On April 25th, Mother and Daughter Walk Hand in Hand, Validate Dafa Amidst Eight Years of Hardships and Tribulations (Photos)
By Li Hua, Minghui/Clearwisdom reporter
(Clearwisdom.net) Speaking of going to Beijing to appeal for Falun
Gong on "April 25th" eight years ago, Zhang Xiulian and her daughter
were so clear about it, as if they were talking about something that happened
yesterday. In the past eight years, Zhang Xiulian and her daughter, one in the
mainland China and the other on the other side of the ocean, have validated Dafa,
cultivated themselves, saved sentient beings and established the mighty virtue
of cultivators during this brutal persecution. Zhang Xiulian demonstrating a torture method that
practitioners suffer Zhang Xiulian (first from the left) silently protests in front
of the Chinese Consulate On April 25th, 1999, Zhang Xiulian and her younger daughter Shali,
rode bicycles together to the Appeals Office of the State Council on Fuyou
Street in Beijing. Like other Falun Gong practitioners, they hoped to describe
the true situation to leaders at the State Council, ask them to release arrested
Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin as soon as possible, ask them to reinstate
the publishing of Falun Gong books, and request an environment to practice
freely in. They said that everybody stood there peacefully and in good order. The police
vehicles were continuously and slowly driving by in front of them. The video
cameras on the police vehicles with the lens poking out of the windows swept the
crowds, but no practitioner dodged it. Everybody was calm, because they knew
that what they were doing was the most righteous thing. On June 14, 1999, the CCP publicly expressed its position over its official
media, claiming that reports of suppressing Falun Gong is "completely a
rumor that was purely fabricated to confuse people's minds.... " and
"repeatedly stated that regarding all normal activities of doing the
exercises and keeping fit, government of different levels have never prohibited
them. People have the freedom to believe and practice a certain cultivation way,
and also have the freedom not believe in a certain cultivation way..." However, just three days before making these statements, on June 10th, the
CCP set up the infamous 610 Office, which can bypass government
oversight in various matters, particularly in planning, organizing and directing
the suppression of Falun Gong. On July 20th, 1999, the persecution campaign began. Young Woman Detained Twice Shali was still a college student in 1999. Because she took part in the April
25th peaceful appeal, wrote to her relatives about Falun Gong, showed truth
clarification fliers to her friends, told them that "Falun Dafa is
good" and told them about the facts of Falun Gong, the authorities
constantly hounded her. Shali said, "At the end of 2000, officers from the police station asked
me to go to meet with them. They had letters that I wrote to my uncle and asked
me some questions. That was the first time they contacted me." "Early 2001, prior to the Chinese New Year, police and staff from the
residential committee brought me to the police station and detained me in a
basement for three days. After that, they sent me to a detention center and
locked me in a cell full of Dafa disciples. They were locked in separate cells.
Most of them had gone to Tiananmen Square to unfurl banners." "It was horrible there, I could often hear Dafa disciples beaten. In the
twelfth month of the lunar year which was in the middle of winter, they poured
cold water on Dafa disciples, drenching them from head to toe. Some
practitioners were in handcuffs and shackles. The food that was given to them
was terrible." "One day, the police said, 'Tonight, there will be some important news
to be broadcast, everyone must watch it.' That night, the staged
'Self-immolation on Tiananmen Square' was made known to the world. The police
had learned of it before the broadcast." "That time, I was detained for a month." In mid-April, Shali was detained for a second time. This time, she was held
for nearly 20 days. Shali said, "That day, a teacher from my department duped me into going
to the university at 7:00 a.m. After arriving at the university, I was pushed
into a car where there were other Dafa disciples from the same university. The
car drove us to the Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp. It is really a demon's den, used
for brainwashing Dafa disciples." "Every Dafa disciple was surrounded by several collaborators [former
Falun Dafa practitioners who have gone astray due to brainwashing and torture].
They kept scolding and verbally abusing us. Their behavior was erratic and
crazed. In that evil environment, Dafa disciples were unable to sleep or eat.
They became dizzy, and were almost unable to think normally. Dafa disciples were
often physically abused, forced to remain standing facing a wall." "The work unit that sent each practitioner to the labor camp would pay
200 Yuan to the forced labor camp for each practitioner that they sent in. The
money would be used for food and drink of those working on brainwashing
practitioners, sprucing up the environment of the forced labor camp, presenting
a false picture of peace and tranquility to deceive people." "The forced labor camp also called in Dafa disciples' elderly family
members, who would kneel down to plead with the Dafa disciples to accept
brainwashing. I often heard the crying of elderly people from nearby
cells." "If some practitioners were brainwashed, they would be forced to sing
together a song named 'The Same Song.'" Shali said in deep grief, "In that environment, five or six people were
around you on a daily basis. During the night, they took turns to sleep. I could
not sleep. Once my eyes closed, they would pinch me. Gradually I felt I could no
longer endure, and finally I complied with the evil against my will, and was
released in May." Staying Away from Home for Two and a Half Years Shali returned home from the Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp, but she was constantly
monitored by the police. She had to go to the police station to report for duty,
and the police often came to her home to harass her late at night. After Shali graduated from university, she found a teaching job. In May 2002,
Jiang Zemin issued a secret order to "kill without mercy" after
practitioners tapped into cable TV to clarify the truth, and there was once
again a nationwide wave of arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. Shali did not
want to suffer physical torture and mental torment any more, and had to leave
home and become homeless. Shali said, "Life was really hard during that period of time. I even
felt bitter in my mind." She stayed in one place for three months, and
changed to another place, finally she moved to a faraway suburb and settled
down. In order to avoid the police's harassment, she could not contact her
family and her family did not know where she was, either. "I spent two Chinese New Years alone. The money earned by doing odd jobs
could not maintain the lowest standard of life." Shali said that she did
not return home until the second half of 2004. No matter where she was, Shali did not forget that she is a Dafa disciple,
and she would go out to distribute materials to clarify the truth according to
the situation. Validating Dafa Overseas Ms. Zhang Xiulian, Shali's mother, came to Canada in 2001 when her older
daughter Laula gave birth. From that point on, Zhang Xiulian could be seen
clarifying the truth in different activities in Vancouver. Regardless of whether it was a sweltering summer day or snowy winter evening,
Zhang Xiulian has been peacefully participating as a part of the
around-the-clock protest in front of the Chinese Consulate. Ms. Zhang recalled
that on a winter day in 2001, it snowed heavily. The snow around her body
gradually melted into water. She was soaked by the slush. From morning to
evening, she was drenched with icy water for over ten hours. When asked if she found it to be hard, she said, "We have only suffered
a bit physically. It in no way compares to what practitioners in China have been
through. What they face is pressure from the entire country's machinery. Besides
physical torture, they have endured even more torment mentally. We can only use
this way to tell the whole world what is really happening in China, and give
fellow practitioners inside China our support." In 2004, many practitioners went to New York to clarify the truth. Zhang
Xiulian supported her older daughter Laula to go there. Laula went to New York
for three months, and Ms. Zhang was alone at home with two children. One was
four years old, and the other was two years old. She not only took part in
activities for validating Dafa as usual, but also studied the Fa together with
the two children at home. Her granddaughter Hui Hui was just over two years old, and she
could read Zhuan Falun. The adults read one paragraph, and children read
one paragraph. Even when doing meditation, the children were very focused. Zhang Xiulian also spends her spare time making phone calls to China to
clarify the truth and advising people to quit the CCP and its affiliated
organizations. She also made banners, silently doing the three things that a
Dafa disciple is to do. Several years ago, the saddest thing for Ms. Zhang was that she did not know
where her younger daughter was, whether or not she was safe. During the night,
she called again and again in her mind, "My daughter, where are you?" Early in 2007, Shali also came to Vancouver. Though her husband, who is
nearly 70 years old and has a poor health, is still being held captive by the
CCP, Ms. Zhang believes that the day for reuniting with him will not be too far. Looking Back at April 25th, Her Heart Is Filled with Pride Eight years have passed. During the eight years, the CCP has exhausted all of
its evil and despicable means to persecute Dafa disciples, but Dafa disciples
have not fallen down. Instead, they have become even more steadfast and
understood the Fa even more deeply. People from more and more countries around
the world have supported Dafa and some have become Dafa disciples. The CCP has
failed miserably and faces an inevitable destruction. Today, looking back at April 25th, Zhang Xiulian proudly said, "The
April 25th peaceful appeal helped many people in the world learn about Falun
Gong, and the world's people witnessed the Dafa disciples' demeanor for the
first time. It laid a solid foundation for Dafa disciples in their later truth
clarification, and for more people to practice Dafa in the ensuing years."
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/4/25/153495.html
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