August 20, 2005

Wenli Zheng of Cooperstown demonstrates one of the meditative exercises used by those who practice Falun Gong, a spiritual practice with many Chinese adherents.

Wenli Zheng, a software engineer who lives in Cooperstown, is trying to get his parents out of a Chinese detention center.

His father, Ruihuan Zheng, and mother, Yinglan Liu, were arrested July 8 in Shandong Province, China, because they practice Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that emphasizes truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, said Wenli, 36.

"I am very worried about them, because they are old and many people have been killed by the communists for practicing Falun Gong," he said Friday.

The Falun Gong movement became popular in China in the 1990s.

Adherents learn to clear their minds and focus on what is truly important through meditative exercises, he said.

Introduced by Li Hongzhi in 1992, the spiritual practice consists of five exercises and the study of Li's teachings.

The Chinese government outlawed Fulan Gong in 1999, concerned that the practice had become so widespread.

"You have to understand that in China, the communist government controls people's minds," he said. "They control all the media, and they are very upset when there is something they cannot control."

For example, in 1989, when Chinese students were killed in a student revolt, the Chinese government and its media denied the killings, he said.

"It was only after I came here in 1994 that I learned the truth about that and saw the pictures of the tanks on Tiananmen Square," he said.

In recent years, China has continued to crack down on those who practice Falun Gong. Wenli said his parents were arrested weeks ago because they failed to renounce the practice.

"They've found that it improves their health and they want to continue with the exercises," he said.

He has not had contact with them since their arrest.

On Aug. 3, Wenli asked the Otsego County Board of Representatives for help in freeing his parents.

Laura Child, clerk of the board, said Friday that the board has sent letters to New York's two Democratic senators, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, and Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-New Hartford, asking that they intercede on Wenli's parents' behalf.

Jeanne Donalty, district director on Boehert's staff, said Friday that the congressman has sent a letter seeking the prisoners' release to officials in Shandong Province.

Members of Clinton's and Schumer's staffs were unable to track the status of the county board's request Friday afternoon, but said they would do so soon.

Wenli, who moved to Cooperstown last month so that his wife, Jing Luan, could accept a residency at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, said he is thankful for all the help he has received.

Life in the United States is much better than what he has seen in China, he said.

"Here, you can believe what you want to believe," he said.

http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2005/08/20/wen3.html