On July 20, 1999, the then leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Jiang Zemin, banned the Falun Gong spiritual practice. At the beginning of the suppression, Jiang intended to eradicate Falun Gong in “three months.” Intelligence agents locked onto Falun Gong practitioners whom they thought to be “leaders,” and its propaganda machinery prepared potent fabrications to vilify Falun Gong and turn the public against it. In so many previous persecutions, these two steps alone were enough to break the backbone and spirit of any victim group.
After failing to eradicate Falun Gong in a quick way, CCP has largely remained quiet about Falun Gong in its state-run media over the last several years, making the impression that Falun Gong is no longer in existence in China. So, did Jiang and the CCP achieve their goal? Where are the practitioners in China? What do they do these days? With these questions in mind, Chinascope interviewed the editor of the Chinese website, minghui.org. Minghui, whose English counterpart is clearwisdom.net, is the primary website for Falun Gong practitioners to obtain Falun Gong related information, report their activities, and share their experiences with each other.
Chinascope: Are there still people practicing Falun Gong in China?
Minghui Editor: Yes. There are many, many practitioners in China. The challenge is that under the CCP’s persecution, it is hard to conduct a large scale survey to get the actual number. What we can say is that at least 40 million practitioners in China have exchanged information on the Minghui website, by using one of the 200,000 material production sites in China.
Chinascope: Forty million practitioners in China? That’s an amazing number. You must have a lot of traffic to your website then.
Minghui Editor: Yes. There were 12.2 million unique IP addresses outside of China that visited the Minghui website in 2008 and 16.7 million in 2007.
Chinascope: What about the visits from China?
Minghui Editor: The CCP blocks the Minghui website in China. Falun Gong practitioners use software that circumvents the CCP’s Internet blockade, but for their safety, we cannot publish detailed information about the number of unique IPs from mainland China right now.
Chinascope: The Chinese government said that they have “transformed” many practitioners (making the practitioner sign a document affirming that they renounce the Falun Gong practice). Does your number include them?
Minghui Editor: When the practitioners were in the government’s custody, they suffered torture and brainwashing to pressure them to sign guarantee statements declaring that they would no longer practice Falun Gong. Once they were released, and could think clearly, they would realize the virtue of Falun Gong and practice again. Many have published solemn statements on Minghui to declare that the CCP’s brainwashing is null and void, that any guarantee statements they wrote as a result of the CCP’s pressure are null and void, and that he or she is committed to re-joining the Falun Dafa cultivation practice. So far 406,000 practitioners have published their solemn statements on Minghui.
Chinascope: Do the practitioners do anything these days, or are they just hiding at home?
Minghui Editor: No, they are not hiding. They are conducting “truth clarification” to the public every day, to stop the persecution.
Chinascope: “Truth Clarification?”
Minghui Editor: It’s a Chinese term, which means to explain the facts about Falun Gong to the public and expose the brutality and injustice of the persecution. When Falun Gong was banned in 1999, the CCP mobilized its entire propaganda machine to fabricate lies in an unrelenting hate campaign against the practice. In the past 10 years, the practitioners have been clarifying the truth to everyone, including their relatives, coworkers, strangers on the street, and the CCP officials. They even use their compassion to help the very people who conduct the persecution to understand how they are ruining their futures when they assault others unjustly. Many of those people have stopped their wrongdoing or even started helping practitioners, once they understood the truth.
Chinascope: You mentioned “material production sites” earlier. What is a “material production site?”
Minghui Editor: Material production sites are apartments in China where Falun Dafa practitioners produce articles and materials for truth clarification for the Chinese people. They use anti-blockade software to access Minghui to download Dafa books, new Dafa lectures and articles, “Minghui Weekly,” the Minghui Weekly newspaper (produced specifically for mainland China) and other types of truth-clarification materials. The practitioners at the site download the materials, then print them and provide them to a small number of practitioners in surrounding areas, who then disseminate the materials to more practitioners and non-practitioners for distribution. Each site can support up to 1,000 practitioners. There are 200,000 material production sites in China.
Chinascope: Is there a way for us to access the practitioners in China?
Minghui Editor: Given the current persecution environment in China, the practitioners who run material production sites, or who clarify the truth about Falun Gong face torture and brainwashing and may even “disappear” if arrested. For their safety, we try to protect their identities and locations, so the CCP cannot find out who or where they are. You can read the practitioners’ Internet experience sharing papers, which are published on the Minghui website. That will give you a good understanding of what the practitioners are thinking, doing, and experiencing in China. You will also get a feel for the scope and reach of the practitioners, and for their courage.
Chinascope: Internet experience sharing?
Minghui Editor: Yes. Since it’s impossible to organize large-scale physical experience sharing conferences in China, we have been hosting virtual experience sharing conferences on Minghui each year since 2004. It is called the “Internet Experience Sharing Conference for Falun Gong Practitioners in China.” We received over 2,000 papers for the first experience sharing conference in 2004. In 2008, at the fifth conference, we received 11,000 papers. 1,140 papers were published in Chinese, among which, 437 were translated into English and published on Clearwisdom, the English version of Minghui.
Thus, Chinascope looked at the articles from the “Fifth Internet Experience Sharing Conference for Falun Gong Practitioners in China,” as published on the Clearwisdom website, to understand the practitioners in China. In addition to cultivating and improving themselves (as Falun Gong is a mind-body exercise), the practitioners share about clarifying the truth in the dangerous environment of communist China.
In 2004, Falun Gong practitioners had been clarifying the truth for over five years, with no end in sight. In December 2004, The Epoch Times published the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party (Nine Commentaries), a book describing the nature of the Communist Party in great depth. [1] When the practitioners understood the CCP’s nature, they realize that the CCP would forever remain adamant in destroying Falun Gong. Practitioners therefore added an additional component to their truth clarification. By distributing the Nine Commentaries and advising people to withdraw from the CCP, the Communist Youth League, and the Young Pioneers (known as the “three withdrawals” or “three quits”), practitioners hoped to save them from the CCP’s tight control over their lives and their actions. According to The Epoch Times, from December 3, 2004, through June 29, 2009, a total of 56,568,901 people withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. [2]
From the experience sharing articles, we see that numerous Falun Gong practitioners throughout China, in urban and rural areas, at the store, on the bus, at the police station, or in RTL camps, are actively involved in clarifying the truth and advising people to break away from the CCP (in the form of “three withdrawals.”) Their courage in the face of 10 years of relentless torture and brutality and compassion for their fellow citizens has gained them great admiration from all those who have come to know them.
The following are excerpts of the experience sharing articles by Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China. We categorized the articles under each subtitle.
I. Clarifying the Truth Face to Face
In a Forced Labor Camp
“In April 2000, I was sent to a forced labor camp for one year. They arranged for six prisoners to watch me 24 hours a day in three shifts, as a ‘key target.’ Whether I ate, slept or went to the toilet, they followed me closely. Then I enlightened to the fact that this created a convenient condition for me to clarify the truth to these people. When Dafa practitioners were all together, we had nobody else to clarify the facts to, so wasn’t this giving me the opportunity to speak the truth!
“First I explained the truth to the six prisoners who supervised me. I told them of Dafa’s beauty and of the benefits I gained from practicing. I spoke of the grand occasion of Dafa being spread far and wide. Some people did not listen at the beginning, and some people opposed me, so I looked inward to see what I had not done well, but I did not find it. Later I realized that my compassion was not enough, and I was not kind enough to them.
“I adjusted my mindset, removed my hatred for the people monitoring me and stopped looking down on them. I treated them with benevolence. Several days later, the environment changed.
“I kept explaining the truth to them, and looked after them, saved delicious food from my family for them, and shared with them the principles of being a good person. After they understood, they treated me nicely. When I read Teacher’s articles, they guarded me. A 17-year-old youth sincerely wanted to learn Dafa with me. Another two people said they would certainly learn Dafa when they went home. The supervising prisoners changed, one group after another, and a total of 28 people listened to my truth-clarification. They joked with me, ‘We have become your protectors.’ The head prisoner phoned his father and told him to practice Falun Gong. They never asked me to do forced labor, and looked after my daily needs. An ordinary prisoner had kept a hand-written copy of Zhuan Falun [3] from previously detained practitioners, and when I wanted to read, I got it from him.
“I also explained the truth to several heads and guards in this brigade, as well as the chief of the administration section, officers and the director of the forced labor camp. One deputy head especially approved of what I said, so he often asked me to go to his office when he was on night shift, and we talked about Falun Gong.” [4]
At a Police Station
“In 2005, I attended a large-scale experience sharing conference in another city. Practitioners there talked about how they cooperated to rescue fellow practitioners and I was greatly inspired. After I came back, I cooperated with local practitioners to ask for the return of 5,000 yuan, which the police had illegally taken from my cousin. We understood that our purpose was not to regain the money but to help the police. On the second day, we both went to the police sub-bureau and said that we wanted to talk to the director. We talked to all the staff, starting from the ground floor to the fourth floor, and then returned to first floor to see the deputy director. The deputy director asked, ‘Why do you want to talk to the director?’ I replied, ‘My cousin was fined 5,000 yuan for practicing Falun Gong. She urgently needs the money to send her child to the university. Her husband died early and she also lost her job. She has no savings. How can she and her daughter survive otherwise? We came to see the director and ask for the money back. My cousin used to have many diseases and recovered through practicing Falun Gong.’
“The deputy director said, ‘I think you look like Falun Gong, too.’ I smiled, ‘Do I? Do Falun Gong practitioners have labels on their foreheads?’ He asked for my name and I said, ‘I won’t tell you!’ We then went to the ground floor and explained the truth to the police at the message center and then the director came back. We explained our purpose for visiting and the director asked, ‘Do you have a receipt?’ I said, ‘Yes, but we did not bring it!’ When my cousin went back to get the receipt, I explained the truth to the director. When we got the receipt, the director looked at it and said, ‘I did not handle this matter. I must report it to a higher authority. Come back the day after tomorrow!’
“Two days later, we went to the police sub-bureau again. The director was not there, so we went to the accountant’s office and clarified the truth to him, ‘If other Dafa practitioners come to ask for their money back, be kind so that you will accumulate merit.’ The accountant said, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t be harsh to them.’ By this time the director had returned. He said nothing, just signed a paper and took us to the accountant. The accountant took us to get the money from the bank. Then we returned to the director’s office. He was alone and we gave him truth-clarification materials and a Falun Dafa Association’s public notice. He looked at them and put them into his drawer and kept saying, ‘Thank you! Thank you! I often read the Minghui website and I was exposed for my wrongdoing on the site. Please pray for me as your brother and pray for my family members!’ He walked us out to the door.” [5]
At a Local CCP Official’s Home
“There was also a county Party Secretary who directly persecuted me in the past. However, when I met him, I said, ‘I dropped by because I heard that you were sick. Although you persecuted me in the past, I am not coming here today to accuse you. I just want to tell you some truth, so that you can have a better future. Is this all right with you?’ He smiled when hearing this. He invited me to have a cup of tea and said, ‘Take your time so that we can have a good talk.’ We talked for about three hours, covering the topics of the ‘April 25, 1999, Appeal,’ ‘The staged self-immolation incident,’ and the fact that Heaven will eliminate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He said, ‘Now I understand better. All that I’ve heard and read in the past were actually lies. Even I was hoodwinked and believed them. But what you’re doing is really risky. Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted so much, but are still very upright. Even without considering your own safety, you are thinking about other people’s safety. You group of people really are the hope for our nation. Your Master must be outstanding.’ I said, ‘Falun Gong practitioners do not have enemies. Because you did not know the truth in the past, the main responsibility [of the persecution] was thus not attributed to you. That is why our Master asked us to clarify the truth to people like you.’ Then I helped him quit the CCP and its associated organizations. When I left his place, he escorted me a long way, and thanked me again and again. I told him, ‘If you feel such gratitude, then please thank my Master.’” [6]
At a Bus Stop
“I was recently reading a Dafa book in a public area while waiting for the bus. A worker came over to look at what I was reading. I calmly continued with my reading. After I finished reading a few pages, she asked, ‘Do you have more books like this?’ I said, ‘Yes, but not very many.’ She replied, ‘Could you find one for me?’ I answered, ‘I will do my best.’ She then gave me her phone number and address.
“A few days later, I brought the Nine Commentaries, Disintegrate the Party Culture, and Jiang Zemin, the Man to her office. She was very pleased to see me and asked, ‘Do you know what my job is?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t.’ She told me, ‘I am a discipline inspector. I like all of the reading materials you brought me, so if you have more, please bring them to me.’ I told her I would. Over the next few days I visited her often and brought more truth-clarification materials for her to distribute to other workers in her office building. With her help, over 200 workers quit the CCP, and over 30 of them read more Dafa books. Over 100 of these people worked at the Public Security Office, the Court House, and the People’s Procuratorate [7]. I didn’t encounter any difficulties while delivering Dafa and other truth-clarification materials to them.” [8]
On a Bus
“One day I was sitting on a public bus when a pregnant woman came on board. I stood up and let her take my seat. When she arrived at her destination, she said to me, ‘Thanks for the seat.’ I told her to remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good.’ Then, a 70-year-old man got on the bus. Again, I let him have my seat. When he was ready to leave, I told him to remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good.’ Later, an 80-year-old man boarded the bus, and I said to him, ‘Please sit here.’ The driver witnessed my actions and asked, ‘What kind of work do you do?’ I replied, ‘I am a Falun Gong practitioner.’ Everyone on the bus was watching me, while the driver said, ‘You are the living Lei Feng [a moral exemplar in China from the 1950s and ’60s]. You gave your seat to others three times. People who practice Falun Dafa are truly providing a service to the public. They are good people.’ I said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please remember that Falun Dafa is good. Dafa can help you to obtain a bright future.’ After hearing what I said, seven of the people on the bus withdrew from the CCP. The driver asked for my phone number and said, ‘I hope to see you again.’ After this event, I realized that it is not difficult to spread the facts and to help people understand the truth about Falun Dafa. What is important is whether we have the compassion to consistently do so.” [8]
In a Department Store
“One day, a fellow practitioner and I entered a department store. Several salespeople were busy putting goods on the shelves. A middle-aged man was sitting in front of the desk. He looked like the manager of the store. I was thinking while looking at the goods, ‘If I talk directly to the sales people, will they have a barrier to accepting the truth because of the presence of their boss?’ I decided to talk to the boss first. I bought several items. I took the opportunity to clarify the truth while checking out. I said, ‘Young man, Auntie gives you a gift.’ I passed him a truth-clarification pamphlet. He stood up and said seriously, ‘I heard from the officials of the court that several days ago many of your people were arrested. You still dare do this at such a critical moment!’
“I said, ‘What you said is correct. They arrested our people. But we are all kind people. For you, time is money, while for us, time is life. We tell people the truth. It’s just like saving people from drowning or fire. You know tens of thousands of people lost their lives in a moment during the Sichuan earthquake. We care about people. Does time make a difference while telling people the truth? Telling them is a great, compassionate action! For instance, when a kid is about to fall off a building, can you still sit there and read the newspaper, drink tea and ignore it?’
“His attitude changed and he said, ‘Will it be so serious that Heaven is eliminating the CCP and the three quits can save us?’ I clarified the truth about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. I told him about the udumbara flowers [9] that bloom once in 3,000 years but are blooming in many places today because of the great wave of people quitting the CCP, which is a phenomenon that arose because of the wonderful book, the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. He listened carefully and was amazed. ‘I have been busy with my business in recent years, so I didn’t take these things seriously. I thought that you were troublemakers, just like what’s described on TV! Please help me quit the Youth League and the Young Pioneers!’
At this moment I found that several sales people and one customer had all surrounded me and were listening. When they saw their boss quit, they also agreed to quit the CCP. I smiled and said, ‘Young man, if the police came in, would you ask them to arrest us?’ He smiled and said, ‘Of course not!’” [7]
In Rural Areas
“Besides clarifying the truth in the city, we also went to remote mountain areas to hand out materials. In autumn 2002, three practitioners and I went to far away mountain areas to hand out materials. After 10 p.m., it was so dark that we could not even see our fingers in front of our faces. Another female practitioner and I were distributing materials on a street. I was in front when I heard someone shouting behind me. An elderly man had caught the other practitioner, who called out louder and louder. I could not leave that practitioner alone, so I went over and explained the truth to him.
“I said, ‘Sir, we came from over 100 miles away to deliver good things to you. We have obtained personal benefits from the practice, so we came to tell you the truth. Look, this pamphlet tells you about a female graduate student who the police persecuted. So many Dafa practitioners who want to be good people are taken to prisons and forced labor camps. Sometimes they are tortured to death. The ‘self-immolation’ on TV was staged and now Falun Dafa has spread around the world.’ As I was talking, his son came out and listened and said nothing. They gradually understood and the elderly man’s voice became lower and lower, and finally he said, ‘Go ahead and distribute your brochures. Walk down this street.’ We said, ‘Thank you!’ So we handed out all of our remaining materials.” [10]
II. Truth Clarification through Phone Calls
“Some people called me back after they received my truth-clarification text messages. Before, I never answered their calls. Some fellow practitioners suggested that we should answer those calls and further clarify the truth, but I always had concerns and fear. One day, after I had sent out 200 messages, the phone rang. I ignored it, but it kept on ringing. I finally worked up the courage to answer it. A man with a cheerful voice said, ‘I’ve sent four messages to you and kept calling you. Why didn’t you answer my calls?’ I apologized and asked him if he understood the message that I sent him. He said he totally understood it, but that he is not a member of the communist party. ‘I love this country, but I don’t like the (Communist) Party,’ he said. I told him that I am a Falun Gong practitioner, and what I told him was the truth. I asked him to convince his family members to quit the Party. He agreed, and he was happy to hear what I had to say.
“Later, I saw the messages that he had previously sent to me. One said, ‘You don’t reply to me. I am sad. I am a lost lamb, and I am looking for direction.’ Another said, ‘You’ve chickened out, haven’t you? You’re a coward. I guess I overestimated you. You won’t succeed.’ It was late at night. I went to do the sitting meditation. Thinking of the messages, I cried — everybody wants to know the truth, but I didn’t dare to clarify the truth to them due to my attachment to fear. My messages were like a guiding tower of light for them. If I hadn’t replied to his phone call, then he would have been lost forever.
“We encounter all kinds of people when making phone calls. Sometimes, we can convince a dozen people a day to quit the Party, but sometimes we cannot convince any people. The process is filled with both happiness and frustration.
“One day, I talked to a young man. I talked about the evil history of the CCP and told him about the current trend in China of quitting the Party. I thought he was listening carefully, but he suddenly hung up. I called back, and he said he had something urgent to do and began to hang up again. I quickly asked, ‘Sorry, I just have a quick question. Have you been a member of the Communist Youth League?’ He replied, ‘That’s none of your business.’ I said, ‘No, it’s not my business, but it is your business.’ He hung up, and I was saddened. I looked inward. Maybe he really had something urgent and could not keep talking to me. Maybe what I said hurt him. I made many phone calls that day, but I kept thinking of that young man who hung up on me. One hour later, I called him back. I said to him, ‘I’m sorry. It was my fault. I think we have a predestined relationship, so I really want you to avoid being harmed by any future disasters! What I wanted to say was that being a Party member is directly related to your life. You will be protecting your future if you quit the Party.’ I strongly believed that he was listening, but all of sudden he hung up once again. I was so frustrated, but I calmed down and encouraged myself to call him back again. He answered the phone and said, ‘Sorry, my cell phone battery went dead.’ He also told me he had been a member of the Communist Youth League and he would like to quit it. He said that he would convince his family members to quit too. Before we said goodbye, he thanked me.
“Once, I was making phone calls with a fellow practitioner. An elderly lady talked to me on the phone. I asked her if she understood the message that I sent her earlier. She said, ‘Yes, I understood it.’ Her voice was so calm and solid. I had the intuition that she would quit the Party. I briefly reviewed the evil history of the CCP and asked her if she wanted to quit the Communist Young Pioneers with my help. She happily agreed. I didn’t know why I cried afterwards. The conversation had only lasted two or three minutes, and she didn’t say much. But the calmness and steadiness in her voice made me believe that her family members had been persecuted by the CCP and she had been waiting all her life for this day to come so that she could finally quit the Party. A few minutes later, to our surprise, the same lady called my fellow practitioner, telling her that she had already quit the Party. This experience reminded me of Master’s saying that many Chinese people are trying to quit the Party and they are seeking help from us. It also made me realize our responsibility.” [11]
III. Writing Letters to Spread the Truth
“In December of 2003, I started to write truth-clarification letters. The feedback was good. After 2005, practitioners from two Fa study groups participated in this project. We actively cooperated with each other. Some addressed the envelopes, some purchased the stamps, some searched for contact information, and most practitioners mailed the letters. Mailing the letters was also risky. We had to send the letters from different locations, and sometimes we had to walk a long distance to send out one letter. Several years passed, and we persisted in doing the job, no matter whether it was Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter. All of us worked as a whole body, and none of us had any complaints.
“Whenever we heard about practitioners being arrested, we would send letters to the perpetrators. The letters all had the real persons’ names and addresses and therefore should be received.
“In 2006, the Beijing Normal University Publishing Company published some elementary school textbooks with content defaming Falun Dafa. Since then, we have been mailing letters every month to the nine main officers of the publishing company, including the chief editor and deputy chief editor. A school organized their students to sign their names on materials that defamed Dafa, so we sent out letters to the principles and the teachers every month to call on their conscience until they stopped those activities.
“A 610 Office [12] director had been actively participating in the persecution of practitioners since 2000. He had ordered that practitioners be injected with harmful drugs and that practitioners’ meals be laced with harmful drugs as well. Afterwards, practitioners felt so much pain in their hearts, intestines, or stomachs that they were rolling on the ground. I had experienced that myself. We wrote over a dozen letters to him to try to bring back his conscience, one letter each month. After that, he did not dare to persecute practitioners so viciously.
“In 2004, a senior official at a Procuratorate started to receive one truth-clarification letter every month. After reading the letters, his attitude towards practitioners changed dramatically! He questioned why those good people were being sent to prisons or labor camps. He said that he no longer wanted to do such things as they would make him lose his virtue. When any instructions or assignments from the CCP came, he would find excuses not to do them. He even secretly found practitioners to ask for a copy of Zhuan Falun to read.
“After one chief judge read the truth-clarification letter, he was no longer willing to do evil things against practitioners. One day, when it was his turn to hold a trial on a practitioner’s case, he found an excuse to go to the restroom. When he came back, the trial had ended without any conclusion.
“After a director of a city police department read the truth-clarification letter, he stopped participating in the persecution. He said, ‘These Falun Gong practitioners are all kind. They don’t hit back when hit or yell back when yelled at. They only want to hold on to their beliefs. I am really not cruel enough to continue to treat them unfairly like this. I received the letters every month, and I read them all. I am not cruel enough to do that! Many of the letters touched me, and the words between the lines shook my conscience! As long as I am in this position, I will do my best to protect practitioners and treat them kindly!’ He added, ‘During the past few years, the rate of police officers’ sudden deaths has increased constantly, and the authorities claimed in the newspaper that they died while diligently performing their duties. I now understand that they actually died as retribution for their participation in the persecution of Falun Gong!’
“Some police officers had previously participated in the persecution, but after they read the truth-clarification letters, their consciences started to condemn them. After understanding the principle of karmic retribution [where doing good is rewarded and committing bad deeds brings retribution], some no longer wanted to do dishonorable things. Some became good people and tried to make up for their mistakes with good deeds. There have been many of these examples.
“Many directors of police stations, after reading the truth-clarification letters, have no longer been willing to persecute practitioners. When higher-level authorities ask them to arrest practitioners, they immediately refuse. One time, a director said to them, ‘They [the practitioners] are residents of our area of administration. They have elderly people or children at home, and some families also have people with serious illnesses; we must be responsible for our residents.’ The higher-level director left, ashamed.
“One practitioner’s son-in-law works at a police station but he was poisoned by the CCP and did not want to listen to the truth. He did not allow this practitioner to do truth-clarification work. After I found his name and address, I started to send him a letter every month. A half-year later, I ran into this practitioner at the supermarket, and she happily told me, ‘He has received all the letters you have sent him. Now, not only does he understand the truth, he has also passed the letters to a colleague. That police officer has withdrawn from the CCP.’ One day in April of 2006, a police officer arrested a practitioner and sent the practitioner to his police station. Her son-in-law happened to be on duty at the time. He said to the practitioner, ‘It’s 2:00 a.m. already. Go home and be careful from now on!’” [13]
IV. Writing Truth-Clarifying Messages on Paper Currency
“Once when we were having the group study, a fellow practitioner said, ‘Falun Dafa practitioners are really great. When we withdrew money from the bank, we found that there were truth-clarifying messages on the money.’ When he said this, we were all encouraged.
“After coming back home from the study group, I started to write the truth-clarifying messages on the paper currency. The next day, I went out to use the money and I also told a fellow practitioner about this. I had a small booth, and this fellow practitioner sold food items there. This was really great since we now had our own market. Ten cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, one dollar, five dollars, 10 dollars; we used every kind of paper currency. There is another fellow practitioner whose son-in-law runs a store. Besides using the paper currency herself, she also gives some to her son-in-law to use in his store. At the bank, we exchanged money into smaller notes. We have whole packs of paper currency. I write the truth-clarification messages on the currency one after another. A senior fellow practitioner also joins in. She not only writes by herself, she also helps me by passing on the money to her relatives. She also uses the money for her grandson to buy study supplies. I am not an exception, either. Besides supplying fellow practitioners with the paper currency that has the truth-clarifying messages on it, whatever currency I spend all contains truth-clarifying messages. My son also uses the paper currency with the truth-clarifying messages, and he exchanges the paper currency with those peddlers who need the smaller notes to give customers change. One friend who runs a clothing store also exchanges her larger bills for smaller ones from me.
“We do not use the computer or printer. Without the help of a printer, we all hand-write it, and can thus be more creative and up-to-date with the content. We write and write, and develop a very good handwriting. When I could not do all the handwriting, I went to find two fellow practitioners (a married couple who are retired intellectuals). I invited them to write the truth-clarifying messages with me on the paper currency. This way, what is written on the paper currency is of a higher quality. Their home is actually a small clinic, and the male practitioner is a doctor as well as a pharmacist. They are good at talking and clarifying the truth. They are using the paper currency with high efficiency.” [14]
V. Home-based Information Materials Production Sites
Story 1:
“I was previously computer illiterate and had a negative attitude towards computers. Each time I tried to move the mouse, I could not control it the way I would have liked. Instead, I shook the mouse up and down, making some funny noise. My children laughed at my efforts at trying to control the cursor.
“I spent two days trying to control the mouse well. I told my children that if I needed something they would need to show me. When I browsed the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, I wrote down every step in my notebook, and then I practiced each step according to my notes. Soon I was able to access the Minghui/Clearwisdom website independently on my first attempt.
“Very soon I learned how to download Minghui Weekly, booklets, and a wide range of truth-clarification materials. Then we bought a printer and supplies and started to learn how to print. In the beginning I had problems because my children were not familiar with the printer. I could not get in touch with practitioners specializing in technical support. I tried to find ways to edit and print with my children. Eventually we printed a Minghui Weekly. I was so happy. It looked the same as those that were made by other practitioners. I even remembered all the steps since I had figured out how to do it myself. When I looked at these Minghui Weeklys I was filled with positive feelings.
“Soon after I mastered printing, I learned how to edit, typeset, print, burn CDs, make Falun Gong medallions, greeting cards, the booklets of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and publish statements of withdrawal from the CCP, all with my children’s help. I recorded every step in my notebook, although no one could understand my notes except me. Within two weeks I was able do everything on my own. My children all complimented me, ‘Mom is great!’
“Since we established the site at home I have not gone out to print anything. We produce all the truth-clarifying materials required and as many as we can. Then I deliver them. Sometimes my children help. I can finally make truth-clarifying materials by myself without help.
“At this time last year, I helped two practitioners set up a site for producing materials at home. I shared my experiences with them, and some basic computer knowledge and skills step by step. I showed them patiently. They paid close attention and took notes. Soon they could do it by themselves. They print materials and burn CDs and so on. They are now a major source of truth-clarification materials around their area.” [15]
Story 2:
“I was released from the forced labor camp in 2001. Most of the local materials production sites had been destroyed. I decided to set up a materials production site to produce materials and print Master’s articles for practitioners. My financial situation was also not good. We were 40,000 yuan in debt. I was wondering if my husband would agree to buy a computer and a printer. I talked to my daughter and she was happy to teach me how to use this equipment. I then talked to my husband and to my surprise he was happy about the idea too. Then we set up a family-based materials production site.
“At the beginning, I had many difficulties. I was 50 years old and didn’t have much knowledge about modern things. I didn’t even know how to use pinyin [16]. The high-tech issues were a big test for me; however my thought of setting up the materials production site was very solid. Soon, I learned how to operate a computer, download materials, make photos, edit and print all kinds of materials including the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party booklets and a local Minghui Weekly.
“For the last eight years, this materials production site has run smoothly.” [17]
VI. Putting Up Banners
Banners in My Hometown
“On the Moon Festival date of 2003, I put up a banner that read ‘Falun Dafa Is Good’ in an eye-catching place on the playground at my daughter’s school. Early the next morning, as part of their daily routine, the school congregated for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) flag raising ceremony. At that time, more than 2,000 students and staff from the school focused their attention on my banner. They talked and discussed about Falun Gong enthusiastically and the ceremony abruptly ended. The headmaster of the school reported the case to the police. Then, police and 610 Office agents came and were busy taking photos and doing investigations the whole morning. In the end, they used a crane to remove the banner. At lunchtime, my daughter came home and told me what had happened. I was so happy that a truth-clarification banner could frighten the evildoers so much and make so many people understand the truth about Dafa. It is really a wonderful thing.”
Banners on Helium Balloons
“A long time ago, I had an idea. It would be perfect if we could put a banner saying ‘Falun Dafa Is Good’ or some other words, which would float in the sky within the public’s view; that way more people could see it and the evildoers would have a hard time trying to remove it. To my happiness, we were eventually able to implement this idea.
“Now, we are already quite experienced at making the floating banners. Without leaving our home we can deliver the truth about Dafa to many people. We can even control the height and floating distances of the helium balloons with truth-clarification banners according to weather conditions, wind direction, air flow and air pressure. During the so-called sensitive dates [18], we did even better and made even more banners. For instance, fellow practitioners did very well during the CCP’s National Congresses and Olympic Games and delivered the truth about Dafa to many people.” [19]
Footnotes:
[1] Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party (Nine Commentaries) book, a series of essays published in late 2004 that reveal the true nature of the Communist Party. It has led millions of people to renounce their membership in the CCP, Youth League or Young Pioneers.[2] Chinese Epoch Times, http://tuidang.epochtimes.com/ English Epoch Times: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/t/quitting-the-chinese-communist-party/
[3] Zhuan Falun is the main text of Falun Gong
[4] Clearwisdom website, “Rectifying Myself while Harmonizing in Dafa” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/22/103180.html
[5] Clearwisdom website, “Clarifying the Truth Face to Face” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/28/103335.html
[6] Clearwisdom website, “Looking Within to Improve Myself While Clarifying the Truth Face to Face” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/7/102807.html
[7] Procuratorate: The Chinese state organ responsible for legal supervision. Its functions include deciding on arrest and prosecution of major criminal cases, conducting investigations, initiating and supporting public prosecutions, interpreting the law in specific applications, supervising courts decisions, monitoring judicial procedures, and supervision over the activities of prisons, detention centers, and labor camps.
[8] Clearwisdom website, “An Elderly Man’s Cultivation in a Family of Four Generations” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/11/20/102392.html
[9] Udumbara flower: According to Buddhist scriptures, “Udumbara” is a Sanskrit word, meaning “an auspicious flower from heaven.”
[10] Clearwisdom website, “Believing in Teacher and Dafa on My Cultivation Path”
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/19/103104.html
[11] Clearwisdom website, “My Experiences Using a Cell Phone to Clarify the Truth”
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/11/19/102369.html
[12] The 610 Office: The 610 Office, named after the date of its creation on June 10, 1999, is an extralegal police task force responsible for carrying out the mission of eliminating Falun Gong. Established by former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, the organization exists outside China’s legal framework. Jiang granted it wide-ranging powers and the authority to use “every means necessary” to wipe out Falun Gong.
[13] Clearwisdom website, “Writing Letters to Spread the Truth” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/11/30/102642.html
[14] Clearwisdom website, “Like Flowers Blooming Everywhere, Truth-Clarification Materials Reach Far and Wide” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/2/27/94837.html
[15] Clearwisdom website, “Advancing While Making Truth-Clarifying Materials” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/2/102683.htm
[16] Pinyin: Pinyin is currently the most commonly used Romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Pinyin means “phonetics,” or more literally, “spelling sound” or “spelled sound,” which is used for typing Chinese characters.
[17] Clearwisdom website, “Operating a Materials Production Site for Eight Years—My Experience in Cultivating During Fa-Rectification” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/27/103309.html
[18] Sensitive Dates: National holidays or National CCP political conferences, or dates that hold significance to Falun Dafa; the authorities are afraid that practitioners will publicly appeal on these dates.
[19] Clearwisdom website, “Putting Up Banners” http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/12/13/102965.html