(Minghui.org) Hong Kong was engulfed in turmoil in 2019 as the streets filled with smoke and tear gas. Amid the chaos, a Taiwanese photojournalist, Bilong Song, carrying heavy camera equipment, moved through the streets, documenting the scenes firsthand.

Few people knew that, behind the camera, was a man who'd had a very difficult childhood. His mother left when he was in primary school, he was bullied at school, and he had to cope with the hardships of rural life. For years, he struggled to find answers about the meaning and direction of his life.

It wasn’t until he read Zhuan Falun at the age of 20, that he finally found answers to the questions that had troubled him for years. He gradually overcame his hardships, and became firmly committed to a life dedicated to conveying the truth through his camera.

Mr. Song Bilong

Childhood Hardship and a Search for Answers

Bilong Song was born in Hsinchu City in Taiwan, he has a younger brother and sister. As the eldest son, his mother placed high hopes in him at an early age.

However, when he was in fifth grade, his mother suddenly disappeared from their lives and was never heard from again. Bilong lost the person he had relied on most. His heart was filled with confusion and a deep sense of loss.

He recalled: “I had no idea what had happened to my mother, and I couldn’t find her. All I could do was to hold on to my longing for her deep in my heart and quietly recall every moment we had shared together.”

He had no one to confide in, and just swallowed his tears, keeping his sorrow to himself. After the devastating loss, his father took the children and moved back to their rural hometown. Life in the countryside meant working from dawn to dusk, with endless farm work awaiting them each day.

Every day at 3:30 a.m. he would wake up to clean the house and help his grandmother prepare breakfast for more than a dozen people before rushing off to school. After class, he would return home and work in the fields, watering the vegetables, digging the soil, and gathering and drying firewood. Only when night fell could he finally sit down to study.

“I would study as soon as I finished dinner, from 7 p.m. until midnight or later,” he said.

At school, he was often bullied by his classmates. In order to escape the torment of bullying, he devoted his time to studying four or five hours every day. He hoped to earn a place in the top classes through his own hard work. In the process, he developed a strong sense of self-discipline and a lasting habit of reading.

Through determination and hard work, he not only achieved his goal of placement into to the top class, but also discovered the joy of reading. The school library became a refuge for his spirit, a place where he could find solace.

Bilong was particularly fond of martial arts fiction. The stories of cultivation, martial arts, and heroic deeds allowed him to temporarily forget the hardships of reality, while inspiring him to reflect more deeply on the meaning of life and the purpose of cultivation.

One Book Answered His Questions About Life

At the age of 20, Bilong finally found the answers he had been searching for. One morning, he noticed a small booklet on the table at home. He picked it up and read it carefully. It was an introductory booklet about Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa). After finishing it, he immediately went to a nearby practice site and purchased the main book: Zhuan Falun.

Every word and sentence in the book seemed to answer the questions about life that had troubled him for years. The more he read, the more he understood. When he finished the entire book in one sitting, Bilong was filled with a profound sense of clarity and joy. He said, “It was the exhilarating feeling of having discovered a deeper meaning to life.”

That night, he dreamed that he was immersed in golden Buddha light, surrounded by a sense of sacredness and warmth. When he woke up, he felt a profound sense of peace, unlike anything he had experienced before. He explained, “I later understood that it was Master watching over me, helping to purify my body,” The experience strengthened his faith in cultivation.

After waking, Bilong felt as though he had passed through another lifetime. He said, “I used to think that life was so hard and being a person was so hard. It wasn’t until I read Zhuan Falun, that I understood the true reason why people suffer, and how one can elevate oneself through cultivation and transcend suffering. I knew that I had finally found the truth I had been searching for all my life.”

Learning to Look Within During Military Service

The challenges soon came one after another. Not long after he started cultivating, Bilong enlisted in the military, embarking on a strictly disciplined military life.

During his two years of service, he not only had to learn technical skills such as repairing electrical equipment, but also navigate complicated interpersonal relationships, while enduring rigorous training and drills. Under the combined weight of physical exhaustion and mental pressure, some new recruits found the pressure unbearable and chose to leave. Amid such a tense atmosphere, Bilong admitted that he too had briefly considered leaving the army.

Whenever he encountered unreasonable demands, he would remember the principles taught in Zhuan Falun. Instead of blaming others or complaining about his circumstances, he would rather look within and examine his own shortcomings.

Having once been accustomed to swallowing his grievances whenever he was bullied, he now learned to transform feelings of hurt and injustice into opportunities to temper his character. He faced each test according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

He said: “Life is a journey in which we are bound to endure many hardships. But once you understand the principles, you realize that none of these hardships are endured in vain. Whatever we need to face, we should face it; whatever hurdle we need to overcome, we should take it one step at a time. As long as we can calmly persevere through it, suffering is no longer a torment. Instead, it becomes an elevation of our character and reduces our karma, ultimately becoming a meaningful part of our lives.”

Saying Goodbye to Medicine

After leaving the military, Bilong got a job with a large company doing physical labor. He said that he used to take all kinds of medications, visited hospitals and clinics frequently, and suffered from illnesses. After he started cultivating, heavy labor no longer tired him out. Instead, he felt full of energy and was even able to take on more work.

He said, “When I do the [Dafa] exercises, my hands and feet feel warm, and I can sense a warm energy flowing throughout my body. I can also feel a Falun (law wheel) rotating in my lower abdomen. My health has also been improving. These experiences are exactly like what Master described in the book, which has greatly strengthened my confidence in my cultivation.”

Bilong often shared his personal cultivation experiences with his coworkers. He established a Falun Gong club at his company and taught the exercises to whoever was interested in learning them.

On one occasion, the company awarded its employees an additional bonus. While many viewed it as a benefit worthy of striving for, Bilong wanted to give his bonus to colleagues who needed it more. His supervisor ultimately declined Bilong’s offer, but his selfless concern for others and his willingness to put others before himself left a deep impression on everyone.

Using His Camera to Document the Truth

After spending two or three years gaining experience at the company, Bilong gradually developed a desire to pick up a camera and document genuine and beautiful moments to share with the public. Photography was a completely new field for him. He started from scratch and worked hard to master the necessary skills. After honing his craft over several years in the news industry, he eventually became a professional photojournalist.

During the turmoil in Hong Kong in 2019, Bilong traveled there alone to report on site. He was determined to document what was really happening on the ground. He recalled that at the time, many media outlets remained silent under pressure, and there were relatively few reports continuing to present the facts.

“Every day, I carried my heavy photography equipment as I moved through the streets. Seeing so many people gain a new understanding about what was happening through my reports, and witnessing so many residents who had initially held prejudiced views becoming supportive, made me realize even more deeply how important it is for journalists to uphold the truth.”

Back in Taiwan, Bilong continued to remain on the front lines of news reporting. He expressed: “Recording these scenes and conveying truthful information is deeply meaningful work. I feel that helping more people see the truth through the lens of my camera is far more meaningful than how much money I could earn.”

Bilong added: “Falun Dafa helped me find meaning and direction in my life.” He hopes to continue working on the front lines of news reporting, using his camera to document the truth and sharing the light and hope he has gained through his practice of Dafa with more people.