(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Gao Wenzhi, 71, a resident of an outlying village near Huludao City, was an outstanding teacher. He has spent more than 30,000 yuan out of his own pocket to repair and maintain four village roads in the past eight years.
Since 2015, tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners and their families have filed criminal complaints against former dictator Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution. Thirteen practitioners from Huludao City were recently arrested between June 2 and July 24 because of their filings.
Mr. Gao was arrested at home on June 23 by police from Longgang Bianfang Police Station in retaliation for his lawsuit. The officers also confiscated his personal property including Master Li's (founder of Falun Gong) photo, Falun Gong books, a computer, and a pedicab. He was charged with making false accusations and has been detained at Huludao Detention Center since then.
More than 150 villagers have signed and fingerprinted a petition for his release.
Photo of signed and fingerprinted petition
Previous Persecution
Mr. Gao started practicing Falun Gong in 1995. Within six months his physical ailments, including hepatitis, rhinitis, and back pain, completely disappeared.
He was sent to a labor camp for three years in September 1999 for his belief. At the end of the forced labor term, he was illegally sentenced to another three years in 2002.
Maintaining Village Roads Out of His Own Pocket
Mr. Gao moved to Daochi Village after he was released from the labor camp in 2005. A road used by more than 30 families to get to their farms was filled with potholes from lack of maintenance. It was difficult for the villagers to pass through in rainy or snowy days. Mr. Gao repaired the road and has maintained it with his own money.
Every villager praised him and all greeted him by just saying the phrase “Falun Dafa is good.”
Another road near the railroad, about 300 meters long, was severely damaged. Repairing this road required significant amounts of asphalt. Mr. Gao bought an electric pedicab to haul leftover asphalt from construction sites. When he accumulated enough asphalt, he started to repair the road on hot summer days, since asphalt softens at high temperatures.
Mr. Gao wrote his phone number on the pedicab so that people could call him for road repair. Upon receipt of a report for repair, he soon patched up the potholes.
He also let people know the beauty of Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) with messages on his pedicab.
On one side of the pedicab, he wrote, “I’m grateful to Dafa for saving my life, and I follow the principles of 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' to bring peace to people.”
On the other side, he wrote, “Reciting 'Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!' is the way to be saved.”
News of Mr. Gao's good deeds spread everywhere. Everyone, including a local policeman, knew that Mr. Gao was a practitioner. The officer even told him not to leave the village.
A Secretary of Transportation wanted to give him a gift and put him on TV last year. Mr. Gao declined the offer and said, “I am a practitioner. I would not have done this if it were not for Falun Gong. I follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person. Do you dare to tell the public on TV that a Dafa disciple has repaired the roads?”
The secretary was in shock. Mr. Gao continued. “I used to suffer from two cancers and was told I had only one year to live. I then started to practice Falun Gong, and started to recover two weeks later. Now I am 70 and very healthy.”
Mr. Gao pointed out to the transportation secretary the government’s failure to maintain local roads. Not long after the conversation, the village roads were completely resurfaced.
Persons Responsible for the Persecution
Yu Zhisheng (于智盛), chief, Longgang Bianfang Police Station: 86-13709895127Meng Bing (孟冰), chief, Huludao City Police Department: 86-18842950005Zheng Xuping (郑绪平), director, Huludao Detention Center: 86-13998963869
