By A Dafa Disciple in Mainland China

(Clearwisdom.net) After July 20,1999 when the persecution of Falun Dafa began, the number of Dafa practitioners coming to Beijing to appeal for the Fa was ever increasing. Wherever they stayed, in urban or suburban hotels, in temporary rental apartments, in parks, at bus stops, or train stations, thousands of practitioners from all over the country were interrogated, arrested and detained as soon as they arrived.

The Changan Boulevard, Tiananmen Square, in front of the National Appeals Bureau and the intersections of all main streets in Beijing were filled with policemen. Group after group, no sooner had Dafa practitioners stepped into the gate of the National Appeals Bureau or on Tiananmen Square, they were arrested, thrown into waiting police cars, and driven away. Back then in Beijing, practitioners could hardly find any safe place to stay.

Therefore many of my fellow practitioners and I decided to go to the Jiulong (Nine Dragon) Mountain near Mentougou, a place close to Beijing. As soon as we settled down there, we found that numerous practitioners from all over the country were already there.

In this relatively relaxed environment, we exchanged experiences, communicated with each other, and helped each other to improve. Day after day, we guided groups of practitioners uphill and sent groups of them downhill to appeal for the Fa and to validate the Fa.

Our hearts were very pure. We had only one thought, which was to validate the Fa and safeguard the Fa in an open and dignified manner without getting arrested.

In this temporary but special group, we were encouraging each other to have indestructible faith in Dafa. The righteous words and behavior of fellow practitioners and their courage to give up everything for the Fa helped others to find their own shortcomings and to purify and elevate their own hearts.

In this mountainous area, it easily took a few hours just to fetch water and to buy food. It was also necessary to watch for the movements of the police. To minimize problems, everyone tried their best not to drink too much and to leave a small piece of cold, hard flour bun for the next meal. Though nobody could possibly wash or brush their teeth, everyone looked neat and energetic.

Since it was necessary for four or five people to sleep together inside each tent the size of a double bed, everyone had to sleep half sitting up. To stretch one's legs, one had to raise one's abdomen in order not to wake up others. Nobody attempted to toss or turn, in order to leave more room for other practitioners.

At dawn, we went downhill to fetch water and buy food. In the evening when some practitioners failed to come back, we anxiously searched the distance from a high place, without feeling hungry or thirsty until it was dark.

One dark night, practitioners were lying next to each other, listening to the cold wind, and slowly falling asleep. Suddenly someone shouted in the valley, "Fellow practitioners, police are searching the mountain!" Everyone woke up.

Later we learned that the policemen were approaching that practitioner's tent when he shouted and exposed his identity because he wanted to send a signal to other practitioners to save us. What he was thinking about at that moment was not his own safety, but that of many other practitioners.

This happened on October 28, 1999. On that day, we all walked to Tiananmen Square to meditate and practice! The practitioner who warned us was later illegally sent to a forced labor camp but was the first to be released ahead of schedule. He overcame many kinds of atrocities and walked out in an open and dignified manner. Four years later, his earthshaking shouts are still so clear to me as if it had happened yesterday.