Shen Yun Breathes Life Into China’s Historic Characters and Tales

All but lost in the East, the essence of an age-old culture rises in the West. In a special series, The Epoch Times takes a close look at the renaissance of China’s traditional culture and how a New York based performing arts company has become its driving force.

Over the past 5,000 years, China amassed a diverse legacy of heroes, characters, myths, and legends, and this rich treasure trove is what Shen Yun Performing Arts draws inspiration from.

The New York-based performing arts company takes these timeless tales of ancient China and presents them to audiences through the medium of classical Chinese dance.

The great General Yue Fei, the Monkey King, Journey to the West, the Yellow Emperor, the Terracotta Warriors—Shen Yun has done them all.

But it’s not just that these are entertaining stories—it’s the ethics and upright traditions that their characters embodied that Shen Yun also aims to portray. In ancient China, adhering to values such as honour, loyalty, selflessness, striving for excellence, tolerance, and filial piety (respect for parents) was a way of life.

For instance, Hua Mulan, who is believed to have lived sometime during the Northern and Southern dynasties (386–589), disguised herself as a man and went to war in place of her father because she feared he wouldn’t survive the ordeal.

She fought beside her male counterparts for 12 years, and nobody guessed her secret. After the war ended, the emperor bestowed honours on Mulan and wished to make her a high-ranking official but she declined, preferring to return home to care for her aging parents.

The legend of Mulan inspired the Shen Yun dance, Mulan Goes to Battle.

Shen Yun has also told the tale of Wu Song, a famous character from the classic novel Outlaws of the Marsh who saved a village from a marauding tiger even though he’d had a bit too much to drink that day.

Another Shen Yun favourite is the story of Li Bai (701–762), arguably the greatest Chinese poet of all time.

Known as the Poet Transcendent, Li Bai’s work was the epitome of the classic Tang Dynasty poetry. Li Bai was a wandering spirit, and his travels across China led him into the company of Daoists, literary men, and high officials, all of whom admired him greatly. He left behind 20 volumes of writing and some 900 poems.

Le Zun’s Vision

Shen Yun’s piece A Dunhuang Dream is a dedication to the legacy of the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the “Thousand Buddha Caves,” home to one of the most outstanding collections of Buddhist paintings and statues in the world.

The story goes that in 366 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty, a Buddhist monk named Le Zun, who was making the long journey to the Western Paradise, stopped by Sanwei Mountain near Dunhuang to take a rest. There, he had a vision of a glorious golden Maitreya Buddha floating in the sky. A thousand more Buddhas appeared, surrounded by flying fairies playing heavenly music.

Le Zun had learned painting and sculpture, and he used his skills to recreate his vision and filled a cave with paintings and statues of the divine scene. Some years later another monk had an identical vision at the same place, and he filled another cave with artwork depicting what he saw.

Mogao quickly became a pilgrimage site. Over the years, more than 500 caves were dug into Sanwei Mountain, many of them during the Tang Dynasty. Today, the caves hold some of the finest Tang Dynasty artworks, including a 30-metre statue of Maitreya Buddha, one of the tallest in the world.

Successfully portraying these legends from China’s rich history is no small task, and that’s where classical Chinese dance comes in.

Within Chinese dance lie China’s deep cultural traditions, which allow its movements to be richly expressive so that even the personalities and feelings of characters can be portrayed with clarity and accuracy.

Through dance, General Yue Fei displays his bravery and loyalty, Chen Xiang splits a mountain to rescue his mother, Monkey King and Pigsy escape another dicey situation, delicate Udumbara flowers bloom, and Terracotta Warriors awaken from the dust.

As Shen Yun readies for another world tour, continuing with its renaissance of traditional Chinese arts and culture, audiences can look forward to seeing more of China’s most interesting characters take centre stage.

Chinese AIDS Whistleblower Condemns Regime’s Cover-up

Elderly female doctor claims 10 million AIDS patients in China, with most contracting the disease through blood donation

In Houyang Village, Henan Province, Gao did a survey of children born after 1996 from AIDS infected parents, and found that 38% had contracted AIDS. (Courtesy of Gao Yaojie)

About two years ago, Gao Yaojie, an elderly Chinese medical doctor and AIDS activist, painstakingly avoided layers of surveillance by the Chinese communist regime and escaped to the United States. Her mission: to show there is an AIDS epidemic in China whose extent and cause authorities have been hiding.

Since her arrival Gao has published three books and is preparing two more. She spends at least four hours a day at her computer writing books, even though she finds doing so exhausting. Two days ago she fainted at home.

Though 85 years-old, Gao does not regret enduring such hardship. She said she “hopes that her writings can improve the situation of AIDS patients in China.”

Chinese authorities have been persistently denying that the rampant spread of AIDS in the country was caused by blood selling. In “The Sixth International Experience Sharing Conference of AIDS Prevention in China” held in late November, China’s Minister of Health, Chen Zhu, continued to stress that sexual contacts had been the primary route for the transmission of AIDS in China. Chen added that since the first AIDS victim was identified in 1985, there have been 429,000 reported cases of HIV-infection and AIDS patients, leading to a death toll of 86,000.

Gao condemned the number cited by the Ministry of Health as ridiculously low.

“Chen is talking nonsense,” Gao said. “To-date, the HIV-infected population has exceeded 10 million. Ms. Ding Zilin, whose son was killed at the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, said she had identified 202 bodies after the massacre [the Party claimed that no one had been killed]. I would like to claim that I can locate more than 200,000 graves of AIDS victims. I once went to an AIDS-stricken rural village and saw 6 victims buried that very day.”

Gao explained that there are different types of HIV found in Chinese AIDS patients and most of the disease’s contraction can be traced to the practice of selling blood.

“There used to be 10,000 places across China where you could sell blood,” Gao said. “Contraction due to blood transfusion has always been the last thing that they [the authorities] want to admit. They obstinately attribute the cause to sexual intercourse. As a matter of fact, sexual transmission was responsible for less than ten percent of the cases. In contrast, sixty percent of those who engaged in blood selling contracted HIV.”

Gao added that blood-selling in China has not disappeared but has merely assumed different forms—a formerly public practice has gone underground and shifted from the north to the south. Because the HIV-infected blood was sold to the entire country, there have been increasing reports of infection in the cities due to blood transfusion.

She has also found other abuses. “Now there exist even more appalling things such as stealing money from AIDS donation funds,” Gao said. “Those who are supposed to be in charge dare to steal both money and property, and they deceive everyone. During the last few years, they have suppressed everyone who dares to speak up. Now many people are dying and the number is even approaching the level of the Great Famine [1958-61].”

Gao has had a very tough life. Because she was born to a large and wealthy family, she was classified as a “Class Enemy” during the Culture Revolution. She was locked up in a morgue for nearly eight months.

After the Cultural Revolution, she was transferred to Henan Province to work as a doctor and lecturer in medical science. During a consultation in 1996, she met an AIDS patient. She suspected that this patient had contracted the virus during a blood transfusion and she worried that there might be more than one victim. Out of her sense of responsibility as a doctor, she started to become involved in AIDS prevention.

After a long period of both open and secret investigations, she found that since the 1980s, many people had been selling their blood to make money in mainland China. Many poor citizens contracted AIDS in this way and the victims could do nothing but wait for their death in despair, leaving behind many children who also had AIDS.

Gao’s care for AIDS victims and her attempt to reveal the truth behind the epidemic in China resulted in the Chinese Communist Regime targeting her. In order to continue providing care and support for AIDs patients in China, the 85-year-old Gao decided in the winter of 2009 to leave her home and family and become an exile in the United States.

chinareports@epochtimes.com

Mr. Li Kongxiang Dies after Three Days of Brutal Interrogation (Photos)

By a Clearwisdom correspondent from Zhejiang Province, China

Name: Li Kongxiang (李孔祥)
Gender: Male
Age: 64
Address: #1 Puhu Road, Ninghai County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Death: November 11, 2011
Date of Most Recent Arrest: November 7, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Sanmen County Special Patrol Police Division (三门巡特警大队)
City: Ningbo
Province: Zhejiang
Persecution Suffered: Sleep deprivation, beatings, torture, physical restraint, home ransacked, interrogation

(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Li Kongxiang, 64, was a Falun Gong practitioner from Ninghai County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. He died on November 11, 2011 after being interrogated and tortured for three days by police at the Sanmen County Special Patrol Division.

On November 7, 2011, a group of officers, led by Ninghai County 610 Office instructor Fan Haocheng, broke into Mr. Li's home. They ransacked his house and arrested Mr. Li without showing any identification or legal documentation. In the following days, his family inquired about his whereabouts through various avenues, but they received no information.



Mr. Li Kongxiang

Three days later, on November 10, Mr. Li's daughter received a phone call from the Sanmen County Special Patrol Police Division informing her that she needed come to pick up Mr. Li. Mr. Li returned home around 6:00 p.m. that evening.

According to Mr. Li, he was transferred to the Sanmen County Special Patrol Police Division after he was arrested. Chief Luo and about a dozen special police officers attempted to extort a confession from him by torturing him. They deprived him of sleep for three days, and they tied him to an iron chair. He was tied up so tightly that he couldn't move. The officers took turns beating him severely. They called Mr. Li's family when they saw that he was close to death.

Mr. Li was on the verge of death after three days of torture. He was very weak and unable to sit up. His whole head, back, abdomen, and inner thighs were black and blue. His stomach was discolored and swollen.



Mr. Li's body, after three days of torture in police custody

When his family offered to cook something for him, he stated that he was not hungry, that he was very tired, and that he only wanted to sleep. He later awoke around 10 p.m. just to eat a small amount of oatmeal before falling back to sleep. At 2:10 a.m., he called his sister to inform her that he had pain everywhere, and that his stomach was bloated and especially painful. He had difficulty urinating; when he did urinate, he passed large quantities of blood. Mr Li. passed away later that day.

Mr. Li's daughter was determined to press charges against the officers who had murdered her father. The officers offered a settlement of 70,000 yuan. They threatened and pressured Mr. Li's family into cremating his body right away, and his body has since been cremated.

Mr. Li began practicing Falun Gong in 1995, and enjoyed good health and inner peace ever since. He was arrested multiple times for practicing Falun Gong after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to suppress the practice in July of 1999.

We hope that people worldwide will pay attention to the ongoing persecution in China. We cannot allow such atrocities to continue to take place.

Agencies and personnel involved in the persecution of Mr. Li Kongxiang:

Pan Benmiao, head of the Ninghai County 610 Office
Fang Haocheng, instructor for the Ninghai County 610 Office: +86-13906606139 (Cell)
The Ninghai County Police Department: +86-574-65347000, +86-574-65536000

The Sanmen County Police Department:
Zhang Zhengwen, chief of the Special Patrol Police Division: +86-576-83306629
Luo Junjie, deputy chief of the Public Security Division
Yu Yongqing, chief of the Domestic Security Division: +86-13906550721 (Cell), +86-576-83306510

Posting date: 12/5/2011
Category: Death Cases
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/12/3/宁波李孔祥被刑豆逼供三天三夜致死-图--250111.html

10-Year Anniversary of Western Falun Gong Practitioners' Appeal in Tiananmen Square (Photo)

By Joel Chipkar

(Clearwisdom.net) Half a world away from home, I look into the mirror to see if the spy camera is visible. I am in Beijing, China, and have sewn a pinhole camera into the shoulder strap of my backpack. After catching my own eyes in the mirror, a bolt of fear stabs through my heart. Being caught as a spy in Mainland China is no small charge. They apply the death penalty for much smaller crimes.

After a brisk but shaky five-mile walk to Tiananmen Square, I stand aghast at the size. It’s really hard to imagine it filled with tanks and students. The day is bright and chilly. The gentle, cold north wind hits my face as I catch sight of the main flagpole. I arrive at the rendezvous point standing alone, wondering if they are going to make it.



Before I know it, over 30 people from over ten countries, wearing their national flags, gather to appeal for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. On cue, most sit in meditation while a few unfurl a 12-foot golden banner sporting three giant Chinese characters that read, “Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance.” Passersby are shocked. I stand motionless capturing the event with my hidden video camera. In less than 30 seconds police vans scream in from all directions.

In the months that followed more foreigners from around the world would travel to China in an attempt to awaken the Chinese people to the unjust persecution and defamation of Falun Gong happening in their country.

That was ten years ago.

An Appeal for Conscience

The appeal made headline news around the world, and so accomplished part of what we had set out to achieve. People who had never heard about the persecution of Falun Gong now knew about it. And this awareness was the first step toward more people demanding the Chinese regime stop it.

However, our hearts were set on changing things in China. Our appeal was focused on telling the people of China who are smothered by a media blockade to awaken to the realities of the evils happening in their own-censored back yard and not blindly follow an illegal persecution.

In the past ten years we have come to understand more deeply how difficult what we were asking was.

China has an ancient, rich culture that brings deep and unshakeable pride to its people. It was built on the teachings of honor, loyalty, compassion, responsibility and most notably the pursuit of truth. Each dynasty understood the importance of spirituality, and although each change of dynasty was tumultuous, after the change Chinese people lived hundreds of years in relative harmony.

The era of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule, however, has been different than any other time in China’s history.

Since seizing the rule of China in 1949, the CCP has made enemies of its own citizens by waging countless campaigns against them and by turning citizens against each other in order to sway focus off of the corruption of the regime itself. Approximately 80 million people have died unnatural deaths as a result.

The Party has created one crisis after another: the 1950’s mass regime-created famine during the so called “Great Leap Forward,” the terrifying Cultural Revolution that ended in the mid-70’s which targeted and destroyed all spirituality that could potentially empower the people, the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, the real-time, ongoing persecution of Falun Gong etc. As a result, every family in China has at least one relative who has faced persecution by the CCP. Yet, partly because of this unending terror, many Chinese blindly follow the CCP and its propaganda.

China’s Moral Dilemma

The CCP’s China has become a place where people are forced to live without the freedom of belief, where people are afraid to say one wrong word in public for fear of arrest and torture, and where thinking of others, standing up for principle, and acting out of integrity have been replaced by fear, jealousy, selfishness, and indifference.

Chinese people witness daily the unjust arrest, abuse, discrimination against and dehumanization of groups all across China: the attacks on the Uighurs and Tibetans, the crackdowns on house Christians and papal Catholics, the silencing and jailing of human rights lawyers, the injustice done to those whose homes are demolished in order to enrich local officials, the threats to the parents to stop protesting over the deaths of their children killed in collapsed schools during the Sichuan earthquake—the list is endless.

For the past 12 years Chinese society has also been witness to the arrest, torture, and killing of Falun Gong practitioners. Tens of thousands of imprisoned practitioners have been murdered by state-owned hospitals to fuel the regime’s multi-billion dollar organ transplant tourism.

The affects of the blows to the moral fabric of society are becoming more visible everyday.

I watched a YouTube video of a 2-year-old baby who wandered out of her parents store onto a street in China where she was hit twice by vans and lay on the road dying. 18 people walked by without stopping or helping. Chinese manufacturers sell poisoned milk, poisoned baby food, diluted or tainted drugs, and contaminated drywall to consumers for money.

Looking to the Future

Every Sunday morning my mother and I get together to practice the Falun Gong exercises in a nearby park. Sometimes during the sitting meditation I open my eyes and look at her spare, 70-year-old body as she sits with perfect posture, her eyes gently closed with a little smile on her face. She looks so peaceful. I remember when family fights and violent tempers ripped through our not so happy home. It was like magic to me how in less than a year this seemingly simple spiritual discipline brought calm into my family’s life.

The peaceful look on my mothers face was in complete contrast from the look of shock on the faces of those Chinese people in Tiananmen Square that day.

They had forgotten that in the beginning Falun Gong was awarded and praised by the CCP for the benefits it brought to the Chinese people. It was even congratulated by the Public Security Bureau for “bringing the crime fighting virtues back to China.” It would not be long until the popularity of Falun Gong would threaten the corrupt state and its fear of citizen empowerment.

It would also not be until 2006 when the world would finally have a clear answer of why the CCP continues its crackdown on Falun Gong. Mr. Chen Yonglin, a high ranked Chinese Embassy Official in Australia would defect from his post and state: “The Chinese Communist Party has always relied on violence, lies, and advocating atheism to maintain its power. They could not understand Falun Gong practitioners’ peaceful efforts to protect their freedom of belief. Now they feel they can’t let people know about what has been done to Falun Gong in China.”

Today millions around the world cherish the teachings of Falun Gong and the focus on morality that it has brought into their lives. It is something China needs desperately.

Ten years later, our appeals have been joined by countless actions from practitioners and citizens who have taken the same end in view.

Millions of practitioners inside China continue to operate home workshops where they print leaflets and fliers for distribution to their fellow citizens. Outside of China Falun Gong practitioners have created state of the art firewalls to break down the Chinese regime’s Internet blockade. With this new flow of information over 100 million Chinese in and out of China have renounced membership in the CCP and its affiliated organizations.

Thousands of government officials from countries around the world have stood in solidarity with Falun Gong. Millions of people worldwide have signed petitions and written letters calling for an end to the illegal persecution and to bring those responsible in China to justice.

Although it was 10 years ago it still feels like it was yesterday. My heart was beating out of my chest as I raced on a rickshaw through Beijing back to my hotel while Tiananmen Square faded behind me. My only question: Did we succeed or did we fail?

Ten years later I feel a great honor to have been a part of a movement that continues to stand up in the face of tyranny for the protection of others.

Throughout history good and evil has played out in frightening and inspiring stories. The line has been drawn in the sand more times than one can count. Today we keep deep in our hearts a wish that more and more people will stand on the right side.

Joel Chipkar is a real estate broker and human rights advocate living in Toronto, Canada. View the video that Chipkar shot at
 http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/26/16209.html

Posting date: 11/29/2011
Category: In the News

Falun Gong Float Makes an Elegant Appearance at Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade (Photos)

By Xiao Su in Chicago


(Clearwisdom.net) McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade was held on the morning of November 24, 2011, on State Street in downtown Chicago. Several hundred thousand spectators lined the streets to watch. Falun Gong participated in the parade for the ninth year, and brought their creation: Huge Lotus Flowers. Chicago Tribune reports on the parade featured photos of the Falun Gong float.


 Chicago practitioners take part in 2011 Thanksgiving Parade


Elegantly dressed practitioners demonstrate Falun Gong exercises on a beautifully decorated float


Falun Gong float in Chicago's 2011 Thanksgiving Parade


Spectators watch Falun Gong parade procession pass by


 Photo of Falun Gong float on the Chicago Tribune website

According to Mr. Yang Sen, president of the Mid-US Falun Dafa Association, “It is a challenge to present a new look in the parade each year. This year, they got inspiration from the Hollywood Parade in Los Angeles. In 2005, a Falun Gong parade float dazzled attendees with a lotus flower that stood six feet tall. The local Chicago Falun Gong contingent decided to adopt a similar design.”

There were also different-colored small lotus blossoms on the float, on which practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises and other movements. Chicago's largest newspaper, Chicago Tribune, published a photo of the Falun Gong float on its website, and several hundred thousand television viewers saw Falun Gong practitioners and their elegant demeanor via live broadcast on TV.

The annual McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade is one of the most grand parades in Chicago and the mid-U.S. Applicants must go through a rigorous screening by the organizing committee in order to secure an opportunity to appear in the parade. Falun Gong contingent made its first appearance in the Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade in 2003. Its creative and unique design impressed the organizing committee, and thereafter has been invited to take part in the parade in the ensuing years. It is the ninth year now.

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The practice was first introduced by Master Li Hongzhi in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Its beneficial effects in uplifting an individual's physical health, spiritual well-being, and moral character, not to mention its positive influence in the community and society as a whole, have been undeniable. In fact, Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in 110 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.

Posting date: 11/29/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
 http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/11/28/芝加哥感恩节大游行-法轮功花车展风采-图--249942.html

A Western Practitioner Recalls Group Protest on Tiananmen Square a Decade Ago (Photos)

By Dexiang, Clearwisdom correspondent

(Clearwisdom.net) Nina from Hamburg, Germany began practicing Falun Gong in 1998. In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the brutal persecution of Falun Gong. On November 20, 2001, Nina and thirty-five other Western practitioners from a number of different countries staged a peaceful protest of the persecution on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, carrying a large banner bearing the words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” The presence of the Western practitioners allowed people in China and around the world to see Falun Gong’s wide popularity across the globe. The peaceful protest caused a big stir in the West, drawing worldwide attention to the persecution of Falun Gong in China.


Thirty-six Western Falun Gong practitioners protest the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong on Tiananmen Square. Nina (the fifth from right) sits in the front row.


Practitioners protest the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong in front of the Chinese Consulate (Nina is the second from left)


Nina sits on top of a float and demonstrates the Falun Gong exercises.

For the last ten years, like many practitioners around the world, Nina has not stopped participating in various activities to expose and protest the persecution. She hopes that the persecution will end as soon as possible, and that more Chinese people will learn the truth and get rid of the CCP's control.

The persecution of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the persecution of the entire human race

In discussing the motives for the peaceful protest in Beijing, Nina said, "I learned that countless Falun Gong practitioners were being persecuted in China, subjected to unfair treatment. There was a Chinese practitioner in Hamburg who was detained for petitioning in China. I felt I should do something."

As a Western practitioner, why did she campaign for practitioners in China? Nina said, "Falun Gong’s principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is important for everyone. When Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is persecuted, regardless of where it happens in the world, it is the persecution of the entire human race. Therefore it is important to protest the persecution. Without Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, there would be no life."

The thirty-six Western practitioners had several wishes when they went to Tiananmen Square. Nina explained, "We wanted to show the CCP that many Westerners practiced Falun Gong. Not only did the CCP stage a smear campaign against Falun Gong in China, it also spread its lies all around the world, misleading people across the globe. We wanted to tell the Chinese regime that there are Falun Gong practitioners in dozens of countries around the world.” Nina continued, “We also wanted to let the Chinese people know that Falun Gong is embraced all around the world, because we knew that the CCP used all state propaganda machines to frame and slander Falun Gong. We also hoped that this action would encourage practitioners in China. They cannot go to practice sites or do the Falun Gong exercises at home. Their lives are even in danger. They have no freedom of practice."

Nina recalled that about twenty seconds after they sat down and unfurled the banner on Tiananmen Square, they were surrounded by police, the China National Security agents and plainclothes police. "The police told us to get into the police cars, which we did not obey. They began to use violence. Some practitioners were injured. One practitioner’s fingers were fractured. We were locked up."

"In the past I only knew that many practitioners in Beijing were detained, and did not expect to have it happen to me. Of course, the situation is completely different for Western practitioners. We had informed the German media beforehand, as well as practitioners in Germany. We notified a lot of German officials, which was one of the things that we wanted to achieve, to expose the persecution of Falun Gong in China. At the time, there was not much reported about Falun Gong in the Western media. Whatever little bit there was, it was quoted from the CCP, further spreading the lies that the CCP fabricated against Falun Gong. So it was very important for Western practitioners to do peaceful appeals in Beijing.”

Nina and other practitioners were held together in one large room, and interrogated one by one. "In the beginning we did the Falun Gong exercises, and I meditated. Later, a policeman came in and laughed in a weird manner, which even made me shake. Having seen this, he laughed more loudly. Then he poked me with his hands. The more he did that, the more I calmed down. My attachment of fear was completely gone. I realized that I should finish the meditation. Later he pushed me harder and harder, until I fell to the ground."

A new life after practicing Falun Gong

Nina had learned about the unfair treatment ofFalun Gong practitioners in China. In the labor camps, practitioners are not allowed to sleep. They are forced to watch TV programs that slander Falun Gong, which causes confusion in their minds. Some practitioners were forced to give up their beliefs. If one does not give up Falun Gong, he could be beaten to death, brainwashed, and so on. "To be honest, although I believe in Falun Gong, the news of the persecution scared me. I was worried whether I could go through with it. I did not know what I would encounter in China, but I did not hesitate. All I thought about was to validate Dafa on Tiananmen Square."

So what gave Nina the courage to take part in the peaceful appeal on Tiananmen Square? Nina said that since practicing Falun Gong she felt she found the meaning of life. She was full of gratitude for Dafa. "Not only did I learn the exercises, but I also gained a new life,” she explained. “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance indeed changed my life. Looking back at my life before joining the practice, I felt it was boring and hopeless. My physical health was poor as well. Often I did not know what my future would be. After practicing Falun Gong, I realized that living by the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will change one's life drastically. Life is full of vitality."

Nina was willing to devote herself wholeheartedly. "Without Falun Gong, I would feel that my life has no meaning. From this point, when I was asked if I was willing to go to Tiananmen Square, I agreed without hesitation. I wished to validate Dafa. "

The greatness of practitioners in China: upholding their belief under brutal persecution

Through the CCP’s detention that time, Nina understood further the plight of practitioners in China. "For practitioners in China, no media would report about them factually. Few people support them openly. Many practitioners are locked up in prison. Some just disappeared. None of these tragedies drew the attention of foreign media. The CCP fabricates false charges at will. The greatness of practitioners in China is that, despite the brutal persecution, they still uphold their belief and continue the practice.”

A decade of spare time spent on stopping the persecution

Ever since Nina returned to Germany from Beijing ten years ago, she has not stopped campaigning for practitioners in China. She has participated in a numerous Falun Gong activities in Germany, Europe and the United States.

"I spend all my spare time on stopping the CCP's continued persecution of Falun Gong, campaigning for mainland practitioners."

For example, she regularly participates in the protests in front of the CCP’s Consulate in Hamburg. She and her fellow practitioners talk to the Chinese people who come to the Consulate about the persecution, and they have told the German police on duty about Falun Gong. Due to their year-round activities in front of the Consulate, they have become quite familiar with the police on duty and have established friendship and mutual trust between them.

This year Nina also joined the European Divine Land Marching Band and took part in events throughout Europe. Through these activities, she hopes that more people throughout the world will know about the persecution of Falun Gong.

Her wish is that the CCP will immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong, that the mainland public will have an opportunity to get to know Falun Gong, and that they will read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and no longer be deceived by the CCP. She hopes that more Chinese people will quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.

Posting date: 11/28/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
 http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/11/21/西人学员忆十年前天安门抗议迫害-图--249688.html

Taiwan: Group Practice of 7,500 Held at Freedom Plaza (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) On November 26, one day before the Asian-Pacific Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference, over 7,500 practitioners from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and several other countries held a group practice at the Freedom Plaza in Taipei.


Group practice at Freedom Plaza. A spectacular practice site of 7,500 practitioners attracts many tourists

A spokesperson for the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association pointed out that Falun Dafa is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions around the world, with over 100 million people who have benefited from the practice. The number of practitioners in Taiwan is second only to Mainland China. She said, “Today, we formed a portrait of our Master. We want to express our heart-felt gratitude to our Master for giving us a new life, and to let people know the beauty of Falun Dafa and the fact that Falun Dafa is widely practiced around the world.”

Joyce from Sweden learned Falun Dafa in Changchun, in 1993. She said that she was very fortunate to be a part of Master’s portrait. She felt that she was immersed in a giant energy field.




Many passersby and tourists were attracted to the demonstration and started to learn the exercises

Sang Dexun, 32, is from Brazil. One of his friends gave him a copy of Zhuan Falun eight years ago. He was inspired and started to learn the exercises via the Internet. He said that the biggest benefit from the practice was improvement in mind nature and spirit. He said that he is very peaceful now and hardly moved by anything. Sang is now working on a Master's degree at Taiwan Normal University.



Sang Dexun, a practitioner from Brazil

Practitioner Mingxin (Pen name) is from Israel. As a fresh college graduate, she moved to Hong Kong three months ago for a new job. She came to this conference with fellow practitioners from Hong Kong. Her Caucasian face attracted much attention, and yet she spoke fluent Chinese. She also shared her xinxing improvement, as she is improving in every aspect of life. She learned about Falun Dafa from a friend in 2005.



Macao practitioner Lin Yiming

Macao practitioner Lin Yiming learned the practice in Mainland China. He was on a business trip to Suifenhe, Heilongjiang Province during the Lantern Festival of 1997. A company executive gave him three Falun Dafa books as a gift. On his way back home, he almost finished reading the three books. Lin said that in the past he had tried many qigong practices, because of health problems. When he got the Falun Dafa books, he was deeply drawn into them and started his journey with the practice immediately. His wife and two daughters are now also practitioners. He said that he came this time to learn how to clarify the truth to Mainland Chinese people from fellow practitioners in Taiwan.

When the practitioners formed Master’s Li’s portrait at the Plaza, many Mainland Chinese tourists and other local people were attracted to the site. They asked for Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials and took photos of the scene.

A Mainland tourist told a practitioner that the line-up was spectacular and they could not see this in China. The practitioner then told him, “Falun Dafa is good. Quit the Chinese Communist Party for a safe future.” He smiled and said, “Yes.”

Mr. Ren from Mainland China watched for a long time and exclaimed, “Master Li Hongzhi is very powerful, and Falun Gong is a true cultivation practice. His disciples can sit so long during the lining up.” He commented that the CCP did two major wrong things. The Cultural Revolution and the persecution of Falun Gong.

Another Mainland tourist said that many people had heard about this character-forming event and they came from Hong Kong just to see it. He estimated that there were probably over 100 Chinese tourists who came to Taiwan just to witness this event.

Mr. and Mrs. Huang from Hong Kong stopped by Freedom Plaza on their last day in Taiwan, and they took many photos of the group practice site. Mrs. Huang said that she rarely saw such a spectacular scene in Hong Kong. She said it was hard to believe that so many people can sit together to practice the same exercises. When they learned that Falun Gong is being persecuted in China, they were completely surprised and puzzled.



Two western tourists were fascinated by the practice site

Many passersby were attracted by the peaceful exercise demonstration and started learning the exercises on site.

Mr. Liao Huashi is a high-tech company manager who started practicing Falun Gong six years ago. While he is always busy at work, regular practice of Falun Gong exercises and Fa study have helped him to maintain a peaceful heart. He thus can work more efficiently. Today, his mother, mother-in-law, wife, and child all practice Falun Gong.



Mr. and Mrs. Liao and their child

Ms. Dong Sijin has practiced Falun Gong for 15 years. During the Chinese character event and later Master’s portrait forming, she felt that she was surrounded by a powerful energy field and was not tired or thirsty during the two-hour sitting. Her mind was very pure. Working for a travel agency, she has worked with numerous customers, and she always tries her best to serve every customer to their satisfaction. In any conflict, she now always looks inside to improve her forbearance.

Painter Meng Qiwen attended a nine-day lecture class this past July, and she said that she loves studying the Fa . “I have tried many cultivation practices before, but I knew they were not what I was looking for. When I got in touch with Falun Gong, I realized that this was what I had been looking for, for so long.”

Early in the morning, a police officer came and asked about the schedule of practitioners’ activities. He then left. Practitioner Cai Shouren, who was in charge of renting the venue, said that Taiwan police know Falun Gong well and they respect practitioners.

Cai said, “While Freedom Plaza is next to the Presidential Compound and we have so many people, they are not worried at all. Not a single police officer has been deployed to watch us.”



Posting date: 12/1/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/11/27/亚洲法会前夕--七千五百人集体炼功-249901.html

Australia: Falun Gong Contingent Receives Two Awards at Festival of Fisher's Ghost Grand Parade in Sydney (Photos)

By Yun Yun in Sydney

(Clearwisdom.net) On the afternoon of November 5, 2011, the Campbelltown City Council in Sydney announced that the Falun Gong contingent had won two awards at the Campbelltown City Festival of Fisher's Ghost, including "Best Cultural Group" and "Overall Runner Up."

Divine Land Marching Band participates in Campbelltown City Festival of Fisher's Ghost grand parade in Sydney, Australia

Falun Gong practitioners in Sydney were invited to take part in the Campbelltown City Festival of Fisher's Ghost parade. The procession, composed of more than 100 entries with more than 2500 participants, set off at Broughton Street, moved along Queen Street, and continued for about one and a half hours before reaching Koshiyaga Park. Nearly 30,000 audience members participated in this festival celebration.

The Falun Gong contingent has participated in this parade since 2000, and won various awards and prizes. Both organizers and the audience have a favorable impression of Falun Gong.

Event participants also included federal and state MPs and city council members, who were seated on the main stage to watch the parade procession. When the Falun Gong contingent passed by, the host made an introduction to the audience through a loudspeaker about the characteristics of Falun Gong and its development, its widespread in more than 100 countries around the world, and the meaning of ancient Chinese cultivation practice.

The Falun Gong contingent was composed of the Sydney Divine Land Marching Band, a Falun Gong exercise demonstration team, and a beautifully decorated float, with practitioners sitting on beautiful handmade lotus flowers, looking extremely elegant. Peaceful music brought a wonderful feeling to spectators on both sides of the road.

Practitioners were also invited to set up a booth a week later to demonstrate Falun Gong exercises to people of different nationalities.

Practitioner Ms. Qu said that a western family of four came to ask for Falun Gong informational materials as soon as they set up the booth that day. Ms. Qu also introduced the English version of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party to the family, and told them about the persecution in China. The mother told her two children to go back to read the book carefully.

Two sisters in the neighboring booth were selling handicrafts. The younger sister said that she often suffered from insomnia, and couldn't sleep well. After listening to the Falun Gong exercise music, she took a short nap. She was surprised and said that she had never had such a comfortable sleep. So she came over to ask for truth clarification materials.

Ms. Wang said that two local Catholic priests were shocked after learning about the Chinese Communist Party agents harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. They exposed this atrocity at their church, and asked more than a thousand parishioners to sign a petition to be delivered to federal MPs, urging the Australian government to investigate and stop the crimes.

Posting date: 11/19/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
 http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/11/15/悉尼渔人节大游行-法轮功团体获奖（图）-249335.html

Germany: Falun Gong Wins Second Prize at Freimarktumzug Parade in Bremen (Photos)

By a practitioner from Bremen, Germany

(Clearwisdom.net) On October 22, 2011, Falun Gong practitioners in northern Germany participated in the annual Freimarktumzug (Free Market Parade) in Bremen, the second largest harbor city in Germany. Practitioners’ float won second price among the 147 participants.

The Divine Land Marching Band in Europe in the parade in Bremen

The Lotus Dance by the Celestial Maidens wowed the spectators The Falun Gong wins second prize in the parade

Closed to 200 thousand spectators watched the parade. On the morning of October 22, anxious spectators gathered on either side of Gastfeldstrasse waiting to see the parade. Beginning on Pappelstrasse, the parade followed Bürgerweide, Bruecke, and Obernstrasse, and ended at the train station in the center of the city. Falun Gong had the largest entry, which included the Divine Land Marching Band in Europe, the float, and the Celestial Maidens. Practitioners from England, France, Austria, and Switzerland came to Germany to help the local practitioners with the event and to help show the world the beauty of Falun Dafa. The practitioners’ contingent drew praise from the spectators all the way: “(The band’s) costumes are so pretty,” “I like the music,” “The Lotus Dance is amazing,” “This is terrific! Are you coming back next year?” “Could you give me one of the lotus flowers?” “How did such a large band travel to Bremen?” Many spectators inquired about Falun Gong.

At 4 p.m., the judges announced that Falun Gong had won the second prize and awarded the practitioners a certificate of merit.
Posting date: 10/27/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
 http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/10/24/德國不來梅大遊行-法輪功團體獲獎（圖）-248252.html

Paris, France: Practitioners Expose the Chinese Communist Regime's Human Rights Atrocities (Photos)

By a practitioner in France

(Clearwisdom.net) October 10, 2011, was the 30^th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in France. Initiated by the French Together against the Death Penalty (ECPM), major French human rights organizations, including the Human Rights League (LDH), the French chapter of Amnesty International, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the French chapter of the Christian Association for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), and the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, cooperated to build an “abolishing the death penalty village” on the square in front of City Hall in Paris. The organizers issued a special invitation to the French Falun Dafa Association and the French division of The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) to expose the Chinese Communist regime's unprecedented brutal atrocities of harvesting organs from living practitioners. The chairman of the French Falun Dafa Association told Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe about Falun Gong and the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist regime.

The chairman of the French Falun Dafa Association talking to Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe

 

People Learning the truth about Falun Gong and the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist regime

Practitioners tell people about Falun Gong.

At 11:30 a.m., the Mayor of Paris went to the village to listen to the introductory remarks of the participating groups. After seeing the organizer's exhibition, the Mayor paid his first visit to the exhibition by CIPFG and the French Falun Dafa Association. Chairman Hanlong Tang of the French Falun Dafa Association talked to the mayor about Falun Gong and the brutal persecution. He presented the mayor with pertinent information, including the legislative proposal signed by dozens of French Parliament members protesting organ transplant tourism. The proposal specifically mentioned the case of the Chinese Communist regime's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners and the investigative report on organ harvesting by the renowned Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas and former Canadian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs David Kilgour. The mayor said that he has always been for human rights in China.

In his speech to the public, Mr. Tang said, “I thank the director of ECPM, Raphael, for inviting us here to make public the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, especially the atrocity of the regime's organ harvesting from living practitioners.” He condemned the Chinese Communist regime's persecution of democracy activists, religious figures, and human rights activists. In particular, he pointed out that, according to the independent investigative report by two Canadians, tens of thousands Falun Gong practitioners have been murdered by the Chinese Communist regime through organ harvesting, which is even more brutal.

The director of ECPM, Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, invited the groups being persecuted in China to attend this event. He said in the interview, “It is totally unacceptable that, in this day and time, protesters and dissidents are being killed, sentenced to death, and their organs harvested.”

Many people from all walks of life visited the Falun Gong exhibition during the day-long activity. After learning the facts, people expressed their strong condemnation of the Chinese Communist regime's brutal persecution. Many of them signed the petition to show their support for practitioners' efforts to end the persecution.

Posting date: 10/23/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
 http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/10/12/法轮功学员在法国人权活动上揭中共罪行（图）-247803.html

Japan: Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference Held in Tokyo (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) The Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in Japan was successfully held in Tokyo on October 23, 2011. Eighteen practitioners gave speeches at the conference.

Conference hall

Experience sharing

Mr. Chai and Ms. Ma, who obtained the Fa in 2007 and 2008 respectively, told how they and their families have benefited from practicing Falun Gong. After seeing the positive changes in them their family members became supportive of Falun Gong.

Ms. Lei and Mr. Li from Tokyo shared their experiences of clarifying the truth to people from all walks of life in Japanese society. Ms. Lei has spent a lot of time talking to government officials. She has printed out materials and held press conferences. She, together with local practitioners, presented The Art of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance exhibition in Tokyo. Mr. Li often passes out materials on the street. He shared his experiences of improving his xinxing and eliminating attachments while clarifying the truth. He said, “Passing out materials on the street is probably the best way to clarify the truth to people, face to face. I often remind myself to save people with compassion and righteous thoughts, and let them see the beauty of Dafa through my behavior.”

Ms. Hasegawa from Hiroshima shared her experiences of promoting the Shen Yun Performing Arts performances. She said that she had fears at first when talking to people about Shen Yun. She described how she gradually realized the importance of Shen Yun, and eliminated her fear. When her attachment was gone, many people accepted what she had to say, and bought tickets. She felt that the sentient beings are waiting for it, and all we have to do is to follow Master's arrangements.

Ms. Quan from Tokyo also shared her experiences of promoting the Shen Yun performance to clubs and associations. She described how she makes friends with members of these associations, and how she told them about traditional Chinese culture and Shen Yun. She said, “I read the Fa and do exercises every day. Each time before I go somewhere to promote Shen Yun, I send forth righteous thoughts at home for 30 minutes. With strong righteous thoughts, things go smoothly. I have realized that every time I clarify the truth or promote Shen Yun, I need to overcome interference from the old forces and my own attachments and notions. Each time, I face a test of whether I believe in Master or not. When I follow Master's arrangement, the power of the Fa manifests.”

Ms. Yang from Osaka and Ms. Shen from Tochigi shared their experiences of making phone calls to China and convincing Chinese people to quit the communist party. Ms. Shen was jailed in China for two years due to the persecution of Falun Gong. She came to Japan in 2004, and started making phone calls to agents at the 610 Office and others who are involved in the persecution of Falun Gong. She said that the phone calls shock the evil people and help to rescue fellow practitioners.

Mizno, a young practitioner, read his experience sharing article in Chinese. He and his sister started practicing with their mother when they were very young. His mother teaches them by reading Hong Yin and Zhuan Falun in Chinese. They read the Fa and do exercises every day with their mother. They also help her to clarify the truth to their grandfather.

The conference successfully concluded at 5:00 p.m.

Posting date: 10/28/2011
Category: Experience Sharing Conferences
Chinese version available at
 http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/10/25/日本召开法轮大法修炼心得交流会（图）-248322.html

Japan: March Held in Tokyo Calling for an End to the Persecution of Falun Gong (Photos)

By Shao Ling from Tokyo Japan

(Clearwisdom.net) On the afternoon of October 22, 2011, Falun Dafa practitioners and supporters marched in Tokyo to raise awareness of the ongoing persecution in China and call for an end to the persecution.

Falun Gong march in Tokyo calling for the end to persecution in China

After a rainy morning, the weather turned bright around noon, leading more people and tourists to come out to the streets. The march started at Cedar Park in Shinjuku District and was led by the Divine Land Marching Band. A team of practitioners followed, demonstrating the Falun Dafa exercises. They were followed by an array of Falun Gong banners and signs calling for an end to the brutal persecution.

Many parade spectators asked for Falun Gong fliers. Some said they recognized Falun Gong because they had seen the group practicing the exercises in Ueno Park.

Many people who showed support expressed their concern for the safety of Chinese Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party. Many encouraged the practitioners to continue their efforts, and condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

People read fliers about Falun Gong and the persecution in China

When the march went through the Okubo area where many Chinese reside, some Chinese people stood along the street and watched the march quietly. As practitioners passed out fliers, they readily accepted them and began reading right away.

Practitioner Mr. Wu has participated in many Falun Gong events. He said the purpose of this march was to help more Japanese and Chinese people in Japan learn the truth and not be deceived by the CCP propaganda, so as to end the 12-year-long persecution of Falun Gong as soon as possible.

Posting date: 10/28/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at
 http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/10/26/日本法轮功学员举行反迫害游行（图）-248367.html

Versailles Palace Presents 400 Years of Furniture

An exhibit offers ideas for the future furnishing of the palace

By Renate Lilge-Stodieck
Epoch Times Staff 

The Hall of Mirrors, 246 feet in length and composed of 357 mirrors, is the most splendid and most famous hall of the Palace of Versailles, which is located west of Paris. The castle has 700 rooms, more than 2,000 windows, 1,250 fireplaces, and 67 stairca (Copyright EPV/C. Milet) 

 

The Versailles Palace, one of Europe’s grandest, presently hosts an exhibition showcasing 400 years of furniture and accoutrements—from the reign of Louis the XIV to the present. The palace is widely recognized as a gem among royal edifices.

 

Baron Roland de L'Espee, art historian, grew up with Versailles, became an art historian, and now, as president of the association "Friends of Versailles," is dedicated to preserving the palace, which is part of the UNESCO cultural heritage. (Courtesy of Roland de L'Espee)

 Baron Roland de L’Espée, since 2009 president of the association Friends of Versailles, sees himself responsible to keep the palace intact. The association was founded in 1907 to maintain the palace, given the danger that it was slated to being razed.

“I feel responsible as a landlord but not as an owner,” de L’Espée said.

Questioned as to what prompted him to assume this honorary position, he said: “I grew up with the Versailles heritage—my father was already a member of the Friends of Versailles, and I was accepted as a member in 1980.”

 

“The association realized that it would be for the sake of the association to retain me, an art historian who works in a well-respected company, knows all things pertaining to the history of the palace, and knows the curators and conservators whose knowledge is invaluable to preserve the art treasures and architectural integrity,” de L’Espée said.

“So, it became almost automatic for me to accept this position. Versailles is dear to my heart,” de L’Espée said.

The Younger Generation 

 

The palace, occupying more than 0.9 miles of grounds, was the model for many other 17th and 18th century European palaces. It has been part of the UNESCO cultural heritage since 1979. The palace and its fabulous gardens are open to visitors, as are other palaces in the park.

Although Versailles rates high on an international list of things to see, young people may not necessarily feel the urge to visit.

“Young people must first develop an open-door attitude toward history. I would like to open them a window to the art of the past,” the baron said. “Versailles is a very special place. It was the center of 17th and 18th century European art.

“It formed contemporary tastes in art development, painting, sculpture, furnishings, gardens, music, and theater and influenced culinary creations and court etiquette. Even the French language reached all over the continent.”

Versailles offers settings for conferences and lately summer courses for aspiring conservators. “These courses are open to young people who might live outside Paris and whose funds are limited.

“By attending these courses, young people can gain practical experiences and learn about the art and actually come into contact with colors, wood, marble, and how they need to be treated for long-term preservation. They get to know the world of the arts in a practical way, instead of an academic way,” de L’Espée said.

The Sun King 

 

Louis XIV, called the Sun King, reigned between 1643 and 1715. He enlarged Versailles into this imposing palace and made Versailles what it is today, a triumphal site. 

 

An exhibit at Versailles Palace presents furniture from four centuries to help determine how Versailles should be furnished in the future. (Copyright EPV, JM. Manai, C. Milet)

 

 The Hall of Mirrors is a prototype for all that represents splendor in European nobles’ palaces and castles.

“The Sun King grew up impoverished because all the nobles were against his father,” de L’Espée said.

“He made the palace into his center, and in the middle of it, he resided. Everything revolved around him—just like around the sun. But there was never enough money,” de L’Espée said.

 

The exhibit Four Centuries of Furniture Design opened last month. “The exhibit poses the question how the palace ought to be refurnished to keep the authenticity of the things,” de L’Espée said. 

 

All furnishings were sold following the French Revolution. “Many of the treasures were taken to other kings, especially to England, and many ended up in museums. Many were retained,” de L’Espée said.

 

The exhibit presents objects from 400 years’ of furniture production as well as the taste of the era. “We will afterwards more easily be able to answer the question how we want to furnish Versailles,” de L’Espée said.

The exhibit Four Centuries of Furniture Design runs through Dec. 11. www.ChateauVersailles.fr 

Manhattan Rally Supports Ending Chinese Communist Party

Li Dayong the Executive Director the Tuidang movement, which helps Chinese descendents quit the Chinese Communist party, speaks at a rally in Chinatown NY. Currently there have been over 100 million who have quit the party. (Dai Bing/The Epoch Times) 

 

NEW YORK—Hundreds gathered at Columbus Park in Manhattan’s Chinatown on Sunday to support the 104 million-plus people who have renounced the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations since 2004.

Several pro-democracy groups, including the China Democracy Journal and China Democracy Party, were joined by people who support stopping the persecution of Falun Gong in China—a group that has been heavily persecuted by the CCP since 1999.

About 60 Chinese New Yorkers who have quit the CCP in the last few months were presented certificates at the event, and around 40 more passerby and friends of the supporters quit on the spot. This movement, called “Tuidang” in Chinese, has steadily been gaining traction. Recently, in the neighborhood of Flushing alone between 1,500 and 3,000 people each month are renouncing the CCP.

The rally started at around 10 a.m., after the Falun Gong practitioners who were on hand finished doing their slow moving, meditative exercises. Some of those who recently renounced the CCP asked the practitioners to teach them the exercises.

“I think the biggest obstacle is fear, because the CCP government, it’s not like the United States, you do not have freedom. There’s no freedom of speech—if you go back to China you will be persecuted, and [it’s] very, very cruel persecution,” said Jenny Qian, one of those who had received a certificate for renouncing the CCP. “But I think we need to liberate. We need the freedom to belong to ourselves. This is a really great opportunity for a lot of people.”

“After the movement started, more and more people actively participated and now people are not so afraid anymore,” said Yi Rong, one of the event organizers.

Dr. Li Dayong, CEO of the Global Service Center for Quitting the Chinese Communist Party, said the number is steadily increasing and we're now seeing people around the world celebrating the tuidang movement. "Now when you ask someone, they quickly say 'How do I quit?' or 'I've already quit!'

The Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP is a nonprofit organization established in 2005. It has over 100 service centers in more than 30 countries, and helps people resign from the CCP via the Internet, hotlines, faxes, mail, and in person.

The tuidang movement began after this paper published an editorial series called “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” which provides an uncensored history of the nature and crimes of the CCP.

Wang Beiji, a human rights supporter, spoke at the event and said that Falun Gong practitioners were not only fighting against the persecution, but also standing up for the culture of China and all of the Chinese people. He mentioned how practitioners had helped break through the CCP’s Internet blockade and had reported on what the CCP has tried to cover up.

“I have no relation to Falun Gong, and I have never attended a Falun Gong or Tuidang event before, but I am here today because I want to thank you,” he said.

Zhou Yanhua, a Falun Gong practitioner, was a teacher in China, and said he was imprisoned in 2006 for giving a student a flier about Falun Gong. The principal of the school had alerted a CCP secretary, and Zhou says that because they had no grounds to arrest him on, they lied to him. He was told he'd be meeting the secretary for a conversation, but when he got to the destination a car was sent to abduct him and he was detained for a month and forced to watch CCP propaganda films nonstop, along with other forms of abuse.

“What is the reason to persecute someone based on their principles or beliefs?” Huang Xiang, poet and democracy activist, asked. “China has a very pure and traditional culture, and the CCP reacts to that with violence—against their own culture—time after time they destroy their own country. I want human rights—don’t I deserve basic human rights as a person?”

"The whole world needs to speak up, and Beijing needs to hear 'Free China,'" Qian Bai said in his speech. "We need to push for it."

Dr. Wang Zhi Yuan, president of the World Organization to Investigate the persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), says that after learning the truth about the CCP, people want to detach themselves from the party, and it is on its way to be dissolved.
  

"[The CCP] is not taking the kind of responsibility a government should... [and we] need to prevent them from destroying the country, let them know the whole world is watching. It's time for people around the world to speak up."

After the rally, the Tian Guo (Celestial Band) marching band led a parade around Chinatown of quit-CCP supporters, Falun Gong supporters and practitioners, a drum corps, and those mourning the loss of those killed by the CCP, ending back at Columbus Park in the afternoon.

San Francisco: Falun Dafa Practitioners Share Their Experience at Fa Conference (Photos)

By Li Ruoyun
 

(Clearwisdom.net) The 2011 San Francisco Area Falun Dafa Conference was held on October 16 at the South San Francisco Conference Center. Many practitioners from the western U.S. states attended the conference.

Some of those who presented papers at the conference talked about how they clarified the facts about the persecution in San Francisco Chinatown to help the Chinese people there quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These practitioners seized every opportunity and helped as many people become aware of the true situation as possible. Some practitioners talked about how they came across conflicts in their Fa-validation projects, how they looked within to look for their attachments, and how they adjusted themselves to cooperate with others.

The 2011 Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in San Francisco.

A practitioner shares his experiences

A practitioner shares her experiences

A coordinator in the truth clarification work discussed how many practitioners went to the Portsmouth Square in Chinatown on weekends to do the exercises, send righteous thoughts, and help the Chinese people quit the CCP. He said that initially, Chinese people who believed in the CCP’s slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong tried to assault the practitioners. The police took them away. Through everyone’s persistent efforts to talk to people about the persecution of Falun Gong, these people stopped coming.

Portsmouth Square is a place where Chinese people in San Francisco area gather. Initially, many Chinese people did not understand the facts about Falun Dafa and believed in the CCP’s propaganda slandering Falun Dafa. Some of them scorned the practitioners from time to time. After the practitioners persistently clarifying the facts to them, many of them have changed. Some of them began to greet with the practitioners, some befriended the practitioners, and some quit the CCP and its organizations.

Several practitioners spoke of how in the past few years, many political figures in San Francisco have been influenced by local Chinese consular officials, helping them in exchange for favor in various personal interests. However, many of them, after listening to practitioners tell them the facts of the persecution, thanked the practitioners for their effort and spoke of their situations publicly in the media. They began to help exposing the criminal acts of the local Chinese officials.

As the practitioners intensified their effort in raising awareness about the persecution in San Francisco, many people gradually accepted Falun Dafa and dared to express their support for Falun Dafa in public. A practitioner gave an example that happened during an annual celebration in the Chinese community, “In the past few years, we have encountered tremendous resistance when we applied to join the parade. This year, not only were we welcome, the event organizer thanked us for joining the activity. As the Falun Dafa procession passed the major stage at the end of the parade, the host, who used to hesitate to praise Falun Dafa in public, gave a positive introduction on the Falun Dafa exercises. The audience gave a warm applause to the practitioners.”

Some practitioners feel that the standard we must reach as practitioners is getting higher and higher. One mentioned that to save more people, “We must let go of our notions and attachments in everything we do. We must look within no matter we are right or wrong in a conflict and work together with one another.”

Posting date: 10/18/2011
Category: Experience Sharing Conferences
Chinese version available at  
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/10/17/旧金山法会-学员交流讲真相体会（图）-247991.html

Brisbane, Australia: Falun Gong Joins Cultural Performances at Diwali Festival (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) On October 14, a Diwali Festival celebration was held at King George Square in Brisbane. The festival is a tradition from India that celebrates the victory of justice over evil. Among others, Falun Gong practitioners’ cultural performance received hearty applause from the audience.

Falun Gong exercise demonstration at the Diwali Festival in Brisbane 

A couple received Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials from a practitioner 

A daughter and her mom listened to a practitioner’s introduction of Falun Gong

Diwali is the most important festival in India's Hindu tradition. The celebration in Brisbane is one of the largest cultural events in Australia. It receives support from the Australian government and is a favorite of local residents.

After a series of Indian performances, Falun Gong practitioners presented a Lion and Dragon Dance and a demonstration of Falun Gong exercises.

Dr. Unnikeishnan, secretary of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland, said that many people liked the Falun Gong performance. He said: “People are saying that they did not expect this performance could be so awesome.” As a key organizer of the festival, Unnikeishnan said that he will invite the practitioners back next year.

During the one-day event, the Falun Gong booth was visited by a continuous flow. Practitioner Daniel said: “A lot of people got a chance to learn what Falun Gong is and received related materials.” He hoped that all Australians will recognize Falun Gong's principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

Posting date: 10/18/2011
Category: Community Events
Chinese version available at  
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/10/16/澳洲学员排灯节上传递真相与希望（图）-247949.html