Germany: Speaking Out for My Former Classmate, Wang Weiyu

The first time I saw Wang Weiyu was in the September of 1991 when I first registered at Tsinghua University. That day I registered my name in the school dorm, met my new mentor and received the key to my room. When I was about to carry my luggage upstairs, the mentor pointed to a man next to me, saying, “This is one of your classmates, Wang Weiyu. If you need any help, he will give you a hand.” Only at that time did I notice this classmate. He was rustic and far from eye-catching, and without the teacher’s introduction, I would have thought that he was employed as an odd-job man. Usually, the students in Beijing saw students from other places in a somewhat contemptuous way. After I shook hands with him, he immediately helped me carry one of my boxes upstairs. Later I came to learn that he was one of the most outstanding students in the university and was admitted to Tsinghua University without having to take the compulsory entrance exams because of his excellent academic grades He was also our class leader.

Though not outspoken, Wang Weiyu usually bore hardships and blame and was diligent and dependable in his studies and work. In our minds, he was an outstanding student with an excellent academic performance and upright morality. But because of his modesty, he did not leave a deep impression on everyone. However, when thinking of him, everyone thought that he was an upright, sincere and reliable person. After my graduation from Tsinghua University, I came to Germany, while Wang Weiyu was admitted to a Ph.D. programme.

After going through a lonely time, which I think every foreign student experiences, I started a philosophical quest - I started reading books by Western and Chinese philosophers such as Lao Zi, Confucius and Goethe. A brand-new world was being introduced to me. However, at the same time I still had numerous doubts and confusion. What on earth was happening to the world? What was the purpose of living in this world? Where was the existence of God? With these doubts I went back to China to spend my vacation. At first, my journey back to China did not have any specific purpose. But there was nothing accidental and everything seemed arranged by fate.

Since I was back in China, I paid a visit to my old classmates. The second time I saw Wang Weiyu, he was studying in a Ph.D. programme. He was still modest and seeing him I felt a deep sense of righteousness. I can not exactly recall what he said to me in his dorm, but I was so deeply affected by his words. That was the first time I ever heard of Falun Gong and I was attentive to what he said. When talking about some supernatural phenomena, he said, “If you don’t believe in them, you can just think of them as stories.” I replied, “You can tell me whatever you want to tell me and I believe in them.” After a very long conversation, he talked about Lao Zi and continued, “Lao Zi once said: ‘When a wise person hears the Tao….’” I said without any second thoughts, “This person will practise it diligently.” Then we recited Lao Zi’s words together, “When an average person hears it, this person will practise it on and off. When a foolish person hears it, this person will laugh at it loudly. If this person doesn’t laugh at it loudly, it’s not the Tao.” We looked and smiled at each other. Before leaving his dorm, Wang Weiyu took out his copy of the book Zhuan Falun [the main text of Falun Dafa] and handed it to me: “Take this book and read it. If you like it, I will give it to you and buy another one.” I took the book.

My vacation was coming to an end. Before leaving for Germany, I again went to Tsinghua University and saw Wang Weiyu. That night we had a very long conversation. Before bidding farewell, I told Wang Weiyu, “We have been classmates. But not until today did I realize that we have a real predestined relationship [in western culture, this is similar to the concept of fate] with each other in Dafa!”

Nevertheless, things were unpredictable. In July 1999, out of personal jealousy Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin started the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China. Thousands of Falun Gong practitioners were unlawfully arrested, detained, sentenced, brutally tortured or even persecuted to death, just because of their firm belief in “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

In the September of 2000, I saw Wang Weiyu once more. At that time, he had been forced to leave school and become homeless. He told me his experience of visiting Tiananmen Square to appeal for Falun Gong and of being tortured in the police station. He also told me that the department teacher in charge of the persecution against Falun Gong threatened him and said that he must give up practising Falun Gong. He told the persecutor, “We are both members of the communist party. I dare to say the true words, but you dare not!” The persecutor was embarrassed and speechless. That was the last time I saw Weiyu.

At the end of 2002, I read the following information about Wang Weiyu on a Dafa website:

Wang Weiyu, 29, male, was a Ph.D. student in the Department of Precision Instruments and Machine Technology in Tsinghua University. He was awarded the Outstanding Student medal, Outstanding Student scholarship as well as a Phillips Scholarship. He was class coordinator, class Youth League chairman, deputy president of the Science Association, and deputy head of the Youth League of the Department of Precision and Machine Technology. Because of his outstanding performance, the Department of Precision and Machine Technology admitted him to a Ph.D. programme with exemption from the entrance exams. In September and October 1999, Tsinghua Police Station at the University detained him twice. He was forced to squat for up to four or five hours and was interrogated until late at night. Then, the school department suspended him for four months and forced him to leave the school in June 2000. On July 22nd, he was unlawfully detained for a week after he had a conversation about Falun Gong. In the second half of 2000, he was forced to leave school and become homeless. In August 2002, he was kidnapped in the company where he worked part time. To date, it is unknown where Weiyu is.

Now, I want to speak out for Wang Weiyu. I want to call for the immediate release of Wang Weiyu as well as all the illegally detained Dafa practitioners. The brutal persecution of Falun Gong must come to an end.

Up until today, the persecution against practitioners in Tsinghua University has caused the death of one and the unlawful sentence of over 18. Numerous students and staff have been forced to leave school, laid off, illegally detained, brainwashed and even forced to become homeless.

Chinese version available at
http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200302/17269.html