(Minghui.org) Mr. Tian Jinxin (田金鑫), 38, had an unhappy childhood. His parents divorced when he was very young and he suffered from depression. He eventually began smoking and drinking and fell into other negative behaviors such as gambling and gang fights.
Nineteen years ago, however, a decision he made – learning Falun Gong – turned his life around. He gave up his bad habits and abandoned the bad influences in his life. Following the principles of Falun Gong, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, he became a man of dignity and integrity.
Mr. Tian thought the worst was behind him, but after the persecution began he was arrested in 2000 for exercising his basic human rights – appealing for justice for Falun Gong. For the nearly fifteen years that followed, he has been detained several times, sentenced, and has suffered tremendous physical and mental torture.
Most recently, Mr. Tian was arrested on May 17, 2014 for hiring lawyers to defend several detained Falun Gong practitioners. His lawyers and family were repeatedly denied visitation. The local procuratorate formally approved his arrest, but returned his case to the police for them to gather more evidence against him.
Mr. Tian is currently still in police custody. Despite the ordeals he suffered over the years, he told his family that he has never regretted his decision to practice Falun Gong. He asked his family to publicize his story to help raise awareness and end the persecution.
Mr. Tian Jinxin
Headed for Trouble
Raised by his grandmother, with his parents often absent in his life, Mr. Tian grew into an anti-social, rebellious young man. He had a very bad temper, and spent his parents’ money recklessly on drinking and gambling.
He did not like school, and frequently got drunk and started fights.
Worried about his future, his mother used her connections to get him a job in a state-run factory. It was a dream job for anyone with no college degree, however, he never took it seriously and acted irresponsibly. He was eventually fired when he improperly operated a machine, causing an accident that could have been disastrous.
Turning Point
Even though he was not fond of school, Tian Jinxin liked to read books on cultivation, Buddhism and Shakyamuni. He was particularly impressed when he came across the words in some of the books that said, “The Law Wheels constantly spin.” In September 1995, he borrowed the book, Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Gong teachings, and finished reading it in one night. He was determined to begin practicing Falun Gong right away.
His friends could hardly believe the changes in him. He proudly told them, “It’s my Master, Li Hongzhi, who has given me a brand new life, and the chance for me to be a good person.” Many of Mr. Tian's friends and family members then also began practicing Falun Gong.
Filled with gratitude, Mr. Tian’s mother told him, “I failed to raise you well, but Falun Gong has totally changed you. Your Master is magnificent.”
Persecuted for His Belief
Mr. Tian's peaceful world was turned upside down, however, when the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999. He lost his freedom — his whereabouts were closely monitored, and his phone was tapped. He received harassing calls from law enforcement officials threatening his and his family’s safety.
Mr. Tian was arrested in Beijing when he went there to appeal for Falun Gong on January 13, 2000. He was detained in the Xiangfang District Xingfu Detention Center in Harbin City, and was pressured to write statements to renounce Falun Gong, but he refused.
To force Mr. Tian give up Falun Gong, the head of the Domestic Security Team of Xiangfang District, Wang Shengli took the advantage of his vulnerable situation – his wife was almost due with their first child – to coerce Mr. Tian’s father, and his uncles to make Mr. Tian renounce his faith. When that attempt failed, Wang threatened to sentence Mr. Tian to forced labor. Meanwhile, Wang demanded that Mr. Tian’s wife bring money to the detention center to secure his release.
Mr. Tian’s wife gave birth to their child on Chinese New Year's Day 2000, but Mr. Tian was not there. He was released and met his 6-week-old baby for the first time only after the authorities extorted 17,500 Yuan (approximately $3,000.00) from his family.
Not long after that, a dozen plainclothes policemen broke into Mr. Tian’s apartment at midnight on July 19, 2000. Without showing any ID or search warrant, they ransacked Mr. Tian’s apartment and confiscated his Falun Gong books, audio recordings and videotapes. They arrested Mr. Tian and took him back to their station, where they hung him up and tortured him for the entire evening. He was released the next day.
Mr. Tian was arrested once again on August 11, 2000 and was detained in the Harbin City Detention Center, where he was forced to package toothpicks to be sold to 5-star hotels. He was brutally beaten by the inmates. In the Nangang Detention Center where he was transferred in November, he contracted scabies due to the harsh conditions.
Tian Jinxin was illegally sentenced in September 2001, and incarcerated in Yongfeng Prison in Wudalianchi City. The head of the prison threatened him, saying that he would torture him to death if Mr. Tian refused to comply, and then claim it was a suicide. He pressured Mr. Tian daily to write statements to renounce Falun Gong, had guards watch him around the clock, and beat him when he did not write the statements.
Mr. Tian’s family went to visit him eight days after he was incarcerated, only to find that he had been brutally tortured – he looked very pale and had lost a tremendous amount of weight. He wrapped his bare body with only a winter coat and pants since the inmates had stolen the rest of his clothes. To make him renounce Falun Gong, the prison guards beat him so brutally that the wooden clubs they used were broken in the process.
When Mr. Tian refused to do forced labor, the head guard struck his face with his pickaxe and his eyes bled.
After the latest arrest in May 2014, over a dozen plainclothes policemen ransacked Mr. Tian's apartment again and confiscated his Falun Gong books, computer, household registry, marriage certificate, driver’s license and other personal belongings. He was brutally shocked with electric batons and deprived of sleep. The police interrogated him around the clock in an attempt to find out how he had hired defense attorneys for other Falun Gong practitioners who were incarcerated and tortured. The police also wanted to know how he and two other practitioners submitted an article exposing police officers’ illegal conduct to a website outside China.
Good Samaritan
Two young men were stranded outside on a cold winter night. They tried for hours to hitch a ride, and finally Mr. Tian stopped for them. One of the young men commented, “Had you not stopped for us, we might have frozen to death tonight.” Mr. Tian told them how Falun Gong changed him from a person who didn't care about anyone, to one who was considerate of others.
One of Mr. Tian’s employees stole a box of cell phones from his business. Others urged Mr. Tian to contact the police to track that employee down, but he wanted to give his employee a second chance. A couple of days later, that employee came back with the cell phones and apologized to Mr. Tian.
Mr. Tian and his wife once took in an old woman who had a stroke and was paralyzed. The woman’s brother was surprised to see how well they took care of his sister, and was very thankful for them.
Mr. Tian also hired lawyers to represent fellow practitioners in court, and visited all of the law enforcement agencies to seek the release of practitioners who were illegally incarcerated.
No Regrets
In the past fifteen years, the Chinese Communist Party has stopped at nothing to discredit Falun Gong practitioners and to cover up their crimes against humanity. However, Mr. Tian’s story is one of many that paints a much different picture.
Mr. Tian stated, “Nineteen years ago, I chose to practice Falun Gong, which transformed me into a brand new person. I will continue on this path no matter what. I’ve done nothing wrong by helping others. I have no regrets.”
