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Recalling How We Clarified the Truth During the Early Days of the Persecution

Aug. 22, 2020 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Beijing

(Minghui.org) In the summer of 2003 I was held in Feitai Detention Center in Beijing for two months. Two other practitioners and I clarified the truth to the inmates. With Master’s help, all 40 inmates in our cell learned the truth and became supportive of Dafa. 

Gaining the Guard’s and the Head Gangster’s Respect 

The inmates were told to memorize the detention center rules, and recite them to the head of the cell. When it was my turn, I told him that I would not do it. “I practice Falun Dafa. I didn’t do anything wrong, and I am not a criminal,” I said. The cell head reported this to the guard. The inmates were scared and told me, “Just go along with the guards. Tell them that you are trying to memorize the rules, but haven’t done it yet. Everyone has to memorize the rules. The guards will torture you all night, and in the end you have to memorize them anyway.” 

I still remember how they tried to convince me. It was very touching. I could tell that they were really worried about me. I smiled and thanked them, “I will be fine. You go ahead memorize them, but I won’t.”

That afternoon I was taken to the guard’s office. The inmates were nervous, but I had no fear. The guard was a good person. He asked why I refused to memorize the rules. “Is it because you believe that you are not guilty, and should not be imprisoned here?” I said yes. He then asked me some questions about Falun Dafa. We chatted like friends, then he took me back to my cell. 

The guard had very righteous understanding of Dafa. He was one of the few good law enforcement officers I met during the 20-year long persecution. Several times he told the inmates to take Falun Dafa practitioners as role models.

The inmates were surprised that nothing happened to me. The cell head “appointed” me the “group leader.” 

The cell head was a criminal in his 60s. No one dared to offend him, even a hardened gang leader didn’t dare to say no to him—the cell head once slapped him over a trivial disruption. On hot summer nights the cell head had the inmates take turns fanning him. When it was my turn, I refused. The inmates were surprised. They all thought the cell head would punish me. But nothing happened. 

A few days later, the gang leader said, “I overheard your conversation the other night. If the cell head told you to fan him, would you still say no?” I said, “Of course.” He said, “Only you would dare to say no to him. I really admire you practitioners.” I was surprised and touched that such a bully respected practitioners. 

The way the guard and the prison bullies treated me changed the inmates’ attitude towards practitioners, and made it easier for us to clarify the truth later. Practitioners’ righteous thoughts and righteous actions didn’t bring them persecution, but gained them the inmates’ respect, and laid a foundation for people to learn the truth. I deeply thanked Master. 

Young Vendor: I Kept Reciting Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in the Courtroom

There was a 20-some-year-old vendor in my cell. A nice young man. He had a physical conflict with the patrol police while selling items on the street. The policeman was not really injured, but pretended he was. So, the young man was sent to the detention center. 

He liked to hang out with me, and asked me to teach him Master’s poems. He memorized the poems every night with me. At the beginning he hated the patrol policeman very much, always thinking about revenge if he got an unfair sentence. 

Later, he was sentenced to one year, heavier than he expected. After the trial, he said, “I kept saying Falun Dafa is Good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is Good, in the courtroom. I was really calm. If it wasn’t for Dafa, I would be full of anger and hatred for such an unfair sentence. 

Dafa helped him remain calm and kind. I was very happy for him. 

Taxi Driver: Falun Dafa Is Righteous

One inmate was a taxi driver and he was smart. He always listened when I clarified the truth to the inmates. Whenever I said, “Falun Dafa is righteous,” he would respond: “The labor camp system is evil.” He clearly saw how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) used the labor camp policies to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners. 

Whenever I saw him, I always shouted: “Falun Dafa is righteous,” and he always responded with: “The labor camp is evil.” Every day we shouted this several times. The inmates sometimes followed us and shouted together. It became a routine. 

Businessman Asks to Learn Falun Dafa Poems 

There was a businessman in our cell. He always had a sarcastic attitude and doubted everything. When I clarified the truth to others, he teased me. He later observed the positive changes in the inmates’ behavior and speech under practitioners’ influence. He also saw that everyone in the cell could recite a few of Master’s poems. He never joined us, but listened. Finally he asked, “Can you teach me a few poems?” He memorized them and told me, “What your Master says is great.”

Young Man: I Also Wrote a Song to Praise Falun Dafa. 

A young man from the northeast liked to hang out with me and listen to me talk about traditional Chinese culture. One day another practitioner and I wrote a song to praise Dafa. That night the young man told me, “I also wrote a song to praise Falun Dafa." He then sang for me. It has been almost 20 years, and I only remember a few lines: “Falun Dafa is good; Falun Dafa is righteous. Everybody needs it......” He asked what I thought. I encouraged him, and he was very happy. 

Young BBQ Vendor: Let Me Tell You about Falun Dafa. 

A young BBQ vendor was badly bullied by policemen. He was from Henan Province and set up a BBQ booth on the street in Beijing. Police asked him for his business license. He presented it, but the police tore it up. Police then asked him for the “temporary permit for living in Beijing.” When he showed it to the police, they tore it up. He then became an illegal in Beijing. He was detained in the detention center where he was forced to do heavy labor. 

The young man liked to listen to practitioners. He became more confident and happy. He also helped us to expose the true nature of the CCP by talking about his own experiences. 

One day, a newcomer was assigned to our cell. The young man asked him, “Have you heard about Falun Dafa? Don’t you think Falun Dafa is good?” The newcomer didn’t know what to say. The young man told him, “Falun Dafa is truly great. Practitioners are very kind people. You should ask them to tell you what Falun Dafa is truly about.” 

I laughed and said, “You know the truth well. Why don’t you tell him?” He talked to the newcomer for a long time. I was surprised that even though he was imprisoned, he still wanted others to know about the truth of Dafa. This reminded me of the opening scene in Shen Yun in which the Creator calls upon people with predestined relationships to come down to the human world and save sentient beings. I was really touched and thanked Master.

During those two months in 2003, with Master’s help, I and the other two practitioners clarified the truth to more than fifty inmates. Many of them helped us to clarify the truth and expressed their support to Dafa. 

My Wish for 2020

During the pandemic, more and more people have recognized the true nature of the CCP. From the SARS epidemic in 2003, to today’s coronavirus disaster, the CCP has not changed. Although 350 million Chinese have quit the Party and its youth organizations, there are many more who are still deceived by the CCP. I hope they cherish the opportunities given by Dafa, renounce the CCP, and are saved.