Jian Tang, Colorado

March 2000

On November 22, 1999, after I got two weeks of vacation, I said good-bye to my daughter and left my husband a letter, then I went to the Denver Airport. I had thought about this China trip for a long time; but my final decision was made 3 days ago, because I knew that maybe it would be more than 2 weeks, or several months or even several years before I could return.

Everyday I followed the situation in China from the Internet. The Chinese government's persecutions against Falun Gong practitioners had been escalating. Thousands of practitioners had risked their lives to appeal to the government. They were asking the government to correct its wrongdoings to avoid more sufferings of innocent people. Everyday I could not help crying when reading the stories of my fellow practitioners in China. I had that growing feeling that I should be with them, and I should tell their stories to more people, and to let all of the kindhearted people in the world know about Falun Dafa.

I first read Zhuan Falun (the main text of Falun Dafa) from the Internet at the beginning of 1997. I felt I had found the ultimate treasure. Zhuan Falun answered all my questions regarding the universe and the human life. I had studied philosophies and supernormal capabilities. I had practiced Qigong. I had wondered about religions. I had been searching for the key to solve my puzzles. I seemed to have got lost in this puzzling world. While practicing Falun Gong, the improvements in my mind and body strengthened my faith. I believe it is true cultivation practice that can make human beings become unselfish and enlightened to the principle of "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance".

Just as my airplane landed in Beijing airport, heavy fog suddenly appeared, and my airplane had to halt in the middle of the runway. The flight attendants told us that if we were 3 minutes late we would be diverted to Shanghai. I thought it was not easy for me to come here. A practitioner who came back to China three weeks before was waiting for me. She told me that there would be an experience sharing conference in Guangzhou City and many practitioners from all over China would be there. Therefore, we took the train to Guangzhou the next day.

It was in a suburban resident-home that I met over 30 practitioners. It was an apartment on the fifth floor with three bedrooms and a living room. There was no furniture. Practitioners sat on cotton quilts that covered the floor. As we entered the door, they all got up and greeted us. The serenity and modesty of the practitioners gave me a special warm feeling. From conversations I noticed that all of them had come here after overcoming many barriers. There were practitioners from Australia and Sweden as well. They started to get together here on November 18, 1999. Everyone had written about his or her cultivation experiences. They exchanged their experiences and helped each other to make progress in writing. They did not step out of the door for several days to avoid disturbance to the neighbors. A practitioner from Shijiazhuang City of Hebei Province came over and started a conversation with me. Her voice was calm, and I could feel her heart was very pure. She said our Teacher had advised us that group practice and experience sharing meetings are the ways to cultivate and spread Falun Dafa. Hopefully this meeting could bring along more practitioners in other parts of China to resume these ways of cultivating and spreading Falun Dafa. The Swedish practitioner had practiced for over 5 years. She told me that some Swedish practitioners had been visiting China once a year to exchange experiences with Chinese practitioners. They called that "returning to mother's home". The Swedish practitioners went to Changchun City particularly since it was the place where our Teacher started his teachings. There were more and more Swedish people practicing Falun Dafa, and there were more Swedish practitioners than Chinese practitioners in Sweden.

After midnight, we turned off the lights and went to sleep. I slept with several girls in a bedroom. The room was tiny and could barely fit us. Men stayed in the living room. Less than an hour later, we heard people yelling and fiercely knocking the door. A practitioner said calmly: "Must be police." We did not panic. We all came to the living room as the police rushed in, yelling: "Don't move! Sit down!" Practitioners asked: "Which law have we broken? How can you just break in?" Police gave no answer and showed no warrant for arresting or searching. They started to beat practitioners. Four or five policemen beat one practitioner at the same time. One practitioner was pushed to the ground. Her body rolled over and she was sweating from the pain. As the police started to beat an Australian practitioner, two Chinese practitioners tried to protect her. From the beginning to the end, no one fought back. I saw several practitioners were in tears; they felt bad for not finishing the meeting and not able to warn practitioners in other locations of the police.

The police handcuffed every two of us together and then took us downstairs. I happened to be handcuffed with a short old gentleman from Sichuan Province. I told him that I was also from Sichuan Province, and he said that it must be predestined luck that we met together. Police then started to search through our luggage. Anything related to Falun Gong was confiscated. Books brought by Australian practitioners were all taken away. They even took some of our personal belongings. When a police officer found two Falun Gong books in my bag, he took them away too. I asked him to return them to me. He said he would talk to me about that later. When we were in the police van, he returned the books to me. I was so happy to see that he still had a kind heart. That old gentleman's books were taken away so I gave him my copy of Essentials for Further Advances (the collection of articles written by Teacher Li). He smiled at me and hid it in his clothes. Practitioners all treasure Falun Gong books very much. The old gentleman told me that his last name was Pan. He came from Arba County and was 62 years old. His family had 5 people and all of them were Falun Gong practitioners. His experience paper read: "Teacher told us to be good people. I have 2 grandchildren, one of them is 6 and the other is 7. They both conduct themselves according to the standards of Falun Dafa. They never fight with classmates, even if others take away their belongings. Falun Dafa can change people. Falun Dafa is good!" Simple words. True feelings.

Police took us to Tianhe Detention Center. They ordered us to sit on the floor of the dining hall. Then they took us one by one for questioning. From time to time, I heard sounds of beatings. There was one practitioner who got slapped on the face every time he was asked a question. He was also forced to squat half way down for one-and-a-half hours. I was taken for questioning before dawn. Police asked me why I still practiced Falun Gong after it was banned. I told him: "Falun Dafa helped millions of people become free of illnesses, this is a fact witnessed by the whole society. Falun Dafa taught people to be better, and helped millions to improve their morality, that is also witnessed by the whole society. For such a precious practice, no matter who bans it, I will still practice it." He asked why I came to China. I said because I saw the Chinese government couldn't tell right from wrong, and they are defaming Falun Dafa. As a Chinese citizen and a Falun Gong practitioner, I should come and clarify the facts about Falun Gong. Also, I cared about my fellow practitioners in China. I told him that when a person sees the true meaning of life, he would not change no matter how you abuse him. The police sighed and told me that they had to do those things because they were ordered to do so. At last he asked me: "Can a person like me practice Falun Gong?" I said: "Sure. Our Teacher is compassionate to everyone, and you should treasure this opportunity." I suggested that he should read Zhuan Falun (the main text of Falun Gong) first.

After all 36 of us were questioned, we were locked up in 3 rooms on a second floor. We decided to carry out a hunger strike to demand the return of our books and our release us since we didn't violate any laws. I felt lucky that we were not locked up separately so we still had chances to exchange experiences. I heard many touching stories from the fellow practitioners detained together with me. They had been trying their best to be good people to get enlightened to the teachings of "Zhen-Shan-Ren" (Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance). They treasured Falun Dafa. When they saw that Falun Dafa was facing the current persecutions, that Teacher Li was slandered and that practitioners were arrested, they decided to step forward and use their own experiences to tell the world how good Falun Dafa is.

A practitioner from Shangdong Province told us a story she heard in Beijing regarding a medical doctor from Anhui Province. The Anhui practitioner was in her 40s. She planned to appeal to the government in Beijing. Right after she purchased her train ticket to Beijing, her luggage and ticket were stolen. She had no money with her and decided to walk to Beijing along the railway. It was over 1000 kilometers, and most of the area she crossed was deserted land. She got her drinking water from ponds, slept by rail-tracks, and ate almost nothing. When she saw a house, she would ask for some food. After overcoming a lot of difficulties, she finally got to Beijing. She walked for 24 days, about 50 kilometers a day. She met other practitioners in Beijing and told them about her story. Later she was arrested along with some other practitioners.

A practitioner from Dalian City of Laoning Province told us her story and it truly moved me. Once the police came to her house to arrest her. After she heard police asking her parents about her whereabouts, she calmly walked pass the police and got out of the house. Unfortunately, she was arrested in Beijing. The police there used electric batons to shock her and other practitioners for over 2 hours. There were only the sounds of electric shocks and the smell of burned flesh. They endured the tortures quietly with no hatred. They told the police about the principles of Falun Dafa. The police later said that all Falun Gong practitioners were good people. She was on a hunger strike for 9 days. Right after she was released she came to the experience sharing conference in Guangzhou.

Most of us felt all right after spending 2 days with no food or water. Only a slim girl in her 20s said she didn't feel well. She sat there with her eyes closed. In the afternoon, she felt better.

The doctor in the detention center visited us once in a while. She did not believe Falun Gong's effects in health improvement. A practitioner from Henan Province told the doctor that three years ago she was well known for her bad health. She had heart problems, arthritis and hepatitis B. She tried Western treatment, Chinese medicine and many alternative treatments but her health kept deteriorating. Once, she was forced to take a medical leave for half a year. After she practiced Falun Gong, all of her illnesses were gone. Many practitioners had various illnesses before, and they all became healthy. That was our own personal experience. How could it be possible to ask us not to believe in Falun Gong?

In the afternoon, the guards ordered us to have our photos taken for records. We told them that we were not criminals, so we would not have photos taken. Then they came over to drag us. A guard dragged that slim girl out and yelled, "I will beat you to death." The girl screamed. We then went over to ask the guard to let her go. He then loosed his hands. In order not to let them deal with us separately, we sat together in one detention room. Later they had to give up the intention of taking our photos. At night, the guards told us that they would transfer us to another place and ordered us to get out. We knew that they were going to punish us. Then the practitioners from Australia requested to see the Australia Consulate in Guangzhou, saying that they would not move before their request was granted, because they felt that their personal safety was in danger. The officer who was responsible for foreign affairs came and after some negotiations he agreed to call the Australia Consulate. But he never came back. Later the guards dragged all of us out while beating and kicking us madly. They dragged us to the yard downstairs and ordered us to squat down. Then they ordered us one by one into a room and conducted a thorough body search. Later we were separately detained in different cells with convicted criminals.

I was assigned to the sixth cell. I found a practitioner Ms. Ye from Jiangxi Province in that cell, plus six convicted criminals. One of the criminals immediately came over with a bowl of cereal and persuaded me to eat. She said that this was the task assigned to them and they would be punished if they could not succeed in persuading me to eat. I said that I would tell the guards that it had nothing to do with them. After a short while, the officer in charge of female prisoners came over and asked whether I had eaten or not, and threatened to fill me with salt water if I refused to eat. The inmates all told me that it was a very terrible thing to be filled with salt water. Meanwhile, I heard someone screaming in another cell. They told me that it must be that someone was being filled with salt water. The officer then ordered four to five male criminals to come over. One of them carried a tool for filling salt water, which was a long glass tube attached with a soft and thin tube and some other stuff. I sat on the ground near the wall. The officer approached me and asked whether I still refused to eat. I asked him why I was arrested since I had not committed any crime, and up to now I had not seen the arrest certificate. He became extremely angry and kicked my right breast, yelling: "Who do you think you are?" He then said to the criminals: "Fill her with salt water!"

Several male criminals came over and dragged me to the ground near the door. They pushed me down to the ground and put shackles on me. I felt that somebody squeezed my nose and I could not breathe. Then something big was squeezed into my mouth. My mouth was immediately full of salt water. Since I could not breathe I had to swallow them. It was high-density salt water. I felt that what I swallowed were all grains of salt, or a lot of salt plus tiny bit of water. I wanted to struggle but my hands and feet were forcefully held. I could not move at all. After a long time, I still heard that the officer ordered: "Fill more!" I thought that I would be suffocated to death if they continued to do that. After another three to four minutes, they let me go. But I could not breathe freely for a long time. I felt like I would be suffocated to death. Then my stomach felt terrible. I wanted to drink water. I could not speak. My inmates held a bowl of cereal and fed me. But after a short while, all the cereals were thrown up. I had to constantly drink water and throw up. My clothes were full of water and dirty stuff. Ms. Ye could not help crying upon seeing me like that.

After throwing up for a long time, I started to feel a little better. My inmates held me to the water pool to clean my body. They tried to take off my pants. However, it was very difficult since I had shackles on me. At last, they had to tear off my pants. After they washed me, one of them offered her skirt to me kindly. It was already 3AM in the morning after they cleaned me. They told me that they had to work during the day. They went to sleep. I also went to sleep after throwing up a few more times.

At 8AM on the next morning, everyone must get up according to the prison's regulations. My stomach felt much better, but I had to drink water constantly. I could only speak in a low voice. Somebody sent in raw materials for the forced labors. We were forced to work to make plastic flowers. I then started to chat with my inmates. They said that they also would like to learn Falun Gong, but they could not get a book. Some other Falun Gong practitioners had been detained together with them and introduced them Falun Gong. They felt very good about it. They had changed themselves after they got to know the teachings of Falun Gong. They used to beat and swear at each other, but now they got along with each other very well because they knew that they should be good people and should purify their hearts. Last night, I already felt their kind hearts when they took good care of me and lent me the skirt. They had practiced Falun Gong exercises secretly in the cell. One time, however, they were caught by the guards while practicing the exercises, and were beaten up. The head-inmate had a swollen bottom resulting from the beating. These inmates said that the practitioners who had been detained with them often told them stories of Falun Gong practitioners, which moved them to tears. Anyone would be moved by Falun Dafa as long as one still have some kindness remaining in one's heart.

It was dark when someone came to take off my shackles. I felt much more comfortable. After a short while, the guard ordered Ms. Ye and me out. We got on a police car, not knowing where the car was heading. Ms. Ye felt very calm. She was only 24 years old and had practiced Falun Gong for three years. I had read about her experience. She had had many illnesses before practicing Falun Gong. At such a young age, she had severe stomach illness and piles, which all disappeared after she started to practice Falun Gong. She had been arrested several times. One time she was arrested in Beijing. The police found out the place where she and other practitioners stayed. She thought that she should not be taken away like this and jumped out of the building and escaped. She was not talkative and she looked very quiet. But she had been so courageous. Facing those abusive police officers, she always maintained her calmness.

It turned out that they were going to question us again. We were taken to the Police Station in Yuexiu District. After two or three hours of interrogation, they finally convicted us of "participating in illegal Falun Gong activities" and we were given a 15-day detention. I asked to use the telephone, but was refused. They completely ignored citizens' rights and even deprived us of the rights to appeal. Afterwards we were sent to Yuexiu Detention Center. I was separated from Ms. Ye. I was put in a big cell where wind can blow inside from two directions. I was locked up with some convicted thieves and drug users. I had been asking to use a telephone to at least inform my family members, but they did not allow me to do so. Other detainees were allowed to make phone calls. Only Falun Gong practitioners were not allowed.

On the 10th day in Yuexiu Detention Center, police from Chengdu City (my hometown) came to take me to Chengdu. I was taken to a police office in western suburban Chengdu. They had me sit on a chair waiting for their verdict because they wanted to re-investigate my case. I didn't know what other "evidence" they could collect. Did I violate the laws and deserve to be detained and to receive heavier punishment simply because I was a Falun Gong practitioner and visited other Falun Gong practitioners? After sitting on a chair for two days, finally the news came -- they decided to release me. They said they really could prevent me from going back to the US, but they decided to release me due to other factors.

After I came back to the US, I learned that many people extended their help to rescue me, and even the senators of Colorado State were involved. However, I was deeply concerned with the fate of other practitioners. If they were sent back to their hometowns, what was awaiting them would not be as easy as detention. That female practitioner from Shandong Province told me that if she were sent back to her hometown, she would be sentenced to at least two years of forced labor (which had already happened to many practitioners in her hometown). On my way back to the US, I stopped by Beijing. I wanted to check whether the practitioners detained in the room next to mine were released or not. I knew his cellular phone number and his phone was confiscated. If he had been released, he would answer the phone. I dialed his number from a public phone, but no one answered. The strange thing was that as soon as I hung up, someone called back and asked who I was. Less than half an hour later, from a distance I saw a police car coming to the place where I made the phone call. Obviously he was still under detention.

Although I have returned to the US, I am still thinking of my fellow practitioners in China. Their spirit, their courage, and their endurance were so touching. With their own conduct, they are showing the world the unshakable faith of Falun Dafa practitioners.