(Minghui.org) Unlike many people her age who prefer the comfort of their own homes, 78-year-old Ms. Lu enjoys going out – specifically to tourist hotspots like the Gastown Steam Clock or Canada Place. She would insist on going every day regardless of the weather conditions, and would stay for around four or five hours each time.
However, Ms. Lu does not do this for her own indulgence; instead, she goes there to see the Chinese tourists, who frequent those places. Ms. Lu wishes for them to understand the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong in China and to have the courage to denounce Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its crimes against the Chinese people.
She says, “I myself was almost deceived by the CCP's lies, and I wouldn't have known any better if it weren't for the efforts of these dedicated volunteers. Now I wish to return the favor by becoming one as well, and sharing the truth with others who may need it.”
Ms. Lu (right) tells the truth to a Chinese tourist
“God sent you to tell me all this.”
A popular tourist attraction in downtown Vancouver is Canada Place. It's not only a stunning display of the city's modernity, but is also surrounded by beautiful natural scenery.
Ms. Lu at the Five White Sails
Once, Ms. Lu had come across a 40-year-old man there who came from mainland China to do some research, as he wanted to move his company to Canada. Ms. Lu struck up a conversation with him and introduced him to Falun Gong – the spiritual practice that has done her so much good – and about all the crimes and human rights violations that the CCP has committed against Falun Gong.
She then tried to convince him to quit the Party; after all, an organization this sinister cannot escape justice forever, and he should quit for his own good to avoid being implicated.
When he still hesitated, she paused, and then told him about her personal belief that good things come to good people, and that if he takes this righteous action and severs his ties to the CCP, he will prosper even more.
It was then that the man said, “I don't believe in any of that. Blessings are an excuse for the weak, and my business is only prospering because of my own work.”
Seeing how the man valued hard work, Ms. Lu then told him about all the instances in history when the CCP has cheated hard-working people of the fruits of their labor, and then related that to its human rights violations in recent years which denied good, earnest people their most basic rights.
She spoke of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the Falun Gong persecution, and the CCP's brutal organ harvesting operation. The man listened intently, and nodded at times. Before they both knew it, Ms. Lu had been talking for over 50 minutes.
At the end of their conversation, the man finally said, “Thank you very much, ma'am. I understand things a lot better now – please help me quit the CCP!”
Ms. Lu was happy to oblige, and the man had to go soon after that. But before he left, he turned around and said,
“Ma'am, God sent you to tell me all this. I just know it. Falun Dafa has to be good. My mother is the same age as you, but she's so frail that she can hardly move – going outside is out of the question. But you're still out and about, and almost as healthy as I am! It must be some kind of miracle.”
But Ms. Lu told him that this miracle could be replicated; if he would tell his mother to sincerely recite the lines “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” when she feels weak, wonderful things will also happen to her.
The man was overjoyed to hear this and promised to relay the message to his mother. He left Ms. Lu with his heartfelt thanks and well wishes.
“This is the fifth time!”
Not too far from Canada Place is the Gastown Steam Clock, another Vancouver marvel that showcases the versatility of water power. It's another favorite spot of Ms. Lu's, as she can always meet a lot of Chinese tourists there as well. She came across three technology workers from Beijing one day, and introduced herself to them. They were friendly enough until she told them about quitting the CCP.
“Are you guys following us? We're meeting Falun Gong practitioners everywhere we go!” one exclaimed, frustrated, “This is the fifth time!”
“Have you quit the Party then?” asked Ms. Lu.
The three men said no.
Ms. Lu patiently began telling the men about the CCP's corruption, and all the money that they've taken from the Chinese everyman.
“I know it sounds a bit redundant to have all of us tell you the same thing, but on the flip side, it means that you have that many people who care about you and your well-being,” said Ms. Lu. “Please don't miss these opportunities.”
The three men listened well to Ms. Lu's spiel, and got very emphatic when she mentioned the Party's corrupt officials.
“That's already old news to us,” said another one of the men, “Hell will freeze over before the CCP becomes clean.”
After their conversation, Ms. Lu overheard the three of them whispering to each other.
“This old lady is really something, and told us so much,” said the first man, “Let's quit this party today.”
The three of them then turned around, and unanimously asked Ms. Lu to write their names down as three people who want nothing to do with the CCP anymore.
“You must be careful, ma'am.”
Another time, Ms. Lu came across a mother and daughter visiting the steam clock. The mother had come to Canada to visit her daughter and grandchildren, and her daughter had decided to take her sightseeing that day.
Ms. Lu spoke with them about the CCP's persecution of the Chinese people, and how they had killed over 80,000,000 Chinese. When she had gotten to that fact, the mother began to cry.
Ms. Lu paused.
“Ma'am, had I said something offensive?” she asked gingerly.
“No,” replied her daughter. “My mother is crying because she just remembered how severely my grandparents have been persecuted in the past. They were labeled as rightists and tortured brutally – because of this, my grandma became mentally unstable and couldn't look after herself for years. She died just last year. While my grandpa is still alive, he can't bear to talk about the past; he'd start shaking violently, and would then burst into tears.”
Both women thanked Ms. Lu after quitting the CCP, and told her of their wish that the Party will fall soon.
Before they left, the daughter said, “You must be careful, ma'am. We've heard that the Party has a lot of its spies in Vancouver that may try to make things difficult for you.”
The mother and daughter took many Falun Gong materials with them, along with a few copies of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.
Breaking a Contract
One day, at Queen Elizabeth Park, Ms. Lu met with an elderly couple, here to attend their daughter's graduation ceremony. The husband, a bank manager, had held himself with some reserve.
In the beginning, the couple tried to ignore Ms. Lu and would barely talk to her, but moved by her patient words, they were soon chatting like old friends. They asked many questions about the situation in mainland China, which Ms. Lu was more than happy to answer.
After listening to Ms. Lu and learning of the facts, they finally confessed to Ms. Lu that before they had come abroad, they were made to sign a statement that prohibited them from talking with Falun Gong practitioners and other “dissidents.”
But after hearing Ms. Lu's spiel, they both withdrew from the CCP, and asked Ms. Lu to stay safe and look after herself.
Complete Sincerity Can Affect Even Metal and Stone
Auntie Lu has also been a regular at Vancouver's Chinatown, and has been clarifying the truth there for eight years and four months. She recalls that in the beginning, the situation was very difficult – many Chinese people were very hostile to the Falun Gong practitioners.
Some would tear at the posters and banners that Ms. Lu had up, others ripped apart the truth-clarification materials, and some people even spat on the practitioners and berated them as “traitors.”
However, the Falun Gong practitioners remained peaceful and never retaliated, and the situation would gradually improve to the point where disturbances like these were practically nonexistent.
Initially, the Chinese Communist Party had spread the rumor that Falun Gong practitioners were hired by anti-Chinese groups in America and Taiwan. As a result, many tourists in Chinatown would heckle Ms. Lu, asking her how much she made in a day.
One day, a woman came up to Ms. Lu and introduced herself. She was a painter who came to Vancouver looking for work, but couldn't find a job. She's also been running low on money, and is having trouble paying her rent for next month.
The painter told Ms. Lu that she was hoping to find a job here, as she heard that Falun Gong practitioners could make up to one hundred dollars a day distributing truth-clarification materials.
“That's just slander by the CCP,” Ms. Lu explained, “Falun Gong practitioners are here out of the goodness of their own hearts. We simply hope that innocent people like you aren't deceived by the CCP's lies. None of us have taken any money for our troubles.”
Ms. Lu had great compassion for this woman in need. Through her husband, she found a job for the woman at the newspaper company he worked at. The woman was ecstatic when she heard the good news.
She told Ms. Lu, “I won't believe the CCP's lies anymore. I haven’t read the materials you gave me before. I’ll definitely read it when I go home today.”
There was a Chinatown shopkeeper who had a very bad opinion of Falun Gong, and would always roll her eyes when Ms. Lu and the other practitioners came around. However, Ms. Lu would always smile and greet her warmly whenever they made eye contact.
One day, this woman accosted Ms. Lu.
“So, you earn over a hundred dollars every day, don't you? How old are you?” she asked.
Ms. Lu and the shopkeeper began to chat; they realized that they both were the same age, which brought them closer. The shopkeeper told Ms. Lu about her family, and some of the conflicts that her family members have with each other.
When she finally learned that Falun Gong practitioners didn’t receive any money, she became very emotional.
“You work so hard for others, without getting anything in return?” she exclaimed incredulously. “You are really a bunch of amazing people!”
In the end she happily quit the CCP.
These are only two examples, but many more exist, both within Ms. Lu's experiences and without. Chinese people are becoming more and more open to the reality of the CCP, and today many Chinese tourists approach Falun Gong practitioners voluntarily to chat and quit the CCP themselves.
Starting the Practice
It's not often that a 78-year-old woman would work so hard through insults and angry attitudes, all without receiving pay. But Ms. Lu has her reasons.
“If someone hadn't patiently talked to me, I wouldn't know the truth about Falun Gong, and I'd still believe the Party's lies,” she said. “Those who misunderstand the truth about Falun Gong are in danger of being implicated by the CCP. How can I not save them?”
Ms. Lu was born in rural China to very poor parents, and being of a lower caste was no pleasant experience when China was in the middle of class warfare. Her family belonged to the five categories of disgraced people which the CCP ridiculed and castigated constantly.
Her parents were afraid of their children getting into trouble outside, and were very strict as a result. Under their guidance, Ms. Lu gradually developed a habit of being cautious and tried not to make waves or get involved with people that would bring her trouble.
After leaving the countryside, Ms. Lu moved to Beijing because of work. At that time, Falun Gong was vastly popular in Beijing, and everyone was a practitioner. Her neighbors recommended it to her, but she wouldn't take up the practice, not wanting to dabble in things outside of work.
After her retirement in 1992, Ms. Lu looked after her son's computer business and handled his administrative work.
In 1998, she would visit her daughter and son-in-law in Japan, where she was yet again introduced to Falun Gong.
“At that time my daughter had started Falun Gong,” said Ms. Lu. “She told me about its many benefits, and even gave us a copy of Zhuan Falun and the exercise music before we left. She asked me to read the book when I got back to China. But I was too busy with my son's business to even open it.”
When the CCP started persecuting Falun Gong in 1999, they began their libelous campaign which portrayed the peaceful practice as a violent one which promoted self-immolation and aggression towards others. Hearing these lies only made Ms. Lu even more determined not to learn Falun Gong.
Ms. Lu's daughter eventually immigrated to Canada, and she would go visit her daughter in 2001.
“My daughter and her husband had encouraged me to practice Falun Gong, but I wasn’t tempted, as the CCP’s propaganda was still in my mind,” said Ms. Lu. “But one day, one of my daughter's practitioner friends had a conversation with me that really brought me to my senses. She made me think for myself, and ask myself whether I had been brainwashed by the CCP or not.”
“She asked me, 'Have you read Zhuan Falun before?' I answered no, of course,” said Ms. Lu. “She then went on, 'You mainland Chinese believe everything the CCP says – it doesn't matter whether it's true or not. Think about it. When Mao Zedong said ‘Down with Liu Shaoqi’, hadn't all the Chinese people shouted the same thing with him?'”
“She then continued, 'Taiwanese people aren’t like that. We’d think about whether what was said is right – if it isn't, we won’t follow it.' Then she talked about how she obtained the Fa and her cultivation experience,” recalled Ms. Lu.
Ms. Lu felt her mind open up, and it was the first time that she realized that she could doubt things that the CCP had said. She decided to judge whether Falun Gong was truly good or not by herself, and decided to start by reading Zhuan Falun.
After reading Zhuan Falun, Ms. Lu felt like a completely different person.
“My notions had changed completely,” she said. “I thought, 'Wow, Falun Gong is so great!'”
She remembers this passage as one that really stood out to her on that first read:
“Some people say, "I’ll make some more money and make sure my family’s set for life. Then I won’t have anything to worry about and I’ll go on to cultivate." I’d say you’re dreaming. You can’t interfere with other people’s lives, you can’t control their fates, be it your wife’s, your kid’s, your parents’, or your sibling’s. Is that something you decide?” (Zhuan Falun)
As she read this, tears began to run down her face.
“Everything is just as Master said. I helped my son run the business for many years, and we’ve made some profit. But maybe he just wasn't destined for more, as he eventually got cheated out of all his money,” said Ms. Lu.
Since then, Ms. Lu has decided to cultivate Falun Gong and has never regretted her decision.
Sharing the Joys of Cultivation
Ms. Lu felt great changes after she began cultivation in earnest – she became healthier and happier. Before she had spondylitis and cardiac insufficiency; she often felt dizzy and needed to take a break after walking for a while.
But all her symptoms are gone now and she can walk easily. And she looks every bit as healthy as she feels. Though Ms. Lu is nearly 80 years old, people would often mistake her for someone in their sixties.
Out of politeness, she normally called young or middle-aged people “young man” or “child” when she clarified the truth. However, some middle-aged people didn't like that so much.
“What did you say? I’m over 40 years old – I'm not young! How old are you?” said a man once.
“I’m 78,” replied Ms. Lu.
“What? You can’t be more than 60 years old!”
There was even one woman who used Ms. Lu's age to attack her.
“You practice Falun Gong, so you'd lie. You're probably lying about your age too,” she said.
Ms. Lu had no words for the woman. She quietly took out her bus pass that had her actual date of birth. The woman was stunned – she listened to Ms. Lu's every word after that.
Ms. Lu also likes to stay active as a member of the Falun Dafa waist drum team. In the past nine years, she has attended many parades and other activities. It's quite a physically taxing exercise, and Ms. Lu claims that without her cultivation practice, waist drumming would be an impossible feat for her.
Ms. Lu performs in the waist drum team.
Ms. Lu says that cultivation has also helped her become a better person.
“I take personal interest lightly after cultivating. Though my children helped [my husband and I] immigrate here, I try to reduce their burden and be independent,” she said.
A few years ago, Ms. Lu even worked for a printing company. She was a diligent employee and would do anything within her role, from heavy work to tasks requiring more agility.
Whenever she would encounter any tribulations, Ms. Lu would try her hardest to accommodate others. Cultivation gave her a big heart, so she was slow to anger and always tried her best to resolve problems in a peaceful way.
To this day, Ms. Lu is still very grateful to the Taiwanese practitioner that told her the truth, as without her, Ms. Lu may not have ever started cultivating herself, and would miss this golden opportunity.
Her mission now is to reach out to those Chinese who are still deceived by the CCP’s lies – to let them know the facts, to enable them to think independently, and to free them from the CCP's crimes when their punishment inevitably arrives.
