(Clearwisdom.net)
Xiao Wang is a 27 year-old man with a Fine Arts degree in sculpture. He used to work as a sculptor at a government-operated sculpture studio in Beijing, where large-scale projects were produced for installation around the country. When the facility closed, Xiao Wang became unemployed. He returned to his hometown to become a retailer and had a very difficult time. Later he was dragged into an underground "Debt Collection Corporation." He ended up as a member of a gang, which extorted people's money and property. Eventually he, along with some others, robbed a person who owed them property, and was detained by the police. When the police were about to lock him up in the same cell where I was being detained, they told him, "Learn from these Falun Gong practitioners how to become a better human being."
After Xiao Wang entered our cell, we treated him with compassion, although his attitude was very cold. We continually clarified the truth to him and introduced him to the concepts of Falun Dafa. We helped him in his everyday life and he gradually changed his attitude. He became less negative towards Dafa and began to listen with interest to what we were saying. When we read aloud from Zhuan Falun, he gradually became more comfortable with it and began to listen more attentively. Over time, the situation evolved from us reading and him listening, to him reading and us listening. In the end, he learned the 5 sets of exercises from us.
After several days, we asked him how he felt and he seemed very excited. He said, "I didn't know there were still such good people in the world until I met you. Falun Dafa is so good. Previously I didn't know much about Falun Gong. I had heard from others that Falun Gong is good and that it teaches people to be good, but I didn't believe it very much. Later, when they began criticizing Falun Gong on TV, I didn't believe that Falun Gong was good at all, and I even came to hate Falun Gong a little bit. One morning when I saw a person posting Falun Gong banners, I almost called the police. Now I see that Falun Gong is so good. Falun Gong practitioners are all good people. Previously, I didn't want to be a bad person. In the eyes of others, I was a talented and honest young man before I lost my job. However, the hardships of reality forced me to take a turn down the wrong road. Several years ago, I lost my job when my workplace closed and I had no choice but to try to have my own small business in order to make a living. I tried to find a spot to sell in a night market. I rode my bike through many streets and market areas, but could not find a place. The other vendors either drove me away or beat me up if I tried to establish myself in "their" area. This went on for several nights. I hated it but didn't know what I could do. One night, as I was being forced away by the other vendors, several young men offered to help me get a place. I knew that they weren't good men, but I had no other way, so I agreed. After my discussion with these young men, none of the retailers dared to ask me to leave, so I finally got a spot. I then had my stall and for some time made a living selling audiotapes. Over time, however, I gave in to the intimidation and other persuasive techniques used by the gang of young men and I agreed to join their "Debt Getting Corporation." This is a euphemism for what it really is - an underground gang that used violence and threats to collect debts owed to others. They paid themselves a big commission from the monies collected. If we came across anyone who wouldn't pay what they owed, we would beat him, rob him and vandalize his property. In the beginning, my conscience was tortured. Later on, the cruelty of reality and simple human greed led me to fall deeper into the trap. I began to feel apathetic about life, so I would eat, drink, gamble and meet prostitutes when I had the money. Seeing what was happening, my mother knelt down in front of me and begged me to leave the gang and become a good person again. I didn't promise her to change because the world I was immersed in led me to disbelieve that there were still good people in society. I didn't see any hope of changing my ways and becoming a good person. This hurt my mother's heart, and she stopped recognizing me as her son. My girlfriend left me because of this, too. She wouldn't even allow me to enter her home. I felt that I had been abandoned by society and by my family. Sometimes I felt extremely hurt and wanted to struggle out of the mess I was in, but I failed, unable to change myself. I could have never imagined that I would get such good luck from a disaster. In jail, I've been able to meet good and noble people like yourselves. I have been able to learn Falun Dafa. These days I am able to understand so many things. I know the real purpose of my life and I have found the true righteous way. Finally, I can leave the gang and the sea of bitterness behind. I am really lucky."
Xiao Wang stayed in our cell for 8 days and read Zhuan Falun 4 or 5 times. He also learned the 5 sets of exercises quite well. Over those few days, we really saw how he changed from the internal to the external. On the 9th day he was sent to the "light detention cell" to do some generic work for the police. From there, he could freely go out into the yard. Every morning he insisted on practicing Falun Dafa and would come to our cell to talk to us whenever he had the chance. He used his freedom to help the visiting relatives of practitioners to pass Master's new articles to practitioners. Every day he also acted as a communicator between practitioners in different cells to pass materials and experiences.
On the night before leaving the detention center, Xiao Wang came to our window again to speak to us for a long time. He said that the 15 days of detention had changed his life and had thoroughly remolded him. He said that after going back into society, he would break with those people from the gang and never again do those grossly unjust things. He would begin to make a living with his own work. He said that he would not only practice Falun Dafa but would ask his relatives and friends to practice too. He hoped that his relatives could all learn Dafa. His girlfriend went to college here and he could tell her classmates about the truth of Falun Dafa and clear Falun Dafa's name and ask them to no longer be deceived. He also wanted to tell them that there were still real good people in this world!
Upon saying good-bye, Xiao Wang sent a poem to us: "Becoming Fortunate In Adversity".
Becoming Fortunate In Adversity
I have run in a maze since I was born,
Pursuing fame and money, I have fought hard,
One occasion, I met some who cultivate Virtue,
I have become fortunate in adversity, and I have been saved.
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Writer's notes: I have had the experience of being illegally detained several times for going to appeal in Beijing. Prior to my stay in this detention center, several hundred practitioners had already been detained there. Since practitioners insisted on clarifying the truth and exposing evil, the environment in this detention center was relatively good compared to other detention centers. Previously they had held brainwashing classes and didn't allow us to practice. The brainwashing class had to be dropped half way through and police pretended not to see when practitioners were studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. Some police, who understood the truth, often asked the ordinary people who were detained to learn from us. We didn't give in to the persecution by the evil, but even in this kind of environment, people were saved. Some ordinary people derived great benefits from their adversity and were able to learn the truth. Some were able to rid themselves of their misunderstandings of Dafa. Some changed their negative attitudes towards Dafa. Some became good people and chose to do good things from then on. Some started practicing Falun Dafa under the benevolence and inspiration of the boundless power of Dafa. Over the process of my several detentions, I met more than 10 people like this. Xiao Wang was only one of them.