The Berlin Wall Has Fallen

The Wall, as it is known to Berliners, has witnessed the torching of the Parliament Building by Hitler, mass killings of Jews, the tyranny of Stalin and his persecution of his own people, and the rise and fall of the entire Soviet bloc. About 150 metres away, from the Berlin Wall, stands the Adlon Hotel, one of the most prestigious hotels in Berlin. It has survived the Wall--and the bitter history associated with it--and continues to play host to dignitaries from around the world, including some of the most notorious dictators.

At 3pm in the afternoon of April 8th, 2002, the Adlon Hotel rolled out the red carpet. Outside, dozens of motorcycled German police led the way for several dark limousines that passed scattered red-flag-waving Chinese students along the way. Emerging from one of the limos was a dispirited, leaden-faced Jiang Zemin with his arms drooped forward. Flanked by a group of bodyguards, he feebly moved towards the hotel. On him were keen gazes from both inside and outside of the hotel.

At 6pm in the evening, he showed up again, at a party on the first floor in honour of local Chinese organizations. Apparently, the rest he had taken in the luxury hotel had done little to restore his vigour or health. Even worse, this time not only was he spiritless, there were two people supporting him as he walked. And from outside the dining hall, those keen eyes were still on him. Hardly had 20 minutes passed when he could no longer continue and had to be propped up to return to his room. In his presidential suite on the fifth floor, however, he could hear Falun Gong's exercise music from the street the entire night.

At 9:15am the next morning, after the security personnel had dispersed all the guests in the cafe, including several wearing Falun Gong sweaters, Jiang came out again attended by nervous security guards in front and behind. Not far from him, a lady cried out, "Jiang Zemin, those who do evil against Dafa [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance] go down into the gate of no-life." Nobody, including those Chinese journalists shooting the scene in front of him, responded; only one guard dashed to the woman and covered her mouth. She removed his hand and continued, "Falun Dafa is good!" Immediately, her chanting was echoed from different parts of the lobby: "Falun Dafa is good!" Jiang made several steps forward, only to hear another loud voice, "Falun Dafa is good!" It was a man sitting in the bar in the back. Again, several people answered him with the same chant. Jiang had only made it to the hotel entrance with difficulty when a girl dashed forward and called out, "Those who do evil against Dafa go down into the gate of no-life." The incident was not over even when he had gotten into the car, as another woman was trying to unfurl a banner right at the entrance. Although she was stopped by the guards, prominent Falun Gong banners several blocks away could still be seen easily.

At the Presidential Palace, as he shook hands with the German president, Jiang put on a showy smile that was about to be captured by the journalist's camera, when a lady in the audience cried out in Chinese, "Stop persecuting Falun Gong!" Under the spotlight, Jiang's smile stiffened. All the journalists turned their heads, creating a commotion. Although most people there did not understand Chinese, they could make out "Falun Gong."

Dejected the whole day was Jiang, who saw Falun Gong wherever he appeared. Although the German government had doubled the usual security force for a head of state, it still could not meet his demands. Maybe he had developed such a nervous temperament because of his persecution of too many innocent Chinese citizens, so much so that a totally unarmed young girl of Falun Gong was enough to scare him to death. Afterwards, many German police and special agents came to the hotel. Taking over the hotel's security, they denied entry and exit to any Chinese person who was not a delegate, and every part of the hotel was heavily guarded. The fact that such a premier hotel could sacrifice its reputation to force all the Chinese guests out shows the amount of pressure it must have been placed under. On the surface, this seems to indicate that Jiang was able to direct Germany's citizens to serve him based on agreements and big business deals. But listen to what those people said, "This place is only 150 metres away from the Berlin Wall. Of course we understand what is going on. (The thing is) I can have my own personal opinion on this matter, but I still have to follow orders."

In the evening, Jiang went down to the lobby on the first floor. Finally, it seemed that he was about to run into a "friendly" Westerner when a very distinguished-looking gentleman waved to him several steps away and greeted him, "Ni hao." Jiang, who likes to make a big show, became buoyant and waved back, "Ni hao." That Caucasian man then told him, "Falun Dafa is good." Jiang was so embarrassed he could not even put down the hand he had been waving in the air, so he tightened his face and turned his head the other way. It was just such a bad day for him...

Ironically, all this took place right here, in a hotel so close to what had been the Berlin Wall. The Wall 150 metres away has been pulled down by angry German people, and the hotel itself, which used to be on the side of the former East Germany, has been refurbished to carry on the business it had conducted since 1907. Gone are Hitler and Stalin. And the Berliners, who have experienced the vicissitudes of life, nodded knowingly towards the Adlon Hotel, "This dictator will not be able to escape the same fate. He will be gone one day for sure." Indeed, the Berlin Wall has fallen, and so will the wall in the hearts of the Chinese people. Isn't it true that history has already given us the answer?

Source: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/4/12/20918.html

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/4/11/28285.html