(Minghui.org) How many people died in the flames at the Laide Shopping Center in Ji County, Tianjin, on June 30, last year? It is still a mystery for most people. No one believes the death toll from the official reports. The fire started on the bottom floor and reached the top floor. Everything was burned. Today the shell of the building still stands, and at night people who pass by it are still scared, thinking of those who burned to death in the building. However, there were some survivors. How did they escape this catastrophe? I'll tell you a few true stories.
Village Officials Who Promoted Dafa and Protected Dafa Practitioners Brought Luck to the Whole Village
There is a village not far from the Ji County town. The village officials were very supportive of Falun Dafa before the persecution. They bought TVs, VCRs, and tape recorders for practitioners to help promote Dafa. They also provided a venue for practitioners to study the Fa and do the exercises. They used loudspeakers to broadcast where the villagers could learn Falun Gong. There were two big practice sites in the village at that time. People from around village all came to do the exercises. The villagers were nice, honest people. They helped each other with mutual respect and lived in harmony.
Since the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong started in 1999, Dafa practitioners have been persistently clarifying the truth about the practice. Most people in the village understand. The truth-clarification materials and posters were kept up on display for a long, time since few people tore them up.
However, during the worst of the persecution, the village officials who had just gotten into power believed the CCP's propaganda. They monitored practitioners and experienced retribution. But practitioners forgave them for their wrongdoings and clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to them. Last year the village officials were to be reelected. In order to win votes, some candidates offer nearly a thousand yuan for each vote. That's a lot for a farmer, especially one with a big family. They could get several thousand yuan effortlessly. Dafa practitioners persuaded their families not to take these ill-gotten gains. They told candidates that whoever knew the truth about Falun Dafa and supported Dafa would be voted for, that they didn't want a penny from them. The candidates were very moved and immediately promised to support Dafa and protect Dafa practitioners. The candidates who understood the truth about Falun Dafa were blessed and were elected to become village officials. They honored their promises and resist the CCP's "Pledge Card" [not to practice Dafa] and display boards that slander Dafa. It has brought good fortune for the village.
About ten of the villagers worked at the Laide Shopping Center, but for various reasons they were not at work on the afternoon the fire broke out. They all said that their village was blessed by Dafa and that gods and Buddhas protected them.
One Person Practices Falun Dafa, the Whole Family Benefits
The daughter-in-law of a Falun Dafa practitioner took her ten-year-old daughter to the Laide Shopping Center to shop that Saturday. When the fire started, they were on the third floor. Suddenly the lights went out and the heavy smoke made it hard for people to breathe. Everyone was in a panic. The mother dragged her daughter to go upstairs. Suddenly the little girl pulled her mother back and said, "Mama, please follow me. There is a light in front of us.” The girl took her mother by the hand and followed the light. They soon found the entrance and got out. The grandmother told her granddaughter, “A Falun guided you out. You must thank Master.”
On June 30, a child of a Falun Dafa practitioner was called by her classmate to go the Laide Shopping Center to exchange a pair of shoes. On the way there, they forgot their errand, turned around, and found another place to play.
When the building was on fire, a relative of a Falun Dafa practitioner was on the fifth floor. After she escaped, she recalled that she did not know who pushed her out to safety. Her relative told her that it was Master that saved her.
Saving Life by Quitting the CCP and Its Affiliated Organization
A staff member at the Laide Shopping Center who knew the truth about Falun Dafa and quit the CCP also escaped. In a panic she suddenly remembered an exit on the fifth floor. She took more than a dozen people with her and got them all out safely.
Another villager was called back by her family member for something while on her way to the Laide Shopping Center. She understood the truth about Falun Dafa and had quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations some time ago.
A woman who lives in a village near the county town was working at the shopping center when the fire broke out. She understood the truth of Falun Dafa and had quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. She escaped without injury.
There was a neighbor of a Falun Dafa practitioner who did not believe the truth about Dafa despite a practitioner's efforts over the years. The day after the catastrophe, she called the practitioner and cried. She told the practitioner that her niece had died in the fire. The practitioner clarified the truth about Falun Dafa again to her and asked her to remember “Falun Dafa is good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” The practitioner also told her that quitting the CCP saves one's life. She believed it this time and quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations with tears in her eyes.
As far as we know, none of Dafa practitioners and their families or those who understood the truth of Dafa and had quit CCP were hurt in the fire. Currently, there are endless natural and manmade calamities, and the new bird flu is a threat. Falun Dafa practitioners ask you sincerely to remember: "Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, and quitting the CCP saves one's life."
Obsessed with the CCP, Died from Drinking Poison after Shouting for Seven Days
Wang Xulong lived in Dabaoanzhen Village in Ji County, Tianjin City. He was obsessed with the CCP. A Falun Dafa practitioner clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to him and encouraged him to quit the CCP. Wang not only did not listen, he went against the practitioners wishes and would shout, “Long live the CCP!” The practitioner asked him to stop and told him that this would not do him any good. But he then raised his arms and shouted louder. After that he would shout, “Long live the CCP” every morning. Seven days later, he died from drinking poison.
It seems that the CCP is highly toxic. We ask people who have not quit to quickly withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Please read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party to remove the toxins and seek a better future.
