[Beijing, China] On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 13, 2000, the funeral and farewell ceremony for Dafa practitioner Zhao Xin was held in the 3rd farewell room at the Babaoshan cemetery in Beijing. Because of her persistence in cultivating Falun Gong, Dafa practitioner Zhao Xin was inhumanly beaten by people at the Haidian police substation in Beijing, resulting in the fracture of her neck vertebrae and serious injury to her body. Her heroic and fearless deeds won admiration and concern from people all over.
In the afternoon, many Dafa practitioners came to bid farewell to Zhao Xin. Six to seven plainclothes police and five to six security vans guarded the entrance to the cemetery. On and off, the plainclothes police stopped people from entering and forcibly questioned them and checked their identification cards. When people told them they came to attend the funeral ceremony of Zhao Xin, the plainclothes police denied them entrance.
Entering the cemetery, more than two hundred people quietly lined up in the open grounds before entering the farewell room. They slowly and solemnly entered the room, wearing white flowers and holding yellow and white chrysanthemums in their hands. On the cemetery grounds nearby, there were two big security vans. On one of them, contained a policeman sitting in the driver's seat. Other than the people who bid farewell to Zhao Xin, dozens of plainclothes police officers walked around among the people, talking into their walkie-talkies. Uniformed police were waiting on more than a dozen sedan cars and medium-sized vans in the courtyard.
The farewell ceremony began. The plainclothes police rudely prevented Zhao Xin's family from giving a eulogy. Zhao Xin's younger sister spoke loudly to the plainclothes police, "You all come here, I will definitely read it." Zhao Xin's mother and sister not only insisted on reading the eulogy, but also asked to read it in front of the people and Dafa practitioners who were waiting in the courtyard. However, in the end, the eulogy was only permitted to be read in the farewell room. The eulogy reviewed Zhao Xin's cultivation path and the true facts surrounding her persecution. Finally, Zhao Xin's sister ended touching eulogy by saying "My elder sister Zhao Xin is watching us from Heaven."
Zhao Xin's mother and father came out twice to the courtyard to express their gratitude to the Dafa practitioners. Dafa practitioners also expressed their admiration for Zhao Xin and respect for her parents.
Slowly walking into the farewell room one could see a display of many flowers from Dafa Practitioners and her former students by the side of Zhao Xin, who was dressed in red clothes and a red hat. The Dafa practitioners did Heshi (a greeting sign in the Buddha school pressing the palms together in front of the body) to Zhao Xin. There was no mourning music, only the sobbing of Zhao Xin's mother.
After Zhao Xin's family left, Dafa practitioners also left in a succession. At the entrance, several plainclothes police suddenly grabbed a male practitioner and attempted to stuff him into the police car waiting by the roadside,. Upon seeing this, a dozen practitioners immediately came up to question why the police were illegally arresting people. One practitioner blocked the car from driving away, but the car still drove away with force.
Other practitioners also witnessed that a young female practitioner who was leaving, had her handbag forcibly searched by a plainclothes policeman. This practitioner shouted, " Help! The police have robbed my handbag!" Upon hearing her cry for help, several practitioners nearby immediately came to her rescue. This practitioner handed an object in a bag to a nearby practitioner and told him it was the videotape that was just made. Several plainclothes policemen also ganged up on them and beat whoever carried the bag. The videotape was passed around among the practitioners. One practitioner finally grabbed the videotape, turned and ran down a long street. Several Dafa practitioners and plainclothes policemen ran after him ......
Another practitioner witnessed: On the road not far from the cemetery, another female practitioner was about to be forcibly taken away by one male and one female plainclothes officer. This practitioner shouted, " Police are detaining people!" " Because I practice Falun Gong, the police arrest me!" Several practitioners nearby immediately rushed over to them. Some questioned the plainclothes officers why they detained people; some others took the female practitioner away from the hands of the plainclothes police. The plainclothes police were shocked by the act of Dafa practitioners. They had nothing to say but took out their cell phones to call more police. This female practitioner immediately left safely with the protection of other practitioners.
Practitioners in China
December 13, 2000
