When she first came in, she was always in a rage, complaining of her unfair treatment. Later, after Zhu explained to her the principles of being a good human being, she changed completely, and often expressed praise to Falun Gong.

Teacher said,

"I often say that if a person is free from any personal notions, isn't motivated by his self-interest, and is genuinely looking to benefit others, when he points out another person's shortcomings or tells the other person what's right, that person will be moved to tears." (Lecture at the Conference in Singapore)

The requirements for a Dafa practitioner, whether in his or her expressions, compassion and knowledge of the principles have been shown well in Zhu Boalian. I really felt ashamed of myself when I compared myself with her. Under the influence of Dafa practitioners in the cell, the warders began to learn to find their own shortcomings as well. I remember that at one meeting, one warder said, "Today, we will follow the requirements of Falun Gong practice as our guide to look into ourselves. Let me start first: Yesterday, I lost my temper and started abusing other people, because my demon nature exploded. Next time, I will try to keep my own temper down, not put the blame on other people." During normal days, when she saw that other prisoners were in conflict with each other, she would say, "Some conflict is a good thing. You should be happy. It helps you to upgrade yourself." She often said that Dafa practitioners had brought light into this prison. Prisoners transferred from other detention centers had met other Dafa practitioners as well. None of them had said anything bad about Dafa practitioners. A few prisoners actually saw the appearance of Falun in the form of bright rings sweeping across the jail several times.

At one time, after a court session, Zhu returned to the jail and told me that a police officer said to her that a group of practitioners committed mass suicide on New Year's Eve by self-immolation. Zhu replied that it was a lie. "The lady in our cell (referring to me), was checked several times on Tiananmen Square on New Year's eve, even though she held a foreign passport. Could you imagine the chances of a group of local practitioners, getting on to Tiananmen Square, not being checked, and managing to set fire to themselves?"

In less than a month, under the pressure of the New Zealand government, I regained my freedom and was sent out of the country back to New Zealand.

Zhu Boalian is a good practitioner. I cannot imagine that she could still be suffering in that living hell after three years, how could one pass those long hours in the jail? I would like to appeal to all Dafa practitioners overseas to work more closely together and help bring about the early release of the Dafa practitioners still held in prison.

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