Dear respectable central government leaders:

Greetings! As an innocent Falun Gong practitioner currently in jail, I overcame numerous difficulties to write you this letter. I am an ordinary citizen and want to tell you some of my sincere and heart-felt thoughts. I trust the Party and the Government, and hope that my letter will not be ignored.

My name is Cao Jun-Jian. I am 29 and have a 2-year college diploma. Previously, I worked for the Construction Bank of Guang-An city in Si-Chan Province. I served as the deputy director of the Administrative Office in the Branch Bank, an editor, a journalist, and a writer whose work collection and around 100 articles in honor of the motherland and the Party have been published. I was also a cadre of the Youth League and an active applicant for the Party membership. To sum up, I am a clear-minded citizen who loves the Party and my country. My decision to write this letter is well thought over. In addition, as a Falun Gong practitioner, I practice "Zhen-Shan-Ren" (Truthfulness, Benevolence Forbearance), so what I say and do must be truthful. The following statements are free of any untruth.

I started practicing Falun Dafa in August 1996. In a short period of time my long-standing insomnia and dizziness were cured. Most importantly, I conducted myself according to Master Li Hongzhi's teachings of "Zhen-Shan-Ren", my Xinxing was upgraded and my moral standard was improved. I used to report wrong accounting numbers, accept kickbacks, take control of public properties as my own, and visit dance clubs and recreation centers at corporate expense. After I started cultivation practice, I realized that the true meaning of life is to return to my original true self. I should be a good person in any environment, be kind and benevolent, and always look to myself for causes whenever problems arose. I returned all the audio equipment and other properties taken home from my work unit. In business deals, I not only stopped asking for overpricing on purchasing invoices, but also refused to do the same for my customers.

In May 1999, I was assigned to purchase a contest answering machine from Jin-Jiang Electronic Corp in the city of Chen-Du (Capital city of Si-Chuan Province). The salesperson attempted three times to write an invoice for me with 200 Yuan RMB more than the product price. I told him that I was a Falun Gong practitioner and would not accept any ill-gotten wealth. In April 1997, I went to a group company in the city of Wu-Han (Capital of Hu-Bei Province) to make some purchases. The group later mailed me gifts worth 3200 Yuan RMB. In front of the unexpected fortune, I remembered the story in the book "Zhuan Falun" in which a Beijing practitioner donated a bicycle to his company after his son won it in a lottery. I decided that I would not accept the gifts and remitted 3200 Yuan RMB cash to the company. On the remittance slip, I advised that company to improve internal supervision in order to avoid repetition of similar events. At my work place, I performed outstandingly in every task I did and maintained good terms with all of my colleagues. At one time I took some pictures using the film of my employer. I deliberately deducted the cost of the film from my expense claim. In May 1998, I bought a billiards table for Guang-An Construction Bank at my own expense for their staff's recreation. In my personal life, I stopped visiting dance clubs and luxurious recreation centers, and quit all unhealthy habits. In the last three years, I have not said a single dirty word, or cursed anyone. Even when I was insulted, I did not take it personally. Such examples are numerous. All changes in behavior were a direct result of practicing Falun Dafa.

It's just because I became a good person, tenable by any standards and to any societies, communities, or individuals, after I practiced Falun Gong, that I am confused over the government's decision to label Falun Gong an illegal organization and then an evil cult. At the same time, I discovered that news reports and articles criticizing Falun Gong ran counter to facts and the actual situation of our cultivation practice. The old-generation proletariat revolutionists like Mao Ze-Dong and Deng Xiao-Ping taught us to seek truth from facts. Therefore, in the spirit of sincerity and trust in the Party and the government, I wrote a letter to the government to express my opinions. A Chinese citizen's right to express personal opinions is guaranteed by Clause 41 of the Chinese Constitution. However, instead of a response to my letter, I was repeatedly summoned for questioning by the city Public Security Bureau.

In July 1999, Falun Gong was labeled as an illegal organization in China. Public Security Bureau officials and my superiors had several talks with me and asked me to break with Falun Gong and criticize it. I was so confused: Falun Gong enabled me and numerous other practitioners to recover health from illnesses and to upgrade moral standards. Should that be criticized? Due to the influence of the propaganda campaign, many of my colleagues and people in society treated me like a criminal. But in fact, what I did was to be a good person. I became depressed.

In September 1999, considering that it was the central government that labeled Falun Gong as an illegal organization, I decided to tell them the truth. With Teacher's words in mind: "Never get involved in politics. Never interfere with state affairs. Be a true cultivation practitioner and develop benevolence...We do not oppose the government now. Nor shall we in the future." With such a sincere heart, I went to Beijing and planned to visit the Appeal Bureau. Later on I got to know that whoever visit the Appeal Bureau would be arrested, which really shocked me. The Constitution and the Appeal Clauses ensure that every citizen has the rights to express their opinions. So what had happened?

After I was arrested by Fang-Shan Police Bureau, the head of the Bureau slapped my face until he was tired. Nevertheless, I still talked with him with good temperament. The next day, a young policeman ruthlessly beat me with both hands and feet. However, I still treated him with great benevolence and tolerance because I know the Party and the government has misunderstood us and has made an incorrect decision. We go to Beijing not to make trouble for the Party or the government. Rather, we simply want to tell the facts, and let them know that Falun Gong is beneficial to both the country and the people. It is by no means a cult.

While I was in Fang-Shan District Detention Center, I endured all kinds of insults, including beatings by other inmates who were convicted criminals, with peace and benevolence. There, I witnessed some criminals being transformed by my words and conduct. Upon release, two convicts said they would start practicing Falun Gong and be good people. After being transferred to Guang-An Detention Center in Si-Chuan province, I also educated the convicts there to cultivate their moral nature and to be good people. No political education can achieve the same effect. All the convicts I met in the prisons developed respect for Falun Dafa practitioners' behavior and their high moral standard. They too were confused by the government's decision to label Falun Gong as an evil cult and the imprisonment of Falun Dafa practitioners.

All these prove that I, as a Falun Dafa practitioner, am not 'evil', but one of the most righteous. Even after the government kept me long in prison and sentenced me to a prison term under the excuse of "organizing and taking advantage of an evil cult to obstruct law implementation", I do not oppose the government, nor do I hate the Party and the government or its employees who treated me bad. We allow the government enough time to understand us.

Falun Dafa is popular in more than 30 countries around the world and has over 100 million practitioners. If it were an evil cult, how could so many people of different races from different walks of life practice it? If it could kill people, how could the countless practitioners of all ages recover health from illnesses? The central government labeled Falun Gong an evil cult and made it comparable to the cult in Waco, TX who confronted FBI agents and the cult in Japan who attacked people by poisonous gas. It is totally wrong and ridiculous.

As we all know, both cults in Waco, TX and in Japan are powerfully controlled criminal groups, possessed vicious weapons, and harmed the safety and property of people. Therefore, the general public considered them to be "evil". However, Falun Dafa practitioners harm no one and have nothing to harm others either. They do not strike back when being beaten or cursed. They always treat others with kindness and benevolence and strive to be good people in any environment. How can that be "evil"?

Falun Gong assistance centers and practice sites follow the rule of "come and go at will" for any practitioners. How can that be religious? Teacher Li Hongzhi teaches people to cultivate their Xinxing [heart nature and moral conducts/by translator] and improve their moral standards. He helps countless people shake off diseases and regain health. Is that not a blessing? While the crimes reported by the state-controlled media were purely fabricated. A few former practitioners traded favors with hatred and their words and actions totally run counter to facts. We practitioners know our Teacher's conduct well. Teacher Li Hongzhi sets an excellent example with everything he does for millions of practitioners to be good people. All of us have witnessed Teacher Li's righteousness and great benevolence.

I, along with millions of Falun Dafa practitioners, have gone through the cultivation practice to date from theoretical learning to pragmatic practice. We have experienced Falun Dafa's concrete effects of improving physical and spiritual health and moral standards, which is undeniable by any means. Time is the sole criterion to show the truth. I am confident that eventually history will reveal everything and restore the righteous image of Falun Dafa.

Finally, I, as a privileged citizen and in compliance with the Chinese Constitution, propose the following to the Party and the State Council:

1. Withdraw the arrest warrant for Teacher Li Hongzhi, and conduct peaceful dialogue with Teacher Li Hongzhi to solve the Falun Gong issue in a fair manner.
2. Restore the reputation of Falun Dafa.
3. Ensure a just and legal cultivation practice environment for Dafa practitioners.
4. Release all detained, arrested, or imprisoned Falun Dafa practitioners.

Sincerely yours

Falun Dafa practitioner: Cao Jun-Jian
Feb. 27, 2000
(Translated Mar. 17, 2000)