World Renowned Artists Xiao Yixia and Her Husband Repeatedly Persecuted for Upholding Their Belief in Falun Dafa

Ms. Xiao Yixia from Qingdao, Shandong Province, began practising Falun Gong at the end of 1995. Ms. Xiao, although only 32 years old, was already well-known back then both in China and overseas for her work "Wood Carvings" and the sculpting workshop she conducted with her husband Zhou Ning called the "Genuine Expression Modelling Arts and Crafts Workshop."

The "Genuine Expression Modeling Arts and Crafts Workshop" Organized and Established for the Deaf and Mute

After practising Falun Gong, Ms. Xiao considered others in every way when she did things. For instance, after graduating from the Design Department of the Shandong Institute of Art in 1997, she noticed that the Special Education Polytechnic of Arts and Craft's first batch of graduates (all deaf and mute) had difficulty finding employment, so she declined many offers by employers, which were offering several thousand Yuan (1) a month salaries. Together with her husband Zhou Ning (Dafa practitioner, graduated from the Design Department of the Shandong Institute of Art in 1994 and originally the Director of the Education Administration Section at the Special Education Polytechnic of Arts and Crafts) and without any outside financial support, she used their own savings to organize and establish the "Genuine Expression Modeling Arts and Crafts Workshop." They were brave in being the first to attempt to educate and find employment for the disabled in the arts and crafts fields. In the two short years ensuing and before July 20, 1999, they led those with them to participate in the 1997 "Genuine Expression Wood Carving Products Exhibition" at the China Fine Arts Museum, Beijing; the 1997 "China Fine Arts Expo, Beijing" in which they won a prize for outstanding works; the 1998 Shenzhen Fine Arts Museum "Genuine Expression Products Exhibition;" the November 1998 "Shanghai International Fine Arts Expo" that attracted extensive attention from proponents of the fine arts and those of academia; the November 1998 "Genuine Expression Wood Carving Work Exhibition" in the Municipal Hall at Copenhagen, Denmark, which attracted much attention from people in the same field overseas. At present, their works are in the collection of the China Fine Arts Museum, the Shenzhen Fine Arts Museum and many other museums in and outside China.

Media in China Extensively Reported Xiao Yixia and Her Husband's Accomplishments in Art

On January 3, 2004, with an American art collector's assistance, Ms. Xiao Yixia, successfully conducted the "Genuine Expression Wood Carving Exhibition"" at the Houston Arts and Craft Exhibition Center. The local media gave this exhibition extensive coverage, and it was highly appraised by specialists and scholars of the arts. Since the inception of the workshop, the Shanghai TV Station, Shandong TV Station, Jinan TV Station, the China International Broadcasting Station, Beijing Broadcasting Station, Shandong Broadcasting Station, China Arts News, Arts News, Citizen's Daily, Jinan Daily, Qilu Evening News, Jinan Times and tens of other news media reported extensively on the success of Xiao Yixia and her husband in educating the deaf and mute in the arts and crafts. In an interview with reporters, Xiao Yixia was asked, "Why are you willing to devote your life to educating and finding employment for the disabled?" Ms. Xiao Yixia replied, "This is all because I practise Falun Gong. I must try my best to become a better person by being selfless, kindhearted and always considerate of others."

After July 20, They Are Persecuted for Their Belief

After July 20, 1999, when the senseless persecution of Falun Gong began, Xiao Yixia and her husband refused to renounce their belief and were therefore subjected to various kinds of persecution. In October of 1999, Xiao Yixia, who was three months pregnant, travelled to Beijing with her husband to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong. The local Public Security Officers unlawfully arrested them. They were then repatriated to the Baima Police Station in Jinan and detained there for several days. In January of 2000, they visited a fellow practitioner. The local police officers swiftly accused them of "establishing ties" and arrested them. Her husband was detained at the Liuchangshan Detention Centre in Jinan without due process, and although Ms. Xiao was not detained, as she was six months pregnant, she was under supervision at home, thus losing all her personal freedom. Not only was she suffering as a result of the detention of her husband, her home was ransacked by authorities for the second time. One police officer involved in the ransacking later returned to her home with a guilty conscience and inquired of her, "Do you hate us for what we did?" Xiao Yixia replied, "We do not hold any resentment or hate." She then conversed with the police officer in a compassionate manner and clarified the facts about Falun Gong. From that day onward, neither Xiao Yixia nor her husband ever returned to their Jinan home. Instead, they were more often than not without a stable home.

In April 2004, after the birth of her son Xuan Zhao, the Baimashan Police Station in Jinan refused to issue an official certificate of residence for her son on account of the couple's firm beliefs, and he is without this certificate even today.

No matter how unjustly Xiao Yixia was treated, she always cared for everything around her with the compassion of a Dafa practitioner. Up to when she was again unlawfully arrested on April 24, 2004, she continued wholeheartedly supporting her numerous deaf and mute students. After these years of persecution, the workshop is in dire straits indeed. Although she was deprived of the usual space to develop her own creative ability, she continued working with all her strength to maintain an environment in the workshop in which the deaf and mute could unearth their latent talent.

Another Round of Detention and Brainwashing Causes Convulsions

Ms. Xiao is currently detained at Weifang City Industrial Works Institute. The special agents from the National Security Department tried to force her to give up her belief with physical abuse. For the past twenty days, she was forced to wear handcuffs at all times. She was also forcefully taken to brainwashing sessions, and her parents-in-law were forced to accompany her as well. When her aging grand uncle and aunt at home discovered that their grand-nephew's wife had been arrested and persecuted, her grand uncle could not cope with the grief and passed away. At present, Xiao Yixia has been so savagely tortured that she has developed convulsions. She is physically extremely feeble, and she is in critical condition.

Contact information of the persons connected with this persecution:

Wang Zhihua
Deputy Secretary, Municipal Party Committee
86-536-8789005(Office) 86-13356701616(Cell) 86-13606361616(Cell)

In charge of politics and law. Prior to 2002, he was the Secretary of the Weifang City Political and Judiciary Committee. From July 20, he has always been in charge of the persecution of Falun Gong. Weifang City is the most notorious for the persecution of Dafa practitioners. Wang is directly responsible for this notoriety.

Li Shouyu
Secretary of the Political and Judiciary Committee
86-536-8789696(Office) 86-536-8219669(Home) 86-13356729399(Cell) 86-13906368666(Cell)
Formerly the Deputy Mayor of Weifang City

Zhang Aijun
Deputy Secretary for Daily Business, Municipal Party Political and Judiciary Committee
86-536-8789127(Office) 86-536-8222797(Home)

Xu Yujun
Deputy Secretary General, Municipal Party Committee, Director of the City "610 Office" (2)
86-536-8789699(Office) 86-536-8238638(Home) 86-13306363336(Cell)
Directly responsible for the brainwashing session.

Zhang Guangxiao
Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Political and Judiciary Committee, Deputy Director of the City "610 Office"
86-536-8789623(Office) 86-536-8366866(Home) 86-13906368318(Cell)
Formerly the Secretary of the Weifang Region Committee of the Municipal Party Political and Judiciary Committee

Zhu Yulin
Deputy Director of the City Public Security Department, Deputy Director of the City "610 Office"
86-536-8783005(Office) 86-536-8783858(Home) 86-13605360068(Cell)

Kou Jianhui
Deputy Director of the City "610 Office"
86-536-8789623(Office) 86-536-8789027(Office) 86-536-8269995(Home) 86-13905368118(Cell)
Directly responsible for the brainwashing sessions.

Li Tongkui
Deputy Director of the City "610 Office"
86-536-8789631(Office) 86-536-8731187(Home) 86-13173159888(Cell)
Soldier turned cadre.

Fu Duobin
In charge of brainwashing sessions, and an excessively wicked person
86-13853646838(Cell)

Song Jiwu
Head of the Appeals Department, Weifang City, formerly the Supervisor of the City "610 Office"
86-13806368299(Cell)

Jiang Yanlin
Director of the City National Security Department
86-536-8196901(Office) 86-536-8899336(Home) 86-13906369766(Cell)

Qin Yuping
Deputy Director of the City National Security Department
86-536-8196902(Office) 86-536-8899776(Home) 86-13011680015(Cell)

Chen Jianwei (female)
Deputy Director of the City National Security Department
86-536-8196903(Office) 86-536-8231636(Home) 86-13306360636(Cell)

Lin
Deputy Director of the City National Security Department
86-536-8196900(Office) 86-3583699850(Cell)

(1) Yuan - 500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.

(2) "610 Office"- a bureau specifically created by the Chinese government to persecute Falun Gong. It has absolute power over each level of administration in the Party, as well as over the political and judiciary branches.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/5/19/75070.html