Appealing for Falun Gong in Front of the Chinese Consulate in Milan.

Because of my studies, I left Germany for Milan in November, 2002. Before I came to Milan, many practitioners had told me about the dense population of overseas Chinese as well as the Chinese Consulate in Milan. Every weekend from 2001 to 2002, practitioners in and around Milan came to the Chinese community to practice exercises and clarify the truth, which raised people’s awareness of Falun Gong. In this way, many Chinese poisoned by deceitful lies came to realise the truth. In the summer of 2002, several practitioners staged a 4-day hunger strike in front of Chinese Consulate in Milan. On the fourth day, it rained extremely heavily. Though putting on their raincoats, they still got soaking wet, but insisted on continuing their hunger strike. Everyone around them could sense the fierce battle between good and evil. People in the nearby stores were extremely shocked to see them hold on to their appeal even in the rain. After that, they treated practitioners very nicely, buying them coffee, offering them food as well as a lot of help.

From September to October, 2002, amnesty was being guaranteed by the Italian authorities. Before applying for amnesty, many Chinese living in Northern Italy had to come to Chinese Consulate in Milan to apply for their passport. Sometimes during one day there would be over one thousand Chinese showing up in Chinese Consulate. So, the Chinese Consulate would extend its office days from two or three days weekly to five days weekly. As a result, practitioners came to the Chinese Consulate to clarify the truth more frequently. Because those Chinese came to the consulate from all parts of Northern Italy, thus they could bring the truth of Falun Gong to their Chinese friends scattered in various areas.

I arrived in Milan in November, 2002. The first week when I made an appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate, all of a sudden the weather turned bad, the sun disappearing from the sky, it starting to rain. It became cloudy and freezing cold. Sometimes on my way to the consulate, it did not rain, but as soon as I sat down outside the consulate, it would start raining with gusts of wicked wind. Once when I was sending forth righteous thoughts in the rain, at first I felt suppressed as if a heavy stone were weighing down on me. Some time later, my legs were in pain even when I did not have them crossed, my arms and back starting aching. I told myself that the pain and aching could not interfere with my sending forth righteous thoughts, so I stopped thinking of the pain and aching. About an hour later, my legs stopped aching and I felt comfortable. Besides, I felt that the stone weighing on me was gone suddenly; I could send forth my gong [energy], and I was feeling more and more comfortable. The more time I spent on sending forth righteous thoughts, the fewer distracting thoughts I had. And it seemed that sending forth righteous thoughts became something natural. Around three hours later when it was almost my time to leave, the rain stopped and I told myself to take a short rest. As soon as I had this thought, I felt tired, with my back aching again. Unexpectedly, shortly after I put down my palm, it started to rain again. All of a sudden, I came to the awareness that I could not slacken in my efforts. Therefore, I held up my palm again in front of my chest without feeling tired at all. Exactly three hours later, the rain stopped again.

Once when I was sitting outside the consulate in the rain, suddenly I heard one Chinese asking me, “Miss, do you think it will work?” I opened my eyes and saw a Chinese showing concern on his face. I replied, “This is not whether it works or not. This is about my conscience. Many of my friends are being detained in China, with their homes torn apart, being driven into madness, or even beaten to death. What I can do outside China is to make appeals for them. I had made appeals in the Chinese Consulate in Berlin, Munich, Dublin, Washington and Copenhagen. Now I am in Milan. Wherever I go, I will go to the Chinese Consulate to make an appeal. Not only me but also worldwide Falun Gong practitioners are appealing for a prompt stop to the persecution in front of the Chinese Consulate in their own city.” With his head lowering down, the Chinese kept silent for a very long moment. Then he told me that he was working part time at an Italian restaurant near the consulate. He asked me how he could answer his coworkers if some of them asked him why there was someone sitting outside the consulate. So, I gave him some leaflets printed in Italian. Taking the leaflets, he told me seriously, “All right, I will give them the leaflets.” Before leaving, he kindly told me, “It is very cold. You should hurry home.” In the past half year, many Chinese working in the restaurants near the consulate had seen Falun Gong practitioners making appeals with determination. They said that practitioners endured a lot of hardship and showed their concern for them.

From January 12th to 14th, 2003, when the plaintiffs’ attorneys met the judge for the initial scheduling conference, worldwide Dafa practitioners made appeals outside the Chinese Consulate in their own city. And we also organised a three-day peaceful demonstration for 14 hours a day until 11 p.m. One Italian youth working in a store near the consulate had witnessed the persistence of practitioners in the rain in the summer of 2002. This time he was told that we would hold on to 11 p.m. on such cold night. He was quite touched, admiring practitioners’ spirit of thinking of others first. He told us that if there were any activity next time, he would join us. The major newspaper in Milan made a report about our peaceful demonstration.

One Philippine person working near the consulate passed by us every day and we greeted each other friendly. But he never had a long talk with us. One day he told me, “You are a very good person.” I asked him why, and he said, “Because you are doing so much for others. I could see that, and my heart could feel that. You are really great.”

Translated from:http://www.yuanming.net/articles/200303/17969.html