Mr. Men Bingcheng and His Family Persecuted in Dongguang County, Hebei Province

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Men Bingcheng from Chengzhuang Village in Dongguang County often helps others. Fellow villagers called him “Number One Good Samaritan.” But since the persecution of Falun Gong, he and his family have suffered tremendously.

Mr. Men began to practise Falun Gong in August 1997. At the end of the year his wife Qu Shuzhen also became a practitioner. Following in their footsteps, their son Men Wenguang began to practise in 1998. Things were going well for the family.

After the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, the Men family saw constant harassment. Political and Legal Committee secretary Zhao Wanxiang, police department head Gong Jingwen and policeman Qin Yizhong repeatedly harassed and arrested them and extorted money from the family. Mr. Men Bingcheng was detained four times and spent a total of 120 days in detention. His wife Qu Shufen was detained four times and was locked up for a total of 90 days. They were fined 9,000 yuan¹. Ms. Qu died at the end of 2003. Their son and daughter were severely traumatised by the persecution.

Constant Harassment, Arrests, and Torture

In the afternoon of March 28th, 2000, policemen Jiang Wanzhi, Guo Rui, Zhang Fuwang and the driver, a man surnamed Chen, forced their way into Mr. Men’s home and ransacked it. They took Mr. Men to the Dongguang Detention Centre and held him for 45 days. He was forced to work day and night, making matchboxes. He had to pay policeman Jiang Wanzhi 3,000 yuan to get out. Detention centre officials charged him several hundred yuan as living expenses.

On July 18th, 2000 at lunch time policemen Zhao Wanxiang, Gong Jingwen and driver Zheng stormed to Mr. Men’s home and took him to the local police station. After a round of punches and kicks, they locked him in a conference room for eight days, during which time he wore handcuffs 24 hours a day. He had to pay Zhao Wanxiang and head police Cui Yongjun 2,000 yuan before he was released.

In the afternoon on December 28th, 2000, policemen Zhao Wanxiang and Zheng Beihe drove to Mr. Men’s home and harassed the family. They also told village cadres to assign four villagers to watch Mr. Men and his family for a night. On the morning of December 29th, Zhao Wanxiang and a dozen officers took Mr. Men and his wife to the town centre. They stayed 50 days there.

Policemen Guo Rui and Zhang Fuwang came to Mr. Men’s home again on October 11th, 2001. No one was home. They searched the home and left. The next day police officers saw Mr. Men in the street and took him in to Dongguang Police Station. Policeman Gong Jingwen asked Mr. Men for the names of his contacts. He refused to answer. When deputy political head Wang Xijie cursed Falun Gong's founder Mr. Men told him to stop. Wang Xijie slapped the practitioner on the face with a book. They also handcuffed him and pinned him to the floor. Guo Rui and Wang Xijie each used a ballpoint pen to scratch his ribs.
This 10-minute torture led to pain that lasted two weeks. That time Mr. Men was detained for 16 days. Mr. Men's family had to pay policeman Gong Jingwen 700 yuan and paid several hundred yuan to the detention centre before taking him home.

On December 27th, 2001, officer Gong Jingwen sent Ms. Qu to Tangshan Labour Camp, but camp officials refused to accept her. Gong Jingwen forced the family to pay 1,000 yuan before releasing her. On March 5th, 2003 at 1:30 a.m., officer Liang from the Lianzhen Station arrested Ms. Qu but released her after she suffered severe heart pain and seizure.

After years of severe persecution, Ms. Qu’s health declined rapidly. She died on November 29th, 2003 at age 55.

Persecution Destroys a Happy, Helpful Family

After the persecution started, the couple went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Their names ended up on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials' “blacklist,” so they were constantly harassed. Even during these difficult years Mr. Men still managed to help others. He took the lead, helping others to dig several wells. These wells helped fellow villagers to water their crops. In July this year a well dried up, and forty families had no water to use for their crops. Mr. Men brought his own tools and recruited two helpers. They dug until the well was once again operational.

Earlier, when Ms. Qu was still alive, logging had blocked the village road. The couple prepared a 300- meter long road on their own land as a temporary road for public traffic.

Practising Falun Gong had cured Ms, Qu’s heart disease and arthritis. Inspired by the couple's example, several dozen people also began to practise Falun Gong.

Their son Men Wenguang suffered from polio since childhood. In 1998 the 16-year-old boy began to practice Falun Gong; his condition improved dramatically. After the persecution began, the constant police harassment traumatised him and he quit practising. After that he suffered a nervous breakdown and went into a seizure whenever he heard a police vehicle coming. Sometimes he suffered from insomnia for days. Eventually, his muscles began to atrophy, leaving him bedridden, relying on his father to care for his basic needs, such as feeding and toileting.

Mr. Men’s daughter was 10 in 1999. She was another victim of the persecution. Her parents were constantly arrested, and her mother passed away when she was 15. She was severely traumatised.

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/2011/8/30/245825.html