(Minghui.org) I had been practicing for just over a year when the Chinese regime began persecuting Falun Gong in July 1999. Nonetheless, because I had benefited so much, I knew I must speak up for justice for this wonderful practice. So in September 1999 and December 2000 I went to Beijing twice to appeal against their senseless crackdown.
Instead of listening to us, authorities at the Appeals Office called in police to arrest us. Most of the officers that my fellow practitioners and I encountered were cold-hearted and cruel at the beginning. They treated us as criminals and roughed us up. However we responded to their violence with understanding and kindness. We patiently explained to them how the government fabricated false accusations against Falun Gong and how they were being used as tools to carry out the wrong policy.
One after another, the police officers turned from heartless robots who just knew to carry out orders to real people who had feelings and were sympathetic towards Falun Gong practitioners.
This total change in the police officers was a testament to Master's immense compassion and Dafa's boundless might. Here I would like to share with everyone a few encounters with police that I personally experienced.
Police Chief: “You Must Visit Me when You Come to Beijing Again.”
There were many other practitioners from all over the country appealing in Beijing when I got there in September 1999. In order to save money, we stayed in groups and slept in the local parks.
My group of practitioners was discovered by patrolling police one night. One of them was a young man and he summoned me to a picnic table for a talk. Instead of answering his questions about my hometown, I told him that I had come to Beijing to tell the government about the benefits of Falun Gong.
His response surprised me, “You know there were unscrupulous ministers in every dynasty throughout history. I know that Falun Gong is very good, but many officials today insist that it's no good. Sooner or later Falun Gong will be redressed. Don't ever come to Beijing again to appeal. It's no use and you'll only get arrested.”
Shortly thereafter, seven or eight Domestic Security Office agents escorting more than a dozen other practitioners walked toward us.
We were all rounded up and driven to Yuyuantan Police Station where the police took turns interrogating and body-searching each of us in the courtyard. After finding out a practitioner's hometown, the police then called that town's Liaison Office in Beijing, for the practitioner's local police to come get him or her.
I had a copy of Zhuan Falun in my backpack, and I thought to myself I must do everything I could to protect this precious book so I held the bag tightly in front of my chest.
When it was my turn, the police chief demanded I give him my backpack. I firmly refused and he was outraged. I was not moved by his anger and only held my bag even tighter. He rolled up his sleeves to try to get the bag from me. I said to him sincerely, “I have no fear nor will I hate you no matter how you treat me. But I must not be separated from my Zhuan Falun.”
Realizing that by himself he was unable to pry open my arms, he called over his deputy chief to help.
All the officers came out to watch the chief, tall and lean, and his deputy chief, short and stout, tussling with me, a slight and small woman.
One moment they pushed me against the wall and another moment they knocked me down to the ground. They became exhausted and their subordinates kept laughing at the farce.
While everyone was watching attentively, my fellow practitioners quietly slipped out of the door. Not even a single officer noticed their escape.
In the end, the two chiefs ripped my sleeves and the backpack's straps. I was heartbroken at the loss of my book and tears ran down my face. I thought, “Master, I can't even protect the book. I'm so sorry!”
The two chiefs let out a big sigh and went back to their offices. Only then did the officers realize that all other practitioners had run away. Nobody bothered to detain me anymore but I was determined to get my book back. When I went after the officers for my book, one young man smiled at me, “Don't chase us. Go after whoever snatched your book away.”
When I finally found the police chief's office, he was sitting at his desk. I said to him calmly yet firmly, “Please give me back my book; otherwise I'll follow you wherever you go.”
He cracked a smile, “Why are you so stubborn? Tell me what good Falun Gong is. Can you recite any part of the book?”
I looked into his eyes and recited Lunyu without any mistake. Next I shared with him my understanding of Dafa's benefits and Dafa's extraordinariness. I didn't even know how long I talked, but I knew I was talking from the bottom of my heart. In the end I advised the chief to read Zhuan Falun himself so he could also benefit.
The chief had been quietly listening to me but he suddenly stood up and gave me a pat on the shoulder, saying, “You're already qualified! You're even better than those who've practiced for longer periods of time. Do you know that people from the Political and Legal Committee had just taken your book away? Let's do this. I have a copy of the book and will get it for you now.”
He indeed came back with a package wrapped in newspaper. A few officers saw him and said to me, “Don't believe him. How can he have any book? He's fooling you.”
He closed the door and gave the package to me. When I opened it up, it was a copy of Zhuan Falun with a beautiful bookmark in it. He took the book and said to me with a smile, “This book belonged to another practitioner and I kept it for myself to read. Take it. You must cherish it and since it is more precious than all other books combined.”
I looked in surprise as he gently put the book in my backpack.
Then some officers came to report that my hometown's Liaison Office in Beijing was no longer in existence. As I found out later, the Liaison Office had never been removed and it was the chief's trick to get me released.
The chief held my hands and bid farewell to me, “You must visit me when you come to Beijing again. If you need books, I can also help.”
He asked his deputy chief to walk me out of the police station. Interestingly, the ferocious deputy chief from the book snatching incident had changed. Instead, he smiled and chatted with me as if we were old friends. He asked many questions about Falun Gong and I patiently answered each one. When I suggested he also try the practice, he asked with uncertainty, “Do you think your Master will take a person like me?” I assured him that as long as he had a heart to be good, our Master would for sure take him.
Before we parted ways, he held my hands tightly and said, “You are truly a good person.” He warned me repeatedly to pay attention to safety and advised me on how to avoid arrest.
Police Sergeant: “Please Be My Witness.”
One morning in late 2000, about ten of us practitioners from Shandong Province arrived in Tiananmen Square to pass out flyers and unfurl a banner which read, “Falun Dafa is good.” There were also numerous other practitioners there that day. We kept shouting out, “Falun Dafa is good” and our voice reverberated over the Square.
Several police vehicles rushed in and plainclothes police swarmed us. We were driven to a place where big buses were parked. We learned that more than one hundred buses were dispatched that day to transfer practitioners to various detention facilities.
When I got on the bus, I saw many officers pushing and beating practitioners. As I walked to the back after the bus started, I noticed a male practitioner from the same city as I had been savagely beaten. The flesh on his head was broken and blood ran down his face. Despite the fact that he was held down by an officer, he still managed to cry out, “Falun Dafa is good” in a weak voice.
I was moved to tears and yelled to the perpetrator, “No beatings! Falun Dafa is good!” Even before I finished, a shadow charged at me and showered me with fists. I was dumbfounded but felt that the last trace of fear was beaten out of me. I knew I must remain unmoved. When I pulled myself together, I saw a very tall officer looking down at me with hatred written on his face.
He said, “Don't you dare to shout again!” I felt sorry for him and kept shouting “Falun Dafa is good.” He slapped me on the face and looked me in the eyes yelling again, “Don't you dare to shout again!”
I forgot about my burning face and head and couldn't help but shed tears for him. I felt my heart filled with compassion. I said to him with a quivering yet firm voice, “No matter how you treat me, I will not hate you. I know that you are deceived so I must tell you that Falun Dafa is good. Do not persecute Dafa practitioners.”
While I was talking, I was not angry, but only felt deep care and sympathy for him. He stared at me as if he was searching for the slightest hatred in me. When he only saw kindness, the look on his face suddenly changed. His hand that was in mid-air and ready to slap me slowly dropped down and he became silent and moved to the side.
Then I noticed other officers were still beating practitioners, so I said loudly to them, “Falun Gong is being framed by Jiang Zemin. Do you know that Jiang is reincarnated from a toad? Don't ever fall to be his victims.”
Laughter suddenly erupted in the bus and the tense atmosphere loosened up. A police sergeant even took out a cigarette to smoke. The officers stopped beating us and began to chat about Jiang's scandals.
The bus stopped at a detention center where agents from various police stations were asked to pick practitioners to be detained at their places. It turned out there were too many practitioners to be held at the detention center so different police stations were ordered to take in the extras.
Along with three other practitioners, I was taken to the police station where the tall man who beat me and the police sergeant who smoked on the bus both worked.
After arriving at the police station, the police sergeant summoned me for a talk. When he asked me what benefits Falun Gong had, I shared my understanding with him and advised him to stop smoking.
He was very frank with me and admitted Falun Gong was being wronged. He said, “Do you know that I've set free about 500 practitioners. When the time comes to prosecute the perpetrators, please be my witness...”
To my surprise, he suddenly walked out of his office without finishing his words.
I had a quick thought it was an opportunity for me to get out, since the office was very close to the police station exit and there was no guard there.
I however, hesitated and ended up staying put in the office.
After a long time, the police sergeant returned. He sighed, “You're still here!” Yet he couldn't say anything explicitly to me so he left again. Now looking back, I knew he was giving me an opportunity for me to escape.
Junior Officer on Duty: “Come to Me if You ever Need a Job in Beijing.”
Though I failed to take the opportunity to free myself, I kept telling every officer I encountered about the facts of Falun Gong. From police chief to junior officers, I never missed anyone during my detention at the police station that night.
The next day the above-mentioned detention center informed all involved police stations to send back their detained practitioners. One young officer on duty said to me, “Come to me if you ever need a job in Beijing.”
The police chief and deputy chief drove me to the detention center to get paperwork processed. To my surprise, they didn't leave me there but instead drove me to the rail station. They showed me a detention warrant and ripped it into pieces right in front of me. They said, “Go home. We wish you a safe trip back home.”
When my fellow practitioners saw me back home, they were all amazed. Inspired by my experiences, many of them stepped forward to appeal for Dafa in Beijing.
