(Minghui.org) As the oldest Chinese community outside Asia, San Francisco's Chinatown attracts many local residents and tourists. When the Moon Festival celebration was held on September 19 and 20, Falun Gong practitioners joined the festivities, telling people the health benefits they had received from the practice and how it continues to face persecution by the communist regime in China.

Falun Gong practitioners attended the Moon Festival celebration in San Francisco Chinatown on September 19 and 20.

Many Chinese came up to the booth asking for updated information. “I know Falun Gong has been persecuted in China. Do you have recent news?”

A mother with her daughter from Guangdong Province stopped to listen as one practitioner explained Falun Gong to a couple. After the couple decided to quit the Chinese Communist Party and left, the mother asked the practitioner a question: she agreed with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, but why does one need to renounce their membership in the Party?

The practitioner told her of the detention and torture she had experienced back in China for her belief, and how many practitioners lost their lives because of torture by police and were even killed for their organs. “When we joined the Party and its youth organizations (the Communist Youth League and the Young Pioneers), we vowed to devote our lives to the Party. The Party has harmed so many innocent people.”

Upon hearing that more than 200 million people have chosen to separate themselves from the regime, the mother and the daughter also decided to the same.

One practitioner explains to a couple why practitioners are persuading people to sever their ties with the Chinese communist regime.

One elderly woman said she had been hearing about Falun Gong for many years and wants to learn the exercises. One practitioner referred her to a nearby group exercise location, she left happily.

A man from Hong Kong greeted practitioners excitedly, “I've seen marches by your group in Hong Kong. It looked great and gave you energy!”