(Clearwisdom.net) Since July 20, 1999, more than one hundred Dafa practitioners in the Dongchuan District, Kunming City withstood the pressure of the persecution and were steadfast in practicing Falun Dafa, validating Dafa, exposing the evil, clarifying the facts, and doing their part in saving the sentient beings. They manifested the great compassion and tolerance of Falun Dafa practitioners.

Ms. Yao Jiali practiced Falun Dafa since November 1997. She suffered from asthma since she was six years old and had reached an untreatable stage. (She is in charge of medicines at the Chinese Medicine Institute. All sorts of rare and expensive Chinese medicine, Western medicine, and imported medicine could not cure her. On the contrary, the symptoms became more severe.) After practicing Falun Gong, her asthma was cured without any medical treatment.

Since the Jiang's political followers began to persecute Falun Gong, Yao held her steadfast faith in Teacher and practiced diligently Falun Dafa with a tranquil mind. On February 13, 2000, she participated in an outside group exercise held in Jiadong, to help dispel the propaganda and defamatory statements about Falun Dafa. In the morning of February 4, Yao went outside to practice the Falun Dafa exercises as usual. While she was preparing to begin, she was encircled by members from the Health Department and the Chinese Medicine Institute, led by the Political and Judiciary Committee of the Dongchuan "610 Office" (1). On more than one occasion, they intimidated, threatened, and tried to coerce her with promises. They wanted her to forsake her practice. Yao Jiali refused to compromise.

On the fifteenth day of one month in 2001, because some people in the Chinese Medicine Institute wanted to implement Jiang Zemin's persecution policies against Falun Dafa practitioners to "defame their reputations, bankrupt them financially, destroy them physically," they delayed the cost of living increase of Yao Jiali's pay by one year. They increased her workload, moving her to a higher position, but paying her a lower salary. Her pay was reduced from 1,300 yuan (2) to 480 yuan per month. They threatened her that if she still would not give up practice Falun Dafa, they would stop paying her and thus force her to resign from her position. Her daughter was also implicated and was often attacked, threatened and frequently forced to go home to supervise her mother. During "sensitive days" (3) they would try to intimidate her, "You better go home to look after your mother well. If she just went out to practice the exercise, you will be sacked, and you will not be paid anything." Her daughter's section supervisor, colleagues, and good friends were all harassed as a result of knowing her daughter and because Yao practiced Falun Dafa. The authorities purpose was to create an atmosphere of fear and force friends and family members to hate Falun Dafa practitioners and to put pressure on them to renounce their belief.

Yao Jiali located the leader of the Institute and said, "I practice 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance.' What is wrong in that? Freedom of belief is bestowed upon the citizens as a basic right by the Constitution. The way you treat my daughter, threatening and intimidating her, is a violation of human rights. If anything happens to her, I will hold all of you responsible. Furthermore, when I practice my belief, it has nothing to do with any of my colleagues, leader or my dear friends. You must not persecute them. If you have any problems, please do not hesitate to come and see me." It was only after this that the authorities showed some restraint.

Yao Jiali not only steadfastly practiced Dafa, she also searched for and found those who had been transformed and fellow practitioners who had given up the practice. She told them about Teacher's compassion and the glorious future that awaits practitioners. She told them the truth that forsaking the practice would have terrible results. The responsibility carried by the practitioners during this mission is very heavy. Such discussions were to awaken those practitioners so that they would return to the tide of the Fa-rectification period. Those who returned also searched for other lost souls. They attempted to discuss, assist and help them take up the practice again. They too joined in the great effort of clarifying the facts and saving sentient beings. It was like a ripple effect.

Ms. Li Fangzhen a farmer from Xincun Street remembered the benefits she derived from practicing Falun Dafa. After she practiced Dafa in October 1997, her arthritis, inflammation of the shoulder, nephritis, headache and dizziness, tumor of the uterus had all disappeared without any treatment or medication. Her appearance and spirit changed greatly. Under her influence, her mother, elder brother and uncle joined her and all became steadfast and unwavering in the practice. Since the Jiang political scoundrels clique began to persecute Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, some practitioners sent their Dafa books to her elder brother's house. Her elder brother placed the photo of Teacher above the altar table. Because he had strong righteous thoughts, the police dared not confiscate the Dafa books or order him to take down Teacher's photo when they raided his home. He often went to places where there were many people sitting in meditation, yet the police ignored him. He also took the opportunity when there was a general village meeting to give fact clarification materials to the headman and the Party Secretary of the village, telling them: "You read these for the information of the villagers." The village cadre read the materials as requested. The villagers listened to what was read. When the police arrived and asked where the materials came from, they answered: "We picked them up."

Li Fangzhen organized a group study to read the Falun Dafa teachings at her elder brother's house for some elderly ladies who were illiterate. There were generally thirteen people each session. When the police came, they would clarify the facts to the police. Though Li Fangzhen was arrested in May 2003 and detained, another fellow Dafa practitioner took her place. In 2004, some police took the elderly ladies to the police station and threatened them. A number of the elderly ladies steadfastly continued to study the Falun Dafa teachings.

In 2000, Li Fangzhen was arrested and taken to the police station, because she participated in the Dongchuan District group performance and validated Falun Dafa. After she was released on the guarantee of the village Party Secretary, the main brigade of the "610 Office" and the police from the station frequently harassed her at her home, stopping her from practicing the Falun Gong exercises and threatened her husband: "Your wife is illegally practicing Falun Gong and will be prosecuted." Her husband became frightened and smashed her tape recorder. After he smashed one tape recorder, she bought another, and after that another was smashed, so she again bought another. Her husband was at his wit's end and henceforth ignored her.

In May 2003, the National Security Brigade suddenly summoned Li Fangzhen to the police station and accused her of possessing 100 copies of Falun Dafa materials that explained the facts about the persecution. The perpetrators tried to force her to reveal the source of the materials. Li Fangzhen clarified the facts to everyone present. They got angry and thus went to search her house for Falun Dafa materials. They turned her furniture upside down, including the earthern rice jar, spilling the rice. They found two flyers for explaining the facts of the persecution, a copy of Zhuan Falun, and an exercise tape. They used this to arrest Li Fangzhen and therefore detained her for 27 days.

During her detention, the police tried daily through different means to elicit a confession, trying to sow distrust by saying: "So-and-so exposed you and you still do not yield." The prisoners were instructed to strip her and conduct a body search, which they used to sexually molest her. She was interrogated daily, and always kept past her meal times. Besides clarifying the facts about the persecution of Falun Dafa with her supervisors, she also spoke to her fellow detainees and prisoners. The prisoners were so touched by her demeanor that they protected her when she performed her daily exercises and even saved some of the prison food for her to eat.

During that period, the "610 Office," the Political and Judiciary Committee, police from the local police station threatened her husband on many occasions: "Li Fangzhen was illegally distributing Falun Dafa materials and will be sentenced for three to five years of detention. You must pay 5,000 to 10,000 yuan (1) for adjournment of the trial." Her husband was forced to spend most of the year away from home trying to raise money to pay the guarantee, leaving their two school age sons at home to manage by themselves. He managed to give 3,000 yuan worth of presents and paid the police 3,000 yuan as guarantee to secure his wife's release.

Officers of the National Security Department, the "610 Office" and the police often went to Li Fangzhen's house to harass her. In May 2004, the Director of the "610 Office," Yang Shunjun, and the National Security Brigade officer Zhang Xinghai, together with six other officers came again to her house to threaten her. They told her that if she did not abandon her practice, she would be arrested and detained again. Li Fangzhen explained the facts to them. They refused to listen. She drove them out of the house.

Li Fangzhen was arrested and detained because the Dafa practitioners in Dongchuan together distributed Falun Dafa materials. One night, all the commercial businesses and every home of the village received Falun Dafa materials that explained the facts about the persecution. Because some practitioners revealed some information about them under pressure, Huang Longzhen, Li Fangzhen and Wang Juanjuan were detained for 25 days.

On February 15, 2000, Dafa practitioners from Dongchuan Village spontaneously went to the front of the Qunyiguan building to practice the Falun Dafa exercises together. For three days they clarified the facts. There were 66 practitioners who participated. Several dozens of vehicles from the National Security Brigade, Political and Judiciary Committee and the police station surrounded the Qunyiguan building. Tang Weiwu was immediately taken to the detention center, the others were sent to the New Village Police Station with two police officers assigned per practitioner. After a stalemate of more than six hours, the police rang the various work units to come and collect their workers. Each work unit had to send their security officer and their principal leaders to ensure and guarantee that each practitioner was from the given work unit. At 12:30 in the afternoon, the police arrived by vehicle and took 15 practitioners with them. The females were sent to the drug rehabilitation center and males were sent to the detention center. Those who were sent to those two locations continued to practice the Falun Dafa exercises, recited the teachings from the book, Zhuan Falun [main book of Falun Dafa teachings], Hong Yin [Collection of Poems by the Founder of Falun Gong] and the book Essentials for Further Advancement. All the Dafa practitioners were detained for a month.

Tang Weiwu was sent to the detention center and was bailed out by his sister-in-law after more than twenty days in detention. On April 24, he was deceived by the authorities into going to the Number One Detention Center and sentenced to three years of re-education through forced labor.

Originally, there were 17 Dafa practitioners at Dabei Village. At present only 11 steadfast practitioners are left. Kang Jianzu, male, more than 50 years old, is blind in both eyes, however after practicing Falun Dafa, he was able to read the Falun Dafa books in the daylight. Both of his grand parents were also blind in both eyes, the grandmother is still alive and healthy, though she is more than 80 years old. Though she does not practice Falun Dafa, she frequently goes out to explain the facts of the persecution to the public.

On February 14, Kang Jianzu went to Dongchuan District to practice the Falun Dafa exercises in public and was detained. He was released when the local cadre went to provide a guarantee bond for him. He continued to organize a Falun Dafa group study at his house. In August 2003, the "610 Office" and the Political and Judiciary Committee organized a brainwashing program and five Falun Gong practitioners from Dabei Village were sent their and subjected to brainwashing sessions. Under the influence of Kang Jianzu, they persisted in practicing the Falun Dafa exercises. Kang Jianzu clarified the facts about the persecution. The village cadres, teachers and villagers all respected and admired him. His whole family believes in Dafa.

Since July 20, 1999, more than twenty practitioners at Shiyang Village steadfastly persisted in practicing the Falun Dafa exercises regardless of threats by the authorities. They denied the arrangement by the old forces and followed closely the arrangement of Teacher on their Fa-rectification path. They exposed the crimes committed against them by the authorities and explained the facts of the persecution in order to save sentient beings. All five members in the family of Gu Zhonglan are Dafa practitioners (husband, two elder sisters, niece). On February 14, 2000, both husband and wife joined the group exercise at Dongchuan District. The husband, Xu Shaoqing, was arrested and detained for 27 days. In 2003, the "610 Office" and the Political and Judiciary Committee sent both the husband and wife to the brainwashing program. There were 20 people in this program. They faced strong pressure, verbal abuse, and beatings, but all the Falun Gong practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts every hour on the hour. They also clarified the facts to the "610 Office" and Political and Judiciary Committee officers, person to person, face to face. They told them, "The self-immolation at Tiananmen was staged, personally directed by Jiang and Luo. This was done to frame and incriminate Falun Gong and incite hatred from society against Falun Gong. To practice our principle of Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance, is not wrong, but Jiang is wrong in suppressing Falun Gong." The officers from the "610 Office" and the Political and Judiciary Committee were at a loss for words and thus ended the brainwashing program after ten days. They were completely unsuccessful in forcing any of the practitioners to renounce their belief in Falun Dafa.

After Gu Zhonglan went home, she thought of various ways she could present the facts to the Director of the "610 Office," Yang Shunjun. She wanted him to understand the facts and stop his evil deeds. One day, she took a copy of an article posted on Clearwisdom entitled, "A letter from a cadre of the Ruling Party of China to Wen Jiabao (Prime Minister of China), Hu Jintao (President of China)" and to the authorities at the "610 Office," but Yang Shunjun was out of the office. She asked the staff to hand it to Yang Shunjun.

During another brainwashing session there was a 76-year-old lady by the name of Su Fazhen. Fourteen years ago, she fell from the roof, after which both her arms and legs were paralyzed. She had to depend on her only son to assist her when she ate, drank, or needed to use the toilet (both her son and daughter-in-law are Dafa practitioners). In May 2000, her son and a couple of Dafa practitioners from Dongchuan went to appeal on behalf of Falun Dafa at Tiananmen Square. He was returned to the detention center in his hometown, watched by He Bin and two other officers from the "610 Office." The officers then went to his home to investigate and were told by Su Fazhen: "My son practices the principle of Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance and there is nothing wrong with that. After he practiced Falun Gong, his health improved, his temperament became better. He is a good and respectful son. Both of us elderly people are very ill and completely depend on him to look after us and you locked him up. How hardhearted can you be? Now the whole family, young and old, depends solely on my daughter-in-law. From today on, I will also practice Falun Gong to improve my body so as to save my daughter-in-law from having to take care of me." The police left. 27 days later, her son was able to leave the detention center.

The elderly lady asked her daughter-in-law to teach her the exercises. After one week, she was able stand up. At present, not only can she look after herself, she even assists her daughter-in-law with the housework. Whenever she meets someone, she tells them, "Falun Gong saved me, my husband used to be much healthier than I was, but he refused to practice Falun Gong. Now he is dead. As for me, after practicing Falun Gong, I am free of all illnesses and I feel fine." All the villagers were impressed with her story.

In August 2003, the "610 Office" and the Political and Judiciary Committee ordered her son and daughter-in-law to attend the brainwashing program. She told them, "This is our busy harvest time, the young people do not have the time, I will go instead." Arriving at the brainwashing program, Su Fazhen said: "I was sick for more than ten years, but after practicing Falun Gong I became well. My husband was in better health than me, but he refused to practice Falun Gong and died." On the seventh day, the "610 Office" sent her home.

Du Kaifu worked at the Dongchuan Law Court. Both husband and wife practice Dafa. After the persecution started, due to pressure, they abandoned the practice. In less than half a year, he was suffering from an incurable disease. Three blood vessels, close to his heart were blocked. His whole body became weak. He spent more than one hundred and thirty thousand yuan at the more prominent hospitals in Dongchuan, Kunming and Shanghai to no avail. Doctors at the Shanghai hospital advised him: "At present. medical technology does not have a cure for your illness. Go home and eat whatever you like, enjoy yourself and do anything your heart desires."

Du quietly contemplated: I used to practice Dafa, and most of my illnesses disappeared without treatment or taking medication. Now that I gave up the practice, I am suffering from an incurable disease. I better start to practice Falun Gong again. He calmly went and looked up his colleagues and said, "The doctors tell me my illness is incurable and there is nothing they can do! I want to practice Falun Gong again during the next few days. Could you please return my books and exercise tapes you confiscated?" His colleagues were very moved by his request and helped him retrieve the book and exercise tapes. He studied the Falun Dafa teachings and practiced the exercises at home, and threw away all the medicine prescribed to him by the hospitals. After Du calmly practiced again for more than two months, he felt fine again and his was full of energy. He went to his leader at the work unit and asked to be allowed to start working again. His leader said, "You go and have a good rest. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to let me know." He answered: "I practiced Falun Gong again and have completely recovered from my illness. I wish to work again." The leader did not believe him and sent someone from Shanghai to investigate. The doctors there said that he was not sick anymore and that it was an unbelievable miracle. This irrefutable fact touched the heart of the leader of his work unit.

He told his experience to his friends and colleagues at the law court, explaining that the Teacher of Falun Gong is merciful and living by the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" is not wrong. Jiang Zemin was wrong in suppressing Falun Gong.

Notes:

(1) "610 Office" - 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.

(2) yuan ¨C 500 yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.

(3) "sensitive days" - Public holidays and festive days are considered as such by the Communist regime in China.