(Minghui.org) I went to the group exercise site on the morning of Sunday, April 25, 1999, in front of the National Oceanic Bureau building as usual. To my surprise there were very few people there. Usually many people would be practicing the exercises together at this practice site. Someone told me that many of the practitioners had gone to the Zhongnanhai Central Government Compound.
I had practiced Falun Gong for only a short time, so I went home first, but kept thinking about the fellow practitioners with whom I studied the Fa. I couldn’t get in touch with them (communication was not as convenient as today), so I decided to go to Zhongnanhai to look for them.
I rode to Zhongnanhai and rode around there. I saw many practitioners north of Wenjin Street and west of Fuyou Street. Everyone was calm and orderly, standing on the sidewalk to avoid blocking traffic. After riding around, I didn’t find the practitioners I was looking for, so I returned home.
Delivering Cotton-Padded Mats and Deciding to Stay
In the afternoon, someone brought me a message from local fellow practitioners. They were all fine and were still waiting, appealing against the regime's recent unjust acts. They had been sitting on the sidewalk the entire day and hoped that I would bring some cotton-padded mats to them. I hurried to collect some of the mats that we used for practice every day and headed out.
Now that I had the exact address, I soon found them on the west sidewalk of Fuyou Street. Everyone was sitting on the cold pavement with only newspaper or plastic sheets. Some were exchanging their cultivation experiences, and some were reading Zhuan Falun. I hurriedly distributed the mats to them. The number of mats I brought was far enough however. Everyone was considerate of others, and young practitioners gave the mats to the elderly, and the elderly passed the mats to practitioners from other cities.
I heard that many of the practitioners there were from Liaoning and Hebei Provinces, and came by train the previous night. Everyone was warmhearted and shared together like a family. I originally planned to just deliver the mats and return home, but moved by the scene, I decided to stay, as I wanted to be with them.
Being Considerate of Others While Waiting to Make Phone Calls Home
As evening approached, I became concerned about my family, as I hadn't told them where I was going before leaving for Zhongnanhai. At that time few people had cell phones, so I had to look for a public phone. I walked along the road to the west and finally found a telephone booth over 100 meters away.
In front of the telephone booth were more than ten people standing in line. I remarked casually, “Wow, why is the line so long?” The practitioner in front of me said, “If you are in a hurry, you may go ahead of me in line.” The practitioner in front of that practitioner added, “Please stand ahead of me.” Practitioners standing further in front all asked me to move to the front.
I was very moved by their selflessness and kindness. I knew that they were also waiting to let their families know they were safe. I thanked all of them and chose to remain at the end of the line.
More practitioners came to the telephone booth later, one after another. Some said the same thing I did. I and the practitioners before me all kindly replied, “If you are in a hurry, please stand in front of me,” but no one jumped to the front of the line. Everyone stood in line, politely waiting their turn. The practitioners talking on the phone all kept their conversations short. They were mindful of the other practitioners waiting in line.
This experience seemed very simple, but I felt it purified my spirit and raised it to a higher level. It is the mighty virtue of Dafa. Dafa brought people who were not acquainted with each other together and made us feel like a family.
Cleaning Up the Area Before Leaving
After I called my family, I joined the local fellow practitioners on the sidewalk. As evening approached, word continuously came from the north, “Our representatives have been allowed inside.” “Premier Zhu Rongji is speaking with our representatives now.” “Premier Zhu Rongji has made three responses.” “We can go home now.”
As we were about to leave, I saw some practitioners cleaning up any remaining trash, so I followed along. I picked up the newspapers, food wrappers, and beverage bottles, and put them into a plastic bag and placed it in the litter bin. No one ordered or requested us to do so, but everyone was voluntarily cleaning up the trash. The litter bins were soon full. Practitioners then put the garbage bags around the litter bin orderly and cleanly.
I walked with the flow of practitioners, towards the south along Fuyou Street. No one ordered people about, and no one needed to maintain the order. Practitioners left peacefully and in an orderly manner. We walked slowly along the sidewalk to the south.
Behind us was a completely clean street, clean as though it had just been swept. Words can't express my feeling at that time. Being a member of this group, I felt infinitely exultant and proud. I told myself determinedly, “I will practice Falun Dafa unwaveringly regardless of any hardship, difficulties, or challenges I encounter.”
