We hope that the harsh winter will end soon for the millions of families who have suffered as we did.
By Mi Zhen | February 2, 2014
In this file photo, a man looks at fireworks for sale in Beijing on Jan. 23, 2009, ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations. A Falun Gong practitioner writes of how the persecution he and his family have experienced has made it impossible for them to celebrate the holiday. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)
As a child, I loved Chinese New Year. It was a time to get new clothes, eat a lot of dumplings, set off firecrackers, and enjoy the festivities. As I grew up and became a parent myself, I enjoyed the gathering of all three generations in my family during the holiday.
However, Chinese New Year has become a most difficult time since the persecution of Falun Gong started in 1999. My wife was tortured to death several years ago. My mother passed away from the sorrow of losing her daughter-in-law and worrying about her son.
We haven’t set off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year after my first arrest over 10 years ago. I was later repeatedly arrested and detained. My wife was sentenced to prison. We weren’t in the mood to buy new clothes, go holiday shopping, or watch TV. After my wife’s death, on New Year’s Eve, my children would kowtow before their mother’s picture, burning incense to mourn her.
In addition, we also think of Mr. Qin Yueming’s family. How are they surviving their Chinese New Year? Mr. Qin was tortured to death in the Jiamusi Prison in Heilongjiang Province on Feb. 26, 2011. His wife Ms. Wang and younger daughter were thrown into a labor camp for a year and a half because the local authorities wanted to thwart their efforts to seek justice for him.
We think of Ms. Lin Ping and her mentally-ill son. He is over 20 years old now and has been ill for many years. When Ms. Lin was arrested for the first time over 10 years ago, he practiced Falun Gong as well. The school threatened him with expulsion if he didn’t write a “guarantee” to stop practicing. Fooled by the CCP propaganda and lies, Ms. Lin’s husband tore up the boy’s Falun Gong books and slapped him repeatedly.
The second time Ms. Lin was arrested, the boy suffered a nervous breakdown. When he saw women at a similar age to his mom, he would kneel down and call them “mom” and beg mom to return home.
We also think of Attorney Gao Zhisheng, who has been persecuted because he represented Falun Gong practitioners. How is he doing in his detention? How is his family doing in the United States during the Chinese New Year?
We hope that the harsh winter will end soon for the millions of families who have suffered as we did.
First published on Minghui.org
