My Torment in a Shanghai Forced Labour Camp

In January 2001, I went to Tiananmen Square to appeal for Dafa and was arrested. I was first detained in the Haidian Detention Centre in Beijing, where I was tortured and shocked with two electric batons all over my body by police officer Zhang. Later I was transferred to Shanghai and detained for more than two months. In March 2001, I was sent to the No.1 Shanghai Forced Labour Camp, also called Dafeng Farm, and was put in No.1 Team, No.2 Division, which is the special team set up to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.

During the early period in the labour camp, I was forced to endure brainwashing and physical torture daily through so-called military trainings. I had to jog in the room for 10 hours. I was also forced to run with the thighs raised high, to the level of the waist, and to walk in goose steps.

I was beaten and kicked, and my body was covered with bruises. The back of my left hand was beaten by prisoner Zhao Qingliang with his fist and covered with solid black bruises. It took more than two weeks to recover. I was also forced to put my head against the wall or carry the night bedpan above my head. During breaks, I was forced to sit on the four legs of the small, overturned wooden stool or on a stool with a few plugs from the thermos bottle on it. I was only allowed to sleep for five or six hours per day. The rest of the time, four labour camp prisoners took turns trying to brainwash me. One of them gave up later after his conscience was awakened. I also had to view materials that attacked Dafa.

Police officer Xia Yingcun, who was in charge of me, often came to have so-called "heart-to-heart" talks. I took those opportunities to clarify the truth and expose the evil to him and stated my determination in cultivating Dafa. Every time after such a "heart-to-heart" talk, the prisoners would intensify my physical torture. I found out later that because officer Xia was very angry with them for not being able to brainwash me, the prisoners were punched and kicked and had their merit grades deducted--that is why they vented their anger on me. The head of the prisoners, Zhao Qingliang, yelled furiously, "I have transformed [brainwashed] dozens of people (I got to know later, it was just a few people). Nobody can escape." During a public conversation, Zhao Qingliang complained to policeman Xia that he should get more merit grades according to his performance of the past two years in the labour camp. Xia pointed to me and said, "Whether you can get those grades you think you deserve all depends on him." Because of my steadfastness to Dafa, prisoner Zhao Qingliang tortured me brutally. After all his efforts to torture me, he still couldn't change me. He turned to beg me to write something so that he could get merit grades.

During the middle of May, officer Hong, the chief of the No.1 Team, came to have a "heart-to-heart" talk with me and failed again. Then they invited a psychology expert, a professor from a psychology department of a certain university, to teach them "the strategy of psychology." In the end, the "expert" pointed out, the kind of Falun Gong practitioners, those who would risk their lives for Falun Gong, could not be transformed at all and it would be a waste of time to try. This "expert" diagnosed me, saying, "I think you belong to this group."

At the end of April, my wife and parents travelled a thousand miles to Shanghai's Dafeng Farm to see me, but were turned away. Next day, in the afternoon, my family strongly requested to see me. My mother said in tears, "I will die here if you don't allow me to see my son." The police were afraid and promised to allow them to see me the next day. The next day while I was doing "military training" I was called out. The police wanted to make me yield through sentimentality. They even prepared a video recording for this family visit. During the interview, out of fear, my parents tried to persuade me to say I would give up Falun Gong. At one point, my mother even knelt down in front of me. I immediately knelt down as well and pulled my mother up, to stand. I reasoned with my mother. Because of my steadfastness to Falun Dafa, I defeated the police's scheme again.

In the middle of May I was moved out of the "newcomers group." I was forced to do physical labour, such as farming, making letter covers, and making dog collars. I was not allowed to be with other practitioners and was watched by three or four prisoners. The special team was a very evil place. All the practitioners in this labor camp were gathered here, and they suffered from brutal torture and brainwashing by prisoners, especially during the early period. Three or four prisoners monitored one practitioner in a less than 15 square metre room. Behind close doors they threatened, deceived, beat and brainwashed the practitioners. Some police officers from the group of newcomers are team leader Hong, team leader Wang, team leader Xia and team leader Shi.

In July I was sent to the West Group team. There were about ten people in one room and only a few prisoners in it. The police wanted to brainwash me through those who had been brainwashed before. During a conversation I found this out. Many people were brainwashed because they couldn't endure the brutal physical and mental torture, plus they were not firm enough in their understanding of Falun Dafa to see through the essence of the evil persecution. They were confused.

Standing firmly on Falun Dafa and truly believing Dafa and Teacher, I shared my understandings with them from the rule of law, and the righteous principles of the human world. With other steadfast practitioners, together we did a lot of work to help those people. Three months later, many people from different rooms announced sternly to the police that everything they wrote during brainwashing or under pressure was invalid. The police were anxious to try to find out the reason and switched people around frequently. On October 29, the East Group for newcomers and the West Group were combined into one. Since I was regarded as the one who seriously "influenced" other practitioners, I was sent to the No.2 Team, a regular team for prisoners.

After October 29, I was forced to do long periods of slave labour along with prisoners. I got up at 4:30 a.m. and worked until 7:00 or 9:00 p.m. on alternate days. I worked for 12 to 15 hours a day making soccer balls and volleyballs. I was told they would be exported. Most of the products we make at "Two Labour Camps" in China are mostly handmade for export purposes. It is very hard work to make soccer balls. Oftentimes I accidentally stabbed my hands with the needle and awl. The skin on my fingers broke from constantly rubbing against the rope, and after a while, my fingers became deformed and a thick layer of calluses developed.

I went to sleep at around 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. I was so exhausted every day that I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed. The next day I was sore all over and could hardly move. Our group leader beat and kicked prisoners who couldn't make the balls, and he beat them with wood planks until their buttocks were badly injured. The group leader claimed, "This is hell right here." They never corrected prisoners who made mistakes, but only treated them with violence. Many prisoners' only hope was to get out alive. At the labour camp, three to four prisoners monitored me every day, and one of them recorded everything I said and did, and he reported to the guards periodically to win their favour. With determined faith in Dafa, I used righteous thoughts and righteous actions to clarify the truth to the group leaders and prisoners on all possible occasions and taught them to be good. Many group leaders and prisoners gradually realized the great compassion and tolerance of Falun Dafa, and they clearly saw the evil of the persecution.

In March 2002, labour camps in Shanghai transferred all male Falun Gong practitioners from Dafeng to No. 4 Labour Camp, also called the Qingdong Farm, located in suburban Shanghai. Many determined practitioners, including myself, were separated from other practitioners and sent to other teams. I was sent to Team Two to wash light bulbs. I had to work without pay around ten hours a day, and three prisoners monitored me.

In May 2002, I was sent back to Team Four, which specialises in persecuting Dafa practitioners, because I was near the end of my term. I saw that the environment had changed. Most of the practitioners who went stopped practising had begun again. Because there were now fewer people who turned against Dafa, the guards were afraid of us and separated determined practitioners from the others. The two groups were not allowed to talk to each other.

Many Dafa practitioners had memorised Dafa articles and we recited them for each other. Almost every Dafa practitioner could recite Hong Yin [a collection of Teacher's poems] and recent articles. We recited them several times every day and studied the Fa [the teachings of Falun Dafa] this way. We also used this opportunity of meeting the other group of practitioners who had stopped practising, due to torture and brainwashing, during work and during a brief time at the toilet to help them. Successively, many people wrote solemn announcements and declared their statements to be void.

In the last few months, Dafa practitioners have actively clarified the truth, and many prisoners learned about the truth about Dafa. At the same time, we didn't cooperate with the police and reasoned with them. During the later period, the guards also realised that the majority of Dafa practitioners would never betray their faith. Because of our joint protest effort, the guards loosened their control and our environment was effectively improved.

In late December 2002, I walked out of the No. 4 Labour Camp, Qinggong Farm in a dignified and upright manner. After I was released, the authorities from the Sanqiao Police Department in the Pudong New Area refused to restore my identification and only gave me a temporary, three-month ID, which expired recently. Right now, I can't take a plane, withdraw money from the bank or do anything that requires the use of an ID.

Related departments that participated in this persecution:

Division Four of No. 4 Labour Camp in Shanghai: Gu, division head; Hong, group leader; Chen(g), instructor, Sun Jianguo, deputy group leader. Cell phone: 86-139-17671790

Huang Hao: police at Jiangjing Police Bureau in Pudong New Area, Shanghai

Address: Bldg 10, No 800 Lushan Building, East Lushan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai; member of "610 Office" of Pudong New Area;

Phone number: 86-58990990-47157 (office), page: 86-63238238-90383

Cheng Siqi, head of Gaoqiao Police Bureau, Pudong New Areat, Shanghai.

Address: No 18, 21 St, Tongyuan Road, Gaoqiao, Pudong New Area, Shanghai

Phone number: 86-21-58674953 (office), 86-21- 58671020 (switchboard)

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2003/4/18/48601.html