11-Year-Old Girl Tian Ge Orphaned Due to Persecution

Falun Dafa practitioners Mr. Tian Yili and his wife Zhen Yujie died during the persecution. They are survived by their 11 year old daughter, Tian Ge.

Tian Ge	Tian Ge and her parents Tian Yili and Zhen Yujie

Tian Ge was born on November 6, 1993. Her father Tian Yili was 32 years old when he died in 2002. Her mother Zhen Yujie was 28 years old when she died in 1999. They lived in Gacha Village, Lianhe Township, Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province. Tian Ge now lives in Yinmachi Village, Xidayingzi Town, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province with her Aunt Tian Hua and Uncle Wang Shukui. She attends Yinmachi Village Elementary School, as a 4th grader.

Tian Ge is very mature for an eleven year old.. She was only five when her mother died. When people ask, "Where is your mother?" She answers, "Mum died," in very soft, heavy voice. She still remembers her parents, "They left that morning, after they sent me to grandma's house, they left."

She remembers when she first heard of her mother's death, "I heard at my grandma's house, I cried, and my Aunt cried. "When people ask, "Do you miss your parents?" She nods her head with eyes wide open. She is living through the support of her relatives at her Aunt's house.

Mr. Tian Yili and his wife began practising Falun Dafa in 1996, and benefited from this practice both mentally and physically. Their young daughter also learned the Fa with them. Their family was peaceful, and happy. They also spread the Fa to their relatives, and established a group practice site in their home, with sometimes more than 30 practitioners doing the exercises together. Their strong faith in Falun Dafa was very impressive to their neighbours.

In 1999, the persecution of Falun Gong escalated. Mr. and Mrs. Tian went to Beijing together to appeal on July 21, 1999. They were not afraid of the severe circumstance with massive arrests of Falun Dafa practitioners across the country. They were revealing the evil persecution in Beijing. They had to sleep in cement drainpipes for nearly a month for safety reasons. They were separated during a big arrest, and Ms. Zhen Yujie was taken by police. In an attempt to escape, Ms. Zhen and a male practitioner from Xinmin City jumped out of the minivan transporting them when it approached Tianjin City. Both died on August 16, 1999.

Mr. Tian was arrested three times, but escaped each time. When he finally returned home, he saw many people around his house, and waited till dark to enter to avoid arrest. He had no idea those people were there for his wife's funeral. He was devastated to hear of his wife's death. His brother-in-law hated him because of his sister's death, and sent the already miserable Tian Yili to the Sanjiazi Police Substation, where he was detained for one month.

The pressure and sadness of losing his wife struck Mr. Tian deeply. He lived in hardship with his daughter, and police often extorted his money, 200-300 yuan each time. Unable to bear the weight of such persecution, he became weaker and weaker, until he died on August 11, 2002, leaving Tian Ge an orphan.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/10/18/86845.html