The Same Time of Spring, A Different Feeling

By Zhang Cuiying

At the Spring Festival of this year of the horse, the Paris Third District Government provided a space inside the District Government building for my painting exhibition. The Deputy District Supervisor came to the opening ceremony in person and made a speech in which he mentioned that in his district, people could express themselves freely. The Mayor also arranged a Pipa (Note: a traditional Chinese instrument) Solo performance of traditional Chinese music. I did a Chinese painting on the spot with a flying heavenly girl playing the Pipa to celebrate the New Year. The whole gallery was crowded with spectators and filled with liveliness and joy.

What came to my mind was the Spring Festival two years ago. I was suffering in a Beijing Detention Centre at that time.

On February 4, 2000,which was the Chinese New Year's Eve of the Year 2000, my husband and I and a couple of other Chinese practitioners were celebrating the New Year at an inn in Beijing. Suddenly, over a dozen policemen broke in and arrested the five of us forcibly and put us into the Beijing Detention Centre. The police tortured us physically and mentally. They did not allow us to sleep for 4-5 consecutive days. Three policemen rotated their duty. As soon as I closed my eyes, they would shout loudly. Four other policemen tried to force me to write a pledge to give up my Australian citizenship. The wind in the winter night of Beijing was very chilly. They opened the door and forced me to stand on the icy cement floor with bare feet and to hold my arms up. Such torture lasted a long time. On New Year's Day, an official from the Public Security Ministry came to threaten and curse me. They used many vicious methods with the sole purpose of changing my firm belief in Dafa [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance]. But how can the evil weaken a Dafa practitioner's will!

On this Chinese New Year, it is so different overseas from inside China. Although I am still the same person, there is such a different feeling.