(Minghui.org) During the early years after the onset of the persecution of Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa) by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in July 1999, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners were detained for our faith, myself included.
Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, teaches us to be good people no matter where we are. While being incarcerated, we remained peaceful, kind, and optimistic. We always put others first and tried our best to help those in need. We evaluated our words and deeds according to Dafa teachings, and strictly followed the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
Even though we were illegally detained and persecuted, we helped other detainees whenever we could. Detention centers in China do not provide comforters and other living necessities for detainees. We gave ours to those who did not bring their own. We also shared food that our families brought us.
The detainees’ behaviors varied: some cried constantly, some used excessive foul language. We talked with them and helped them face reality and stay positive. As a result, many detainees changed their attitudes towards Falun Gong and us.
Before meeting us, some of them believed the CCP’s slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong. When they first arrived, they dared not sleep at night, believing we would hurt them. After learning the truth about Falun Gong and realizing that Falun Gong practitioners were not like what the government had depicted, some regretted their past bad behavior and wished they had learned Falun Gong earlier so that they would not have committed crimes. Some said that they would practice Falun Gong after they got out.
Once, six religious people were detained with us. Their families were not notified of their incarceration, so no one brought any necessities for them. We collected bedding and other items for them. Touched by our kindness, two of them started to learn Falun Gong; another said that she would practice when she was freed. After they were released, some of them even came back to bring us delicious food as a way to show their gratitude toward us.
When a prostitute was detained, she did not bring anything with her. No one came to see her, and she had no money to buy supplies. She was so upset that she cursed all day long, and appeared to be angry with everyone. We gave her some of our clothes and taught her appropriate demeanor. She was moved by our kindness and promised that she would find a respectable job in the future. When she was released, she did not have money to travel back home, so we chipped in to cover her travel expenses.
Realizing that Falun Gong practitioners were different from others, some guards sympathized with us, and treated us kindly. They urged the detainees, “You should all learn from Falun Gong!”
The county 610 Office and the Public Security Bureau arrested nearly a hundred Falun Gong practitioners in just a few days during November 1999. Sixteen of us were placed in the detention center. On the first day, the guard who was known for brutal abuse of detainees came to “lecture” us. He ordered us to sit in neat rows and then began to talk excessively about giving up our faith. Nobody said anything, but it appeared that no one was really listening either.
After speaking enthusiastically for about two hours, he asked, “After all that I’ve said, which of you still think you're Li Hongzhi’s disciples?” We all raised our hands instantly. Stunned by our courage, he left. We never saw him again. Greatly surprised, the other detainees commented, “You Falun Gong practitioners are really phenomenal!”
Master Li saved me from danger multiple times. I would like to share two of the incidents when Master miraculously helped me from getting injured.
One day while working outside, I fell head first, hitting the ground hard. It happened so suddenly that when I realized what happened, I was sitting in my neighbor's yard two meters away from where I fell. My head hurt tremendously. I immediately said, “I’m a Falun Gong practitioner, and I’ll be fine as Master will protect me!” It was a miracle that I was not hurt. I knew Master protected me.
While riding my bike home one summer evening, dark clouds rolled in and it began to thunder. People hurried to find shelter. At an intersection, a motorcycle ran right into me. It was a hard collision and I flew over four meters away before hitting the ground hard on my back.
The man and woman on the the motorcycle were dumbfounded. I quickly got up and said, “Don’t worry. I practice Falun Dafa. With Master Li’s protection, I will be fine. You must remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,’ to secure a bright future for yourselves.” They agreed. I did not ask them to pay for the damaged bike, but let them leave, as the storm was going to hit soon. Although a fast-moving motorcycle crashed into me, I was not injured at all. I knew that Master had protected me again.
My husband worked for a construction company. One day, a man who looked like the chief contractor took the keys from him to open the doors on the fourth floor. At the end of the day, my husband went to the fourth floor to get the keys back, but the man was not there, and the doors were all locked. He searched the entire floor, but did not find the keys.
He went to look for the keys again early the next morning, but still did not find them. Upset with my husband, his manager called the chief contractor for the keys. When the chief contractor came, my husband was shocked to find out that the chief contractor was not the man who took the keys.
Desperate, my husband called and asked if I could help him. After getting up to the fourth floor, I could not believe what I found—the doors were all unlocked and the keys were in one of the locks. My husband was amazed that I found the keys. We realized that Master had helped us once again!