(Minghui.org) I was born in Shanghai in the early 1990s. Because I believed the lies and propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) media, I misunderstood Falun Gong. I gradually became aware of the extent of the Party's persecution of Falun Gong, and started practicing in 2013.
I would like to share my story that started with misunderstanding Falun Gong, and let to my eventually becoming a practitioner.
I grew up in Shanghai, and lived in an environment that the CCP had trumped up as peaceful and prosperous. I had been misled, so I thought that life was good and society was harmonious.
I was nine years old when the CCP started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999. None of my family, friends or acquaintances practiced Falun Gong, so everything we knew about the practice came from the propaganda broadcast through CCP media.
The self-immolation hoax on Tiananmen Square in 2001 had a huge negative impact on many people in China. It made us believe the propaganda promulgated by the CCP about Falun Gong. The propaganda taught in schools about Falun Gong misled me even further, and I developed hatred toward the practice.
I started working for a foreign-owned company when I was 19. I overheard my colleagues talking about a special website called Dongtaiwang, which posts news that is totally different from what is posted by media outlets in China. While at work we could visit this site directly, because foreign-held companies in China are not restricted by China's Internet firewall.
I browsed the website out of curiosity after work one day, and noticed many news reports related to Falun Gong. I did not take the reports seriously because I thought it was a political motivated site.
In 2012 a good friend who had just started practicing told me, “Falun Gong is good. The reports in China's media are not correct.” He also talked to me about quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations. He advised me to quit to gain a safer future. Although I did not take his words seriously, I agreed to quit the Party because I believed he was acting in my best interests.
I gradually became more curious about Falun Gong, and installed software on my computer at home to get around the Internet firewall. I wanted to read Falun Gong news on websites based outside of China. I was impressed with the sincere experience sharing articles from Falun Gong practitioners, which are nothing like how news reports in China portray Falun Gong. I also read the commendations, awards, and resolutions that Falun Gong and its founder have received, as well as stories of the miraculous effects the practice has had in curing severe illnesses and upgrading people's moral standards. I also looked at the photos of huge group exercise practice sites around the world. My attitude about the practice underwent a big change.
My friend gave me the publication Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, which helped me to understand the evil nature of the CCP. However, I still harbored some doubts about Falun Gong, because the self-immolation hoax had been imprinted in my mind.
He gave me the False Fire video to watch. The step-by-step analysis of the CCP news report, and detailed evidence showing that the self-immolation was staged, completely eliminated my misunderstandings. I was shocked, and couldn't understand why the Party would want to frame Falun Gong.
I went to my friend's home to find out what Falun Gong truly is in September 2013. He was happy to hear that I wanted to watch the Fa lectures on video. We watched one of Master Li's lectures in Guangzhou.
I was drawn by Master Li's teachings, and believed that the principles taught were profound, with the language being simple to understand. I had planned to leave earlier, but decided to stay and watch all of the first lecture. Before leaving, I copied all the videos of Master Li's teaching in Guangzhou, and the electronic version of the book Zhuan Falun.
I turned on my computer after I got home, and watched Master Li's teachings until 2:00 a.m. I finished watching all the videos within a week. I was convinced by the Fa principles, especially those about upgrading ones moral character, the transformation of virtue and karma, and the relationship between loss and gain. I came to understand the answers to many questions that I had about the origin of life, the mysteries of the universe, and the meaning of life. I believed that I had found what I had been waiting for all my life. I wanted to practice Falun Gong.
After I started working at the company, I had started to drink and smoke. My parents advised me not to do it too much, but I said, “My supervisors drink and smoke. If I don't, I might be treated unfavorably.” I became more social with them, drinking more frequently, often until I was drunk. I returned home once after drinking too much, and vomited in my sleep. I didn't know I had thrown up, but my mother came into my room and cleaned the mess up. She told me about it the next morning.
When I smoked too much I would start having long coughing fits because I previously suffered from asthma. Sometimes the coughing lasted a week. I tried to quit smoking because of my cough, but my determination was weak, so I would resume smoking after a few days.
After I started practicing Falun Gong, I had a feeling that a strong energy force restrained me from thinking about smoking and drinking, even though I hadn't decided to get rid of my bad habits. I even started disliking the smell of cigarettes, and felt queasy when I smelled them. It was marvelous. I was suddenly freed from my addictions to drinking and smoking.
I was also hot tempered before I started practicing. I played computer games with my friends until late into the night, and I got angry if things didn't go my way. My behavior sometimes strained our relationships. We often played games at my house until midnight, and our loud voices disturbed my parents' sleep. But after practicing Falun Gong I decided to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and stopped playing the games.
I called an old friend one day. He was surprised to hear from me, and asked why my manner of speaking had changed, as I had become more respectful of others, and polite.
I have become very healthy since I began practicing. My parents thought that the changes in me were incredible. I truly appreciate Master Li's compassionate salvation.