Everyone in China Is a Victim of the Persecution

"All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This quote from Leo Tolstory is well known. However, in today’s China, thousands upon thousands of families are unhappy in the same way. Members of their families practise Falun Gong, so they are illegally arrested and detained. This causes the families to crumble, and even fall apart. Even before entering into my marriage, I suffered such pain.

My fiancé Xue Xinkai, a Falun Gong practitioner from Dalian, has been detained since March 21st, 2006.

During this time, his fine family has been torn apart. His father, and mother who suffers from heart disease, were forced to be destitute and lost all contact with the family. His unmarried younger sister was left home alone to take care of the 84-year-old grandmother, who suffers from the effects of a stroke. His sister worries about her detained brother and mother, whose whereabouts are unknown. She is also faced with interference and questioning from the police about her mother’s whereabouts.

During this half year, I gradually discovered that heartache can seem ever present and that living safely and peacefully is a distant memory.

We were to be married in May and were decorating our new home. March 21st was the day we decided to choose wedding photos, but on that morning, policemen abducted my mother-in-law while she was helping to decorate our home. A group of policemen broke into the room and arrested Xinkai. They destroyed the wood floor and carpet and turned the place into a mess. They even confiscated 16,000 yuan from the 84-year-old grandmother. (Yuan is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China. )

When my mother-in-law was brought home and saw the mess, she questioned the head of the National Security Unit, "There are slippers at the door, yet you just walked all over the floors with your dirty shoes? You would not do this in your own home, would you? Why would you do this in our home?" The head policeman had nothing to say.

During the incident I held on to Xinkai and would not let them take him away. A policeman said to me, "Don’t be like that, it is no use." I asked him, "If you are innocently abducted, will your wife not come out to protect you and speak for you?" He lowered his head and did not answer me. I could feel his humanity and conscience arising from his heart.

In that moment, I realised that these policemen also have kindness in their hearts. Why would they abandon their nature and behave in a way that even they dislike? We had nothing in common, no reason to come into contact with each other. How and why does this fateful crossing occur? Who could have caused all this to happen?

A police officer who is forced to participate in the persecution told my mother-in-law, "We all know Falun Gong is good, but we have to carry out orders if we want to keep our jobs." In order to have a job, you must breach your conscience? What is this world coming to?

The majority of people know the truth about the situation with Falun Gong. I often heard kind friends saying, "We know Falun Gong is good, but if the authorities do not let you practise, then you should not practise." I cannot understand such logic. Why must a good thing be banned? Doesn’t this in itself indicate that the official policy is illogical? In addition, it is perfectly legal to choose a belief or way of life that benefits both body and mind and does not harm anyone. Why must one be forced to give up such a right? The long cherished Chinese national essence is "not corrupted by riches, not changed by poverty, and not subdued by force". Why must we abandon this now? If the entire society disregards their sense of right and wrong, will this society be just and kind?

Another thing that someone commented was, "Since Falun Gong is good, why don’t you just practise it secretly and don’t tell others." Why can’t what is good be made public? Why should we sneak around like thieves?

The current situation of the Falun Gong issue is as follows. For seven years, all that Falun Gong practitioners have done is to expose the persecution and dispel the lies. Whether it's appealing according to the law or handing out flyers, practitioners are merely saying that Falun Dafa is good and should not be persecuted. Falun Gong practitioners wish only to help people poisoned by lies to know the truth, and thus dispel their hostility toward the Buddha Law so that they can have a good future. For this, practitioners are detained, sentenced, killed and even have their organs harvested while they are still alive. Some may caution that if you practise secretly, do not speak out or you will be persecuted.

In the past, there was a charming story of "Yang Sanjie calling out injustice". She was not arrested for calling out "unjust treatment", so why is it that today Falun Dafa practitioners are not allowed to say a just word?

Xue Xinkai was arrested because he was distributing flyers. However, aren't flyers a means of speaking out? There are no lies on the flyers and they cause no harm to anyone. How can this be called illegal? Doesn’t the fear of such spreading of truth indicate that the persecution is not lawful?

An overseas media learnt the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners for persisting in the belief of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance", and noted that, "the price of pursuing happiness is not supposed to be so heavy."

Falun Gong practitioners simply want to be good people according to the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance". Why must they suffer such persecution? If this society can’t even tolerate "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance", then what does this society uphold? Does such a society still have hope?

In this persecution of Falun Gong, the victims number more than 100 million people. The nearly 100 million Falun Dafa practitioners and their family members are the most direct victims. The police and officials who participate in the persecution will eventually be brought to account for their cruel actions. Just like the Nazis and Great Cultural Revolution perpetrators, sooner or later, they will be held accountable. Moreover, during this period of persecution, lots of people have already received karmic retribution for their evildoings. Even their family members have been implicated and become victims of this persecution. Those people who were poisoned by lies will also be harmed.

Doesn’t the history of "Doue's injustice" illustrate this issue? People in Yingzhou watched Doue being killed unjustly, but did not stand up to say one word for her. Before Doue died, she made three pledges. The pledge of "three years of big drought" came true. The fields were full of people dead from starvation, and the masses had no means to live. This shows that silence about persecution is tolerating and cooperating with the crime and it will also incur the sin of acting as accomplice. Silence identifies those who do not distinguish between good and evil. They see somebody in danger and do nothing, and in the end, they will suffer harm at different levels.

The victims of this persecution include people from all over society.

During these past seven years of persecution, more and more people are becoming resentful towards the persecution, which are wasting enormous amounts of resources and destroying the nation's collective conscience. More people are giving assistance to Falun Dafa practitioners. Some police officers are even doing this. Thirteen million people quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organisations has become the most significant display against this persecution.

After encountering this tribulation, my understanding of happiness has become very simple. A family living in peace is happy. When the persecution first began, I felt that the end was far away. Happiness was like an elusive shadow. However, I do not have that feeling anymore. The police who participate in the persecution seem reluctant. Everyone who knows about this matter is criticising the evil policy against Falun Gong. Those who participate in the persecution are doing so based on orders from the authorities.

I often recall that before the persecution started in 1999, in the mornings here in Dalian City, many parks, squares and sidewalks had people practising Falun Gong. This formed a harmonious picture of modern city and traditional culture in complete harmony. Material and spiritual pursuit echoed harmoniously, and added flavor to this busy modern city. Friends often said with admiration, "To cultivate one’s morality and character is so good, and when I have time, I’ll practise with you." Who destroyed this harmony? Why would someone wish to destroy this state of harmony?

In reality, the harmony has dispersed, but the hope in my heart has not left. I don't have a bit of hatred towards the people who have been dragged into becoming a part of this persecution. I feel they are also victims of this persecution. I prefer to believe that everyone is kind. I want to help those police officers have a chance to understand the truth, so that they can cast off this persecution and choose a wonderful future for themselves and their families.