(Clearwisdom.net) My name is Tang Yuanxiao. I am the man that has been falsely portrayed in the news report broadcast on June 19, 2004 by the Nanbu County TV Station.

"Mr. Tang Yuanxiao was previously obsessed with Falun Gong. Due to his obsession with cultivating in Falun Gong, he poured all of his income into purchasing Falun Gong books and materials and became a pauper. Under the (Chinese) government's directives, the local Neighborhood Committee expressed their heartfelt concern and brought Mr. Tang and many other confused Falun Gong practitioners some daily necessities. They highly appreciated the government and leaders of the Neighborhood Committee for helping them realize the danger of Falun Gong and announced that they would no longer practice Falun Gong."

The report contained a lot of lies. We were tormented by the false broadcast. When we learned the content of the news report, my wife could not eat for several days. We were hit hard by our conscience because we did accept the gifts from the Neighborhood Committee although we did not suffer from poverty. We feel we have disgraced our beloved Teacher and were partially responsible for misleading our town folks who watched the report.

On the afternoon of June 13, 2004, the Secretary of the Neighborhood Committee in Jinhua Street, Nanlong Town visited my home and brought us two bulk packages of dried noodles and several pounds of tomatoes and cucumbers. She said to us, "I am paying you a visit today. Tomorrow a staff member from the county government and Secretary Sun of Nanlong Town government will be visiting you. When they visit you tomorrow, you must say to them, 'The Neighborhood Committee is very concerned about me. I am very touched by the committee's heartfelt concern and decided not to practice Falun Gong anymore.'" On the following day when they visited me at my home, I said these lines as instructed, but my wife and I also told them, "We (Falun Gong practitioners) are only trying to become better people. Since we started to practice Falun Gong, we have experienced tremendous health improvements. The diseases we had suffered for more than several decades have disappeared without a trace."

Never had my wife and I expected that they would broadcast this lie: "Due to his obsession with cultivating in Falun Gong, he poured all of his income into purchasing Falun Gong books and materials and became a pauper." This cannot be further from the truth. Falun Gong books are very inexpensive and affordable. I have spent no more than 50 yuan (1) on Falun Gong books, and all other Falun Gong materials are free. It costs nothing to learn the Falun Gong exercises. In fact, Teacher Li Hongzhi strictly forbids any Falun Gong practitioner from taking money or gifts for teaching the Falun Gong exercises. It is impossible for anyone to become a pauper through purchasing Falun Gong books. On the contrary, our life has improved since we started to practice Falun Gong. Many of the diseases we had suffered for more than several decades have improved and others have completely disappeared.

In 1958, I was dispatched to work in Qinghai Province where the climate is harsh and cold. In 1981, I jumped into icy cold water in Qinghai Province to rescue two colleagues who had accidentally fallen into the water. I was frozen during the action and thus damaged my health. Later I developed rheumatoid arthritis, which gradually spread all over my body. Eventually I even had difficulty in walking or eating. I went to many major hospitals, but no hospital was able to treat my rheumatoid arthritis. My arms and legs had become deformed. I became disabled and had to rely on my wife's care. I suffered from excruciating pain around the clock and felt that I would be better off dead. But since I started to practice Falun Gong in 1998, the pain from rheumatoid arthritis was significantly reduced. The problems in my stomach and intestines that used to torment me for more than a decade have also disappeared. I can now take care of myself and help with household chores such as doing the laundry and other housework. My wife had suffered from problems with her liver and arthritis for several decades. Since she started to practice Falun Gong, these problems have disappeared.

My wife and I started to cultivate in Falun Gong because we suffered terribly from illnesses. Since we started to cultivate in Falun Gong, we have been trying to conduct ourselves according to Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. We try to be better people by cultivating our hearts and thus our temper. We are only seeking spiritual and physical improvements in our cultivation practice. We have never been opposed to the government, violated any Chinese laws, or disrupted any order. We wish for nothing but a peaceful environment where we can practice Falun Gong.

It is true that the Neighborhood Committee has been nice to us, but their kind acts should not be a barter trade for a false report on TV. My wife and I are very upset with Nanbu TV Station's fraudulent report. We hope that our statement will help our town folks understand the truth about Falun Gong and stop listening to the lies of the propaganda.

(1) Yuan is the unit of currency in China; 1 yuan is equal to approximately 0.12 US dollars; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.