(Minghui.org) It's a quiet world in the early mornings in the city of Taichung. However, a certain group of people are up and about. Chinese tourists have already lined up in front of the Taichung City Hotel, waiting for their bus.
This hotel hosts many Chinese tourist groups around the year. In addition to sightseeing in Taiwan, the tourists also have an opportunity to learn what's going on behind the scenes in the mainland: the persecution of Falun Gong, which is covered up or distorted by Party propaganda.
Falun Gong practitioner Mrs. Lin and other practitioners have maintained a regular presence outside of this hotel for the past several years. The practitioners chat with the tourists and offer them informational materials about Falun Gong. Mrs. Lin had the idea in 2012 to reach out to Chinese tourists at their hotels and has been doing so ever since. More practitioners joined her effort later on.
A Falun Gong practitioner (second from left) distributes truth-clarification materials to Chinese tourists.
A Falun Gong practitioner (wearing a purple shirt) distributes truth-clarification materials to Chinese tourists.
Even though some Chinese tourists dared not take the materials out of fear of getting in trouble with mainland authorities, the majority accepted them and began reading them right away. Some even asked for the materials.
Hotel employees and tour bus drivers also learned about the persecution and have shown kindness to practitioners on several occasions. One driver gave a practitioner a warm breakfast. Another tour guide insisted on giving a practitioner his hotel breakfast ticket. Another Chinese tourist gave a bottle of water to a practitioner.
A tourist from China takes pictures with Falun Gong materials under her arm.
Mrs. Lin found that some tourists were willing to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) if she could clearly explain that it was for their own safety. Most knew that the CCP had committed a lot of crimes, but self-protection and fear of retaliation made them hesitate to take a stance against it. However, self-protection outweighs fear of, or loyalty to, the Party.
For example, an elderly man once refused to listen to Mrs. Lin. He challenged her, “I'm a member of the Nationalist Party [the party that retreated to Taiwan after being defeated by the CCP]. You don't need to tell me anything.” Mrs. Lin answered, “If you are a member of the Nationalist Party, you must have been the target of political struggle during the Cultural Revolution. Is that right?” The man nodded.
Mrs. Lin added, “You must have suffered a lot during the Cultural Revolution!” She went on to say, “The Communist Party doesn't allow people to believe in gods. It makes you lay down your life for the Party's cause. How can it bring peace to anyone? You are a veteran CCP member, I know. How can you get rid of its control after making the vow to devote your life to it if you don't formally renounce your membership?”
Mrs. Lin explained the importance of severing spiritual ties with the Party and that by using a fake name to quit the CCP, it won't cause problems after returning to China. The elderly man then decided to the quit the CCP.
