I Participated in the April 25 Appeal

(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa 30 years ago on April 25, 1995. Four years later I joined the 10,000 practitioners who went to Beijing who wanted to tell the government the truth about Falun Dafa, so they would give us a safe environment to practice. The event was called the most peaceful mass protest in China’s recent history.

The first time I read Zhuan Falun 30 years ago, I was very emotional when I read, “Zhen-Shan-Ren is the Sole Criterion to Discern Good and Bad People.” I thought that it was so well said, and I should follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I knew it would be hard for me to forbear because I was impatient and irritable, but I made up my mind to cultivate forbearance.

When I read in Zhuan Falun about “The Issue of the Celestial Eye,” “The Supernormal Ability of Clairvoyance,” and “The Supernormal Ability of Precognition and Retrocognition,” I held the book up and shouted, “This is a great book. It’s revealed so many things that puzzled me for a long time.” My coworkers smiled, because I often shared with them the wonderful things I learned from the practice, and my understandings.

At that time, about 500 practitioners regularly went to the local exercise site. On the evening of April 24,1999, the assistant at the site told us that 45 practitioners in Tianjin were arrested a few days before. She said that several local practitioners were heading to Beijing that night to ask government officials to release the Tianjin practitioners. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with them because I was afraid of being arrested, which would have a negative impact on my job. At the same time, I felt sad and asked myself if I was a genuine practitioner—the answer was yes. I witnessed miracles after I took up the practice and I’d become healthy. I knew that I had to go to Beijing to tell the officials that Falun Dafa is a righteous practice and the teachings help people become good citizens.

I left the exercise site after I did the first exercise, and looked for the assistant. I felt anxious, worried that I’d miss the opportunity to go to Beijing with her. Before I left the park, I spotted her with several other practitioners. I ran towards her, crying like a child, and exclaimed, “You’re still here, I wasn’t left behind!”

We got to the train station around 9 p.m. and met a few more practitioners after we boarded. The train was packed, mostly with practitioners. I heard later that there were more than 1,000 practitioners on the train that day.

We arrived in Beijing around 5 a.m. I couldn’t stop crying on our way to the State Public Complaints and Proposals Administration (CPA) on Fuyou Street. A practitioner kept consoling me, saying, “There’s nothing to worry about.” I told her that I wasn’t worried and didn’t even know why I was crying. On our way to the CPA, I saw a few other practitioners crying as well.

Standing on Fuyou Street looking into the distance, I saw practitioners packed together on the side of the street where the CPA was located. I felt touched and inspired, which made me cry even more.

After we arrived at the CPA, there was no room to stand on either side of the street, so we found a vacant lot across the street from the CPA. We lined up and stood there quietly. A dozen more practitioners came and stood next to us. One of them asked where we were from. I was crying so much that I could barely speak. After I calmed down, I told her where we were from and said we took the overnight train to get here around 5 a.m. They were touched after hearing that we’d come such a long way. They lived on the outskirts of Beijing and left home early that morning.

Around 8 a.m., we heard that the CPA asked us to send representatives to talk to their officials. A practitioner came over and asked if any of us practiced law and could go talk to them, but none of us did. We felt heavy-hearted, and continued to wait for good news.

An hour later, the police started arriving. They watched us closely, but didn’t seem hostile. A few times I saw cars drive by with people inside filming us.

After some time, the practitioner to my right told me in a serious voice, “They plan to take action against practitioners at 1 p.m. Pass it down.” I quickly told the practitioner next to me.

The atmosphere was a bit tense. I wondered what I would say if the police took action and I was arrested. I knew that I would not back down, no matter what. I would tell them, “Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. It not only resolves illnesses, but also improves people’s morals. Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I suffered a severe back injury and had difficulty moving. I also had hemorrhoids and skin diseases—all of which disappeared after I began practicing. I never embezzled a penny at work even though I could easily have done so. I didn’t fight when I wasn’t given the bonus I deserved. When my supervisor forgot to pay me overtime, I simply asked him to remember next time. I used to be impatient and irritable; now I have changed for the better. I was never like this before practicing Falun Dafa. Because someone slandered Falun Dafa in Tianjin-based media, the practitioners in Tianjin went there to clarify the facts, and were unlawfully arrested. We are here hoping that the government will release them. We also want officials to know that Falun Dafa is a righteous practice that teaches people to be kind and good.”

As noon approached, I wanted to go to the CPA to see what was going on. As I crossed the street, I could see both sides packed with practitioners from one end to the other. Nothing was happening inside the CPA, so I went back to the vacant lot.

The police didn’t take any action against us that day. Around 8 p.m. a practitioner came to tell us that the authorities agreed to release the practitioners in Tianjin. They also promised the practitioners a legal environment to practice and publish Falun Dafa books. We were relieved. We picked up the litter on the ground and left quietly.

When I wrote this article to commemorate the 26^th anniversary of that peaceful protest, I went back in time, and every scene replayed vividly in my mind. It felt so emotional that I was in tears. In the past 26 years, Master has suffered tremendously for us to help us pass each test. This is how we’ve been able to save people and walk steadily on our path home. No words can express my gratitude for Master’s grace.