(Minghui.org) Early in the morning on July 1, 1999, two weeks before the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong began in China, something extraordinary happened to a woman in Heilongjiang Province.
Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yang Xuihua from Zhaozhou County was preparing breakfast when she heard her granddaughter yell, “Granny, look! A Falun!” Ms. Yang didn't bother to look up and replied, “I don't see it.” The little girl cried, “I'm not lying. Look, it's spinning and about to land!”
“It landed on that piece of glass,” the girl said, pointing to a large sheet of glass in the living room. Ms. Yang finally put aside her work to take a look and was overjoyed by what she saw: a transparent Falun spinning on the glass.
Stream of Curious Visitors
That evening a dozen practitioners came to Ms. Yang's home to study the teachings of Falun Dafa. All of them saw the Falun, but not everyone saw it exactly the same. Some saw Master Li Hongzhi standing on a large lotus flower in the middle of the Falun, some saw him meditating. Others didn't see him, but saw clear patterns of the four Buddhist swastikas and yin yang symbols.
The news of the Falun quickly spread. The next day, curious visitors poured in, from ordinary civilians to public servants from the local procuratorate, court, city hall, weather bureau, and police stations. Ms. Yang's house became a tourist attraction.
Unusual Guest
By mid-July, the news had traveled to Daqing City and people would travel a great distance just to see the Falun. One day a captain from Zhaozhou Police Department walked into Ms. Yang's home and said with a stern expression, “I heard that you have a Falun here. Where is it?” As Ms. Yang showed it to him, he told her to bring a clean rag. He carefully wiped the glass on both sides. In the end he murmured, “It's red,” and turned to Ms. Yang, “Try not to have so many people here. Your neighbors complained.” The added foot traffic and noise bothered her downstairs neighbor.
Ms. Yang replied, “Many have come a long way on a hot day. It would be rude to turn them away.” The policeman then went downstairs and told the neighbors not to make a big deal out of it.
Most visitors came with curiosity or skepticism, and left amazed. Different people saw different things on the glass. Most of them saw layers of colorful auras spinning around the Falun. Many saw a man standing or sitting inside the Falun. A very few people couldn't see anything.
Every day a couple of hundred people visited Ms. Yang's home. Before the Falun appeared, she had a dream where she saw many people performing the Yangko Dance in front of her and the atmosphere was festive and joyful.
Persecution and Propaganda
On July 20, Jiang Zemin launched the nationwide suppression of Falun Gong. Slanderous propaganda pieces attacking Falun Gong were constantly broadcast by every TV station. Much like other areas in the country, over 2,000 local practitioners in Zhaozhou County lost their freedom.
Five days later, on July 25, the deputy chief of the police department came to Ms. Yang's house with several officers and TV reporters. The reporters videotaped the Falun before the police confiscated the panel of glass.
Two days later the local TV station played a video on prime time. In the video, there was a Falun spinning with Ms. Yang talking on the side. Ms. Yang's voice was silenced and the broadcaster said,“Experts have confirmed that there wasn't a Falun, but a reflection of light.”
This segment was aired repeatedly for several days until a local newspaper, Daqing Daily, also picked up the report. Almost overnight, the local media reported on the incident in a similar manner, citing “expert analysis.”
The panel of glass was never returned to Ms. Yang.
A Lasting Blessing
Before the persecution started, there were thousands of practitioners in Zhaozhou. Remembering the positive atmosphere back then, these practitioners still feel emotional.
The appearance of a Falun once stirred the hearts of people in the city of Zhaozhou. Because of it, many police officers avoided participating in the persecution and a lot of citizens were receptive to learning the facts about Falun Gong. This Falun brought good fortune to the people of Zhaozhou.
