A Previous UK Scholar has Been Unlawfully Detained in China

Falun Gong practitioners Zheng Xujun, and his wife, Su Nan, have been unlawfully detained in Chinese labour camps since they appealed for Falun Gong in Beijing in 1999. UK practitioners have launched SOS rescue efforts to ensure the release of these two innocent people. During his Ph.D. degree, Zheng Xujun was invited to Liverpool University as a Chinese exchange student because of his outstanding academic performance. Though I only met him twice, he left such a deep impression on me that I felt obliged to let more people know his story.

It was in Easter 1999 that I first encountered Xujun on my way to another practitioner’s home. As I came out of a subway station, I saw him dressed in simple clothing and wearing sports shoes. He looked like a modest student. Though he had recently arrived in the UK and did not speak fluent English, the Falun Gong exercise class that he ran in Liverpool was very well organised. After greeting each other, we talked about how to make the most use of our time to let more English people know about Falun Dafa. I was very inspired by how he thought of others first and his sense of responsibility.

It was on July 20th 1999 that I saw him for the second time. At that time, I was visiting my family in Beijing. On the early morning of July 20th, I went out to practise the exercises as usual. When I was told that the Chinese government was about to ban Falun Gong, I took the bus to the Appeals Office of the State Council without any preparatory work. As I arrived at the intersection of Fuyou Street in Zhongnanhai, I saw several police blocking the intersection. There I happened to meet Zheng Xujun and his wife. After earning his Ph.D. degree, Zheng came back to China. His wife was a quiet, delicate and pretty woman who worked in the military. I found out that several months earlier her work unit had criticised her for practising Falun Dafa. Because of her firm belief in Falun Dafa, she was blacklisted as one of the three most steadfast practitioners in the army. It was said that the army was going to expel her, but she said that she was firmly determined to uphold her beliefs. At midnight, Su and Xujun hurried from Fengtai to Beijing. Because the police blocked many of the roads, they had much difficulty arriving there.

We then headed for the Appeals Office together. After realising that we came here to make an appeal for Falun Gong, the Police took us to the Police Station near Tiananmen Square and told us that they would drive us to a reception centre for Falun Gong practitioners. Thus, we got on the bus when they asked us to. Before getting on the bus, the police confiscated and searched our bags. When the police discovered Zhuan Falun [the main text of Falun Gong] in Su’s bag, they took it away. She tried to retain the book and was beaten by the police. Now, reflecting on that scene, I feel regretful. At that time, I did not step forward to protect the Dafa book and my fellow practitioners. In contrast, Su was very righteous.

The police drove us to Shijingshan Gym, where many fellow practitioners had already been detained. They recited “Lunyu” [the introduction to Zhuan Falun] and some poems by Master Li. The compassionate and righteous energy field still flashes across my mind. The scene inside the gym will always be unforgettable. What moved me most were one boy and one girl, around 7 or 8 years old. Whenever the practitioners recited the poems, the kids would start first. Their pure and brilliant voices sounded wonderful.

We were detained in a large gym. There was no one there to receive us or listen to our appeals. That afternoon in the gym, I saw Zheng Xujun again. Seeing that I did not bring any food, he insisted on giving me 100 Yuan. He said that he would hold on to the end. If he could not see the authorities, he would try to appeal again tomorrow. If there were no solution to the problem, he would continue making an appeal. He wanted me to keep the money in case of an emergency. At that time I had no idea what might happen tomorrow and I could not refuse his generosity. He also told me that they were already prepared for the worst situation. No matter what happened, they were determined to speak up for Falun Dafa.

The armed police forcefully escorted us from the Shijingshan Gym. Since that time, I have never heard from Zheng Xujun again. Several months ago, I was told that he and his wife were arrested because they appealed for Falun Gong. Though his work unit tried to protect him, the police were still able to illegally arrest him. To date, Zheng Xujun is still detained in Tuanhe Labour Camp, while Su Nan is imprisoned in Beijing’s Female Prison. Such kind, upright and considerate people are treated harshly and inhumanely: Isn’t it our mutual responsibility to rescue them?

Chinese version available at http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200303/18076.html