A Different Method of Persecution: Spiritual Oppression

During the five-year persecution of Falun Gong, other than the persecutors using authority to forcefully cover up the truth, there has also been spiritual persecution against the larger populace - that of using "super-materialist" methods to stifle and destroy people's spirit.

Five years ago, Jiang Zemin vowed to defeat Falun Gong. But Falun Gong is not something with a physical form. Dafa, Truth-Compassion-Forbearance, exist in one's philosophy. If one form of ideology is to replace another and have the people accept it, then the new form must have a higher moral attraction and therefore be more appealing to people. But the regime that wants to defeat Falun Gong is the most deteriorated and corrupt group in history. Since the regime cannot win popularity from the people using moral means, they use more covert and destructive methods to destroy their spirits. They allow people to live in highly materialistic environments, to gradually lose their directions and become insensitive to defending their spiritual rights. The people grow to ignore the improvement of their human nature and the restoration of morality, things that in fact all human beings are supposed to help restore and improve.

Different Mindsets under "Stability Overrides All Other Considerations"

"Stability", as described by an insecure and overly suspicious political leader, naturally refers to the stability of his authority. In attempts to capture the heart of the people in China, the stability of the dictator's grip on power is equated to "social stability" and "national stability." In addition, there is the saying that "stability" must be maintained in order to have economic growth and a good life. With these mixed concepts and confusing and deceitful excuses, they make unbridled attacks on the innocent to maintain power and serve their own interests. Funnily enough though, even according to Marxism-Leninism, when "stability overrides all other considerations," there will be no movement, not to mention any growth. It seems like the eager so-called "Marxist" supporters of "stability" have not even themselves studied Marxism-Leninism well enough.

In fact, these false talks of "stability" conform to the mentality of those who seek profit and power and have short-term goals. Unfortunately, the price that will be paid for this "stability" is the sacrifice of long-term peace and good governance. Everyone knows that the terrorist atrocities that people observe but do nothing about may someday end up in their own backyards. The enticement of material pursuits and rewards has made too many people numb to even the most serious spiritual persecution.

High-Technology and High-Investment Propaganda System Break through Moral Foundations

A caring and benevolent media can play the role of public watchdog and promote social development. China's official media does just the opposite. All that has been deemed disadvantageous to the so-called "stability" is suppressed and not allowed to be reported. It can even create a façade to cover a real problem, for example, the reporting of the SARS epidemic. At the same time, the media serves the person in power. This point can be proved by looking at the interview of Jiang Zemin by CBS anchorman Mike Wallace. Jiang said with a straight face, "The media should be the mouthpiece of the Party." This comment must have made Mike Wallace recoil in dismay. Everyone knows that subjectivity and partiality are exactly what news media should avoid. Maybe even China's media felt that Jiang's comment was too blatant and odd. This might explain why the comment was stricken from all Chinese media reports of the interview. No wonder Jiang is on Amnesty International's list of "human rights scoundrels."

Under the leadership of a "human rights scoundrel," the media can have no moral foundation. The media in China are used as political weapons to strike down those with different opinions. They contrive "news" like the staged "Tiananmen Square self-immolation," [1] and vividly display how the media play the role of "Party' mouthpiece," Jiang Zemin' style. To cover up human rights crimes, Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV) use high profile propaganda to hide behind their lack of social responsibility'. For example, at a recent international conference, the director of Xinhua News Agency did not mention a word about the media's social responsibility and impact, nor did he talk about media professionals' moral standards. Instead, he boasted about the number of news articles published, techniques, economic growth, etc.

In the past few years, the strategy has been to spread the propaganda overseas as well, in attempts to influence people overseas. At a recent interview, the director of CCTV Zhao Huayong said, "We have now increased overseas channels from one to two and the broadcast time has increased from 24 hrs to 48 hrs. CCTV-4 has been established in over 100 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and mid-America. CCTV-9 has been established in America, Europe, Africa, China and Hong Kong and has gradually entered mainstream society in the US, Britain, France and other western countries. It has enhanced China's international impact."

A ruling given by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) in August 2002 may help us understand such "international impact." After the "Fu Yibin murder case" [2] "produced" by CCTV was broadcast by a Chinese TV station in Canada, it caused a big response from the audience, who appealed to the CBSC to request that such deceitful broadcasts be stopped. The CBSC ruled against the TV station, saying that the report that linked CCTV's murder case broadcast against Falun Gong violated four regulations, including the Code of Ethics on news reports as listed in the Canadian Broadcast and TV Regulations, the code regarding violent content, and the code of morality and ethics. The report was therefore deemed to be improper and unjust. The CBSC determined that no reliable evidence linked the murder case to Falun Gong and the report, therefore, constituted an unjust attack on Falun Gong. The CBSC requested that the TV station broadcast its decision on the air during prime time.

When talking about her impression of working in China, Ms. Joan Maltese, the on-duty Foreign Expert at CCTV's English-language news channel (CCTV-9) during 2002 to 2003, said, "We did not follow the real, true mission that news reporters are supposed to fulfil...That is because there is the news censor, who is from the government and sits right in the newsroom. Sometimes original news scripts were altered. I knew all about it." As for her Chinese colleagues, "In fact, they think that what the government wants them to do, which is to not report the truth but to try to make China look good, is a very natural thing."

"If you go to China's media and tell them that they lie and sing the praises of the government, you will immediately be in trouble. Moreover, there is one, and only one, voice in China, the official voice.... So the Chinese people do not have the opportunity to know what other people say, nor do they get a chance to see what other interviews or stories look like."

Human Rights: the Right to Survive?

The Chinese official human rights white paper repeatedly emphasises China's economic development and asserts that the development of human rights in China is fast and healthy. But Falun Gong practitioner Chen Gang observes that Chinese officials always emphasise that "human rights" is [simply] the "right to survive." Don't human beings need to think and to have spiritual pursuits in addition to simply needing to survive? Would they still be human otherwise? According to the logic of the Chinese Government, if I allow you to live, you have to live according to my will and requirements. Otherwise, you face the most brutal choice: choose between persisting with your belief and the practical interest of survival.

Chen Gang's experience is typical. Because he practised Falun Gong, his home was ransacked twice, and he was illegally imprisoned and tortured in Tuanhe Labour Camp in Beijing for 18 months. Chen Gang said, "Belief is the most important component of a human being's spiritual life. It is generally respected by society in civilised countries, but it receives completely the opposite treatment in Mainland China."

In describing his mindset when suffering amidst the persecution, Chen Gang said, "I was tortured to the brink of death and faced with two choices: to die or to yield. Yielding meant betraying my dignity and belief, and the pain this would bring would surpass the pain of death. When a person faces death, he or she is often very afraid and in pain; but if you choose to live with humiliation, that kind of suffering will make you choose to rather die. That is because your dignity has been tarnished and your soul is no longer chaste. At that point, the person's feeling really is that one would rather die than being alive."

Chen Gang pointed out that the victims of the persecution are not only Falun Gong practitioners. Every one who participates in the persecution is committing crimes for temporal interests.

The Awakening of a Small Fish

When moral standards are forgotten and the pursuit of material things becomes people's lifestyle and standard for judging things, people can no longer be called true human beings. And at the same time, how could these people be able to see the true nature of the persecution of their' spiritual beliefs?

There is an animated movie called "Finding Nemo." Its last part is quite moving. Nemo is a young clownfish. When he finally found his father after going through numerous hardships, he was captured in a big fishing net along with other fish. Nemo became aware that to get out and be free, they had to depend on the strength of each of the fish. Under his urging, tens of thousand of fish swam strongly downward and finally broke the fishing net and gained freedom.

Some people categorise Falun Gong as a "group with weak social status." They might say so because Falun Gong practitioners indeed do not have "power and influence." But, if we judge them from another angle, not judging by what they possess in terms of material wealth but by what they want to become, then perhaps you would find that only those who have truly become enlightened have the wisdom to liberate people around them from difficult situations and awaken the deeply sleeping souls. When each life can truly realise how precious it is to maintain the spiritual domain of humanity, and establish righteous thoughts in its own position, then true peace and happiness will manifest right in front of their eyes.

[1] Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation: On January 23rd, 2001, several people, including a young girl, set themselves on fire on Tiananmen Square. In media interviews later, they claimed to be Falun Gong practitioners who had set themselves on fire to "reach consummation". This incident was broadcast widely on Chinese state-run media and used to incite hatred against Falun Gong, and it proved to be very effective. However, Falun Gong strictly prohibits suicide or hurting oneself to reach Consummation. Also, dissections of the self-immolation video proved that the incident was completely staged under Jiang's auspices for the sole purpose of inciting hatred against Falun Gong.

[2] Fu Yibin murder case: Fu Yibin is a patient with mental disorder for many years, who claimed that he heard voices telling him to kill. In November 2000, he killed his father and wife in frenzied psychotic madness. It was a very sad family tragedy, yet the case was twisted and used by Jiang Zemin and his followers to frame Falun Gong by claiming that Fu Yibin was a Falun Gong practitioner and he killed his loved ones as a result of practising Falun Gong. The purpose of such false deception was to stir up people's hatred of Falun Gong.