Mr. Zeng Wei Turns Over a New Leaf and Becomes a Practitioner, Then Is Persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Mr. Zeng Wei, a Falun Gong practitioner from Chongqing City, was once a street bully and was held in a forced labour camp because of fighting and drug use. While he was there, he met some practitioners and learned more about Falun Gong, which changed his life. He began practising in September 2009, and was determined to turn over a new leaf and become a good person. However, he was then arrested twice by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) between March and April of 2012, and has now been forced to leave home to avoid further persecution.

Turning Over a New Leaf

Mr. Zeng's parents divorced when he was under three years old, and he was raised by his grandmother. He had quit junior high school and had been loafing around since age 14. He was involved in fighting, taking drugs, and competing for territory. Mr. Zeng had a distorted view of life. In 2004, because of fighting and drug use, he was sentenced to three years of forced labour.

He was appointed to monitor Falun Gong practitioners in Xishanping Prison, which provided him with a chance to learn more about Falun Gong and practitioners. He changed little by little, from misunderstanding to understanding, to admiring them, and eventually helping them. Falun Gong was deeply rooted in his heart at that point.

In 2009, Mr. Zeng came across two practitioners who had a deeper understanding of Falun Gong. He learned of the goodness of Falun Gong and was finally determined to get rid of his previous lifestyle.

Mr. Zeng soon saw his physical and mental health greatly improve. He had suffered from hemothorax twice from fighting, was very weak, had many scars on his body, and was incapable of working. His health improved a lot after practising.

In March 2012 Mr. Zeng was walking on a rainy day when suddenly a fast-moving car hit him from behind. Though the car was moving very fast, he just felt a bump on his lower leg. The driver rushed over to take him to the hospital, but Mr. Zeng said he was fine. The driver then tried to give him 300 yuan¹ as compensation, but he also refused it. The driver was confused because Mr. Zeng was not known to be such a kind person. Therefore Mr. Zeng explained to the driver, “Before practising Falun Gong, I would never have dealt with what happened today like this, but now that I am a Falun Gong practitioner, I should not take your money and cause you trouble.”

Being Persecuted by the CCP and Forced to Leave Home

In March 2012, Mr. Zeng was arrested by the Jiulongpo District Police Department at the gate of a community of a design institute in the Chenjiaping District. With cooperation from the Chenjiaping District Police Station and security guards in the community, the police confiscated his personal property, including a draft of his experience-sharing article for a Falun Gong conference, Falun Gong DVDs, 1,450 yuan for rent from others, and 250 yuan of his own. At the time, Mr. Zeng did not dare to admit that he was a Falun Gong practitioner. The police extorted 30,000 yuan from his family to release him, and his family was forced to pay them out of fear.

Several days later, Mr. Zeng was arrested again. The police went to his home and confiscated all the Falun Gong books in his home. He was taken to the Third Brigade of Shapingba District Patrol Division and persecuted in the office on Shabin Road. He was persecuted for 34 hours inside and was tortured with the tiger bench, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, and being kicked. He was forced to pay 240 yuan for meals and boarding, even though he was not allowed to sleep and was given just two slices of bread.

Mr. Zeng has now been forced to leave home and does not dare to go back. Even worse, the CCP often harasses his wife at home, who suffers from many diseases, including epilepsy, and is not able to live alone without being taken care of.

When Mr. Zeng was first arrested, the police had searched for a draft of his experience-sharing article for a Falun Gong conference. Although Mr. Zeng denied that he wrote the article, it was not hard for the police to infer the fact that it was written by Mr. Zeng. Through reading his article, the police should know that Mr. Zeng's conscience has been revived and he has improved because of Falun Gong. Is there any hope for Chinese society if the CCP deliberately persecutes good people and drives them to a desperate situation? We sincerely hope that the people who have participated in the persecution can think about their behaviour and make the right choice for the future.

Note

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