My Experience of Validating the Fa at Tiananmen Tower in the Year 2000

(Minghui.org) Around the year 2000, many Dafa practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Dafa. They bravely advanced without fear of the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal crackdown. Under Master’s compassionate protection and careful guidance, they achieved remarkable feats that astonished heaven and earth. As I reflect on these events I would like to share my memories with fellow practitioners, to show the greatness of Master and the greatness of Dafa.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read Zhuan Falun in February 1998 and to begin cultivating in Dafa.

In the last few days of 1999, I made arrangements with a fellow practitioner to fly a Falun Dafa flag on Tiananmen Square at midnight, to welcome in the new millennium with all Dafa practitioners. The flag featured the Falun symbol prominently in the center, with eight characters at the bottom that read, “Falun rotates forever, the power of Buddha has no boundaries.” To me, this meant that the boundless Fa always watches over and cares for sentient beings.

At midnight, at the turn of the millennium, a practitioner and I successfully displayed the flag in the center of Tiananmen Square. However, it did not attract much attention due to our nervousness in that brief moment. Afterward, I felt that its impact was not as great as I’d hoped for. I felt very guilty and wanted to make up for it, wondering what I could do. Suddenly, an idea struck me: “Yes! I should hang the Falun flag on the Tiananmen Tower, letting it fly there forever. The Fa will rectify the universe. Even if the flag is taken down, the Falun flag will still exist there in other dimensions.”

I made up my mind to do this. However, I no longer had the Falun flag. The other practitioner had taken the Falun flag with her, and the practitioner from Beijing did not have a flag either. What should I do? I decided to make one myself.

The practitioner from Beijing took me to a store to buy materials, and everything went unexpectedly smoothly. I found everything I needed within two hours. Then I went to the practitioner’s home to make the Falun flag. Along with the practitioner and his new wife, we worked together and soon completed it. The flag featured a white background with the Falun Emblem in the middle. The Falun emblem consisted of two Taiji symbols with red at the top and blue at the bottom, another two Taiji symbols with red at the top and black at the bottom, four small 卍 symbols, and a large golden 卍 symbol in the middle. The flag was about 24 inches wide and 32 inches long. We were delighted with how it turned out. It looked solemn and sacred when we raised it high. We decided to rest the next day and meet at the bottom of Tiananmen Tower at 9 o’clock on January 3, 2000. I rolled the flag into a scroll and left the practitioner’s home with the flag.

I stayed at a guest house just a few minute’s walk from Tiananmen Square. On the way back to the guest house, I thought of two issues. First, I knew the flag was made of cloth with a rope on top. But when I hung it up, if the flag became droopy and didn’t fully open. I wondered what to do about it. The second issue was how to get the flag to Tiananmen Tower. Clearly, I could not just hold it in my hand, or I would be stopped by the guards.

To solve the first issue, I needed to find a stick, preferably a slender one that could pass through the pocket of the flag handle. This way, the flag would fully open when hung in place. To my surprise I spotted a bamboo clothes hanger in the bathroom when I entered my guest room. It was pretty long and had a horizontal beam. Perfect! It felt as though it was specially prepared for me. I carefully removed the horizontal beam and inserted it into the pocket of the flag. It worked beautifully, and the thickness was just right for the pocket. With that, the first problem was solved.

I had no clue how to solve the second concern. The next day, I wandered through the streets and entered the nearby Dashilan Shopping Street. Suddenly, a female vendor called out to me: “This long cotton coat has a removable liner.” The word “removable” caught my attention. I went over to check it out. She explained to me, “You see, there is a zipper. The outer layer can be removed and washed.” I thought that the space between the inner and outer layers could be used to hide the flag. The coat cost over 100 yuan, and I bought it. Now, I knew how to take the flag to Tiananmen Tower. Back at the guest house, I put the coat on. There were two zippers on both sides of the front flap. I unzipped it slightly from the top and placed the rolled-up flag inside, at the very bottom of the hem. I left the coat unbuttoned, with my chest open and my hands in my trouser pockets. I looked very cool. It was great! Who would have thought there were secrets hidden inside? I was excited. Thanks to Master’s arrangement, everything was ready, and I only needed to wait for the right moment.

On the morning of the third day, I washed up early and checked out of the guesthouse at 7 a.m.. I went to a breakfast place and sat down to eat, but I had no appetite at all. I felt a sense of melancholy as I did not know how this trip might end. The thought of being arrested crossed my mind, and I quickly pushed it aside, not allowing myself to dwell on it. After passing the time at breakfast, I walked toward Tiananmen Tower at 8 o’clock.

I waited for my fellow practitioner outside Tiananmen Tower. It was about 8:30, and he still had not shown up. He had just gotten married, and his wife worried about him. When he accompanied me to buy materials, his wife ran out of their home crying, knelt in front of him, and begged him not to go out, saying that it was too dangerous. I understood her feelings very well. She was not a Dafa practitioner. Facing the possibility of being separated at any moment, she felt helpless, frustrated, and in pain. I decided not to wait for him and to go ahead and do it on my own.

I entered the tower gate, and found the ticket office. Some people were already queuing up to buy tickets, so I joined the line. Since it was very early, there were not many people. After purchasing the ticket, I got in line to enter the tower. Several people were guarding the gate and collecting tickets. One guard on each side checked each tourist’s belongings and searched the tourists. Additionally, the tourists were required to shout something slandering Falun Gong before they were allowed to pass through. I wondered: What should I do? Oh! What a coincidence! Just then, I noticed a tour group from Guangdong Province in front of me. They were arguing with the gatekeeper. The tour guide explained to the gatekeeper, “They are all from Guangdong and can’t speak Mandarin. It won’t be any problem, will it? Please let them pass.” Great! I happened to be behind their group and could speak a few simple Cantonese words. The gatekeeper wouldn’t understand what I would say. How could everything be arranged so perfectly?

As I approached the checkpoint, a guard asked me to raise my arm while he conducted a pat-down of my upper body. In Cantonese, I said with dignity, “Falun Gong is not a cult.” Remarkably, I was allowed to pass! My previous experience of living and working in Guangdong seemed to have prepared me for this moment.

I passed by the soldier who stood right by the entrance, walked directly to the tower and climbed up Tiananmen Tower. There, I found an east-west passage that was about one or two meters wide, where tourists were gathered, overlooking Tiananmen Square from the tower. On the north side of the passage was the exhibition hall, while on the south side, there was a white marble railing. Every few sections of railing featured a square white marble column.

I found the white marble column in the middle and chose that one to hang the flag. I looked down toward the south from the railing, and saw that there was another passage, running east to west, about one or two meters wide. The south side was connected to the outermost wall where Mao Zedong’s portrait was displayed. Soldiers stood on the broad passage, one every few meters apart, watching over the tourists. When I first got there, there were four soldiers, one at each end, and the other two standing in the middle. I noticed many plainclothes officers among the crowd in the passageway. They appeared quite nervous and frequently shouted into their microphones, as if anticipating something to happen. A thought crossed my mind: “I must hang it up! I have to leave safely!”

I observed that there seemed to be two groups of tourists in the passageway, and they were all crowded in the middle of the white marble railing, viewing the scenery and taking pictures. After about 20 minutes, the passage suddenly became very quiet. Everyone entered the exhibition hall as if they had heard a unified command. Only a seven- or eight-year-old boy was left standing under the white marble column in the center of the white marble railing. I thought to myself, “Let’s take action! Let this young boy be a witness!”

I stood beside the little boy with my back to the exhibition hall. Quickly, I pulled out the flag from the inner compartment of my coat. Lifting the hanging rope with my right hand, I held the rolled-up flag in my left hand. In an instant, I raised my right hand and attached the rope to the middle white marble column. With my left hand, I swiftly lifted the flag over the white marble railing and positioned it toward the southern side of the railing, facing Tiananmen Square. I let go of it and immediately stepped back and left the railing. After a second or two, I heard the sound of “puff puff,” and the Falun flag was unfolded, facing the square as expected. The solemn Falun flag was hung on Tiananmen Tower, and the spinning Falun would forever exist in other dimensions of the universe!

I turned around and entered the exhibition hall. About ten minutes later, I heard someone shouting, followed by a rush of footsteps and people running in all directions. They must have discovered the Falun flag, as many people rushed over. I quickly walked down from Tiananmen Tower.

I looked back at Tiananmen Tower from the Golden Water Bridge below, feeling as if the sacred Falun was flying there! When I walked out toward the Tiananmen Tower entrance, I saw the Beijing practitioner rushing over. It was still early, only nine o’clock in the morning. My fellow practitioner and I happily enjoyed the morning sunshine, then left the area.

As I reflect on these past events, all the arrangements were seamless. I again felt Master’s immense and boundless compassion!