Experiences of Practitioner Mr. Zhang Xiaodong from Gansu Province, Who Died in Detention in 2003

Mr. Zhang Xiaodong was from Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. After graduating from college, he joined the Gansu Aluminium Company. He started to practise Falun Dafa in December 1998. He loved reading the Falun Dafa books.

Since July 20th 1999, the media controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started its propaganda campaign against Falun Gong. Even in this environment filled with lies, slander and stress, Mr. Zhang didn't get lost at all. He immediately decided to go to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. During the National Day holiday in 1999, he went to Tiananmen Square. He shouted, "Falun Dafa is great!" Several police officers illegally arrested him and detained him in Beijing for seven days. After that, he was taken back to Lanzhou and detained for a few more days.

Mr. Zhang then went back to work. He continued to explain the truth of Falun Dafa to people with his own experience. Initially he distributed materials and hung banners that read "Falun Dafa is great" in the suburbs. He often left for the suburbs at night and came back in the morning. Meanwhile, he explained the facts of Falun Gong to each and every one of his coworkers.

In 2000, Zhang Xiaodong submitted a statement of his intention to quit the CCP to his company's Standing CCP Committee. Many people couldn't understand his action. He said, "I am a Falun Gong practitioner. I have to quit the CCP because the CCP is brutally persecuting Falun Gong. Therefore, I can't allow myself to be a member of the CCP."

His employer refused to pay him his full salary because he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. He only got 200 yuan¹ as his monthly income. Mr. Zhang still tried to minimise his living expenses so he could buy Dafa books for others.

Someone came into the local practitioners' group, claiming he was interested in learning how to practise Falun Gong. Mr. Zhang introduced Dafa to him. A few days later, this person led police to Mr. Zhang's home and they took Mr. Zhang away. When a policeman tried to kick Mr. Zhang, he always ended up kicking the floor even though he aimed at Mr. Zhang's leg! That night, two officers were assigned to stay with Mr. Zhang to monitor him. The room next door was an interrogation room with modern equipment. On one side there was a locked door to get outside the building and another locked door to get out of the yard. There was a reception room beside the yard door. It should have been very difficult to escape.

When the two officers went to sleep, he took the chance to leave the room. He quickly went out of the building. When he reached the yard door, he simply asked the person in the reception room to open the door for him. The receptionist opened the door for him without asking questions. He then left. The police couldn't figure out how he was able to escape.

After that, Mr. Zhang travelled between a few townships to expose the persecution and help people know the wonderfulness of Dafa even though he barely had enough money to feed himself. Meanwhile, the police were looking for him. They deceived and tricked Zhang Xiaodong's family, who don't practise Dafa. His family helped the police find Mr. Zhang, and the police took him away.

His family eagerly waited for Mr. Zhang Xiaodong to return. However, Mr. Zhang was sentenced to six years of imprisonment. During his last two years in prison, Mr. Zhang suffered all kinds of torture and abuse. On October 24th 2003, Mr. Zhang died in the No. 1 Detention Centre (the Xiguoyuan Detention Centre) at Lanzhou. He was extremely thin and looked like a skeleton.

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/9/6/109882.html