PureInsight | August 10, 2021
[PureInsight.org] Kong Weijing was 49 years old in 1999. She was an economist who promoted savings and conducted research at a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). She was a timid introvert. She never thought she would one day be known by the top and even shock Jiang Zemin, former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
On April 25, 1999, Kong Weijing was brought to Zhongnanhai by then-Premier Zhu Rongji. As one of the hundreds of millions of people who benefited physically and mentally from practicing Falun Gong, she went to Zhongnanhai (State Council Letters and Calls Bureau) to petition. She happened to stand on the sidewalk directly opposite the gate of Zhongnanhai Ximen Letters and Calls Bureau and was randomly selected by Zhu Rongji, who went to learn about the situation.
That day made history. On that day, “Falun Gong,” the name of the Buddhist Qigong that had only spread among Chinese people, was suddenly pushed onto the world stage. “Falun Gong practitioners,” most of whom were ordinary Chinese people, were placed in the spotlight one after another.
From Cowardice to Courage
Kong Weijing was a timid person since childhood and never dared to speak in public. As a child, she would cry in fear when someone scolded her or even stared. She stayed far from everyone. On the bus, her heart would pound just watching others quarrel.
When Weijing first read Falun Gong’s main book Zhuan Falun, she was first shocked by the author’s frankness and courage. She thought to herself, “Why is this qigong Master so frank, honest, and decent? How does he dare write these 'feudal superstitions' so bluntly and call 'Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance' the truth of the universe, which conflicts with the CCP’s ideology of ‘opposing heaven, earth, and people'? In the future, when the CCP engages in political campaigns, will Falun Gong not become the target of persecution? Why does this person write this without regard for personal safety? Is he not afraid of incurring trouble?”
She noticed other qigong masters did not explain any principles and just said, “Heavenly secrets cannot be leaked,” which maintains intrigue without risking anything politically. She felt that the teacher of Falun Gong was completely responsible towards practitioners and explained all the profound principles. This was a manifestation of selflessness and strength.
Weijing’s also felt that “Falun Gong was simple and easy to learn and teaches people to be good.” Falun Gong’s founder discussed the profound principles of life and the universe. He said that people must pay attention to virtue and compassion and eventually achieve the realm selflessness. Although the standard is high, everything depends on one’s heart.
“Master said that as long as you cultivate your Xinxing (character), your gong (energy) will increase. He also said that the Fa cultivates practitioners at all times… Master really does what he says. I experienced many miracles.” Weijing recalled that she spent two nights reading the book. Afterwards, her chronic stomachache disappeared. She had a lump in her stomach and could not bear the pain. Even before she started practicing the exercises, her illness had been cured. She no longer felt pain, and the lumps disappeared. Moreover, all her other illnesses, including pyelonephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and sciatica, were all cured. She found this incredible. “Before I practiced or saw Master, Master had already removed the root of my illnesses.”
From then on, the atheism that had been in her mind for decades disintegrated. She felt light and healthy. Since she started cultivating, she has bid farewell to sickness and medicine for twenty-six years.
The biggest change for Weijing was her spirit. Because she found the true meaning and direction of her life, she became fearless, worry-free, and more courageous. She said it was like the song lyric “because [she] embarked on a divine path.”
On the evening of April 24, 1999, Weijing heard the news that Falun Gong practitioners in Tianjin had been arrested. She immediately decided to go to the Bureau of Letters and Calls to clarify the truth about Falun Gong. She thought about what happened on Chang'an Street during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests. She decided to wear her work uniform and bring her work permit to prove her identity. The next morning, she went to Zhongnanhai Bureau of Letters and Calls.
Chinese people believe that “a drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring” and “teacher for one day, father forever.” Weijing felt that Master gave her so many precious things, revealed to her the purpose of life, and taught her the principles of life without asking a penny, as long as she had a heart of true cultivation and kindness. “When the great Master and great Fa are slandered, how could one not stand up in defense?”
Randomly Selected by Zhu Rongji to Enter Zhongnanhai
In early April 1999, the brother-in-law of Luo Gan, then secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, He Zuoxiu, a rogue scientist who repeatedly slandered Falun Gong, once again published a slanderous article in a journal of the Tianjin Education Institute. Local Falun Gong practitioners went to clarify the truth. On April 23 and 24, Tianjin police beat and arrested 45 Falun Gong practitioners. After the news broke, some Falun Gong practitioners in the Beijing and Tianjin area went to the Petition Bureau of the State Council to petition.
At 7 AM on April 25, Kong Weijing went to Fuyou Street with a retired Peking University professor and an illiterate elderly lady neighbor. There she met a well-known actor who everyone recognized and greeted. She also saw a foreign minister and soldiers in military uniforms standing in the crowd. She met a 70-year-old man from Yanqing in the outer suburbs of Beijing who arrived overnight by taking the bus and walking. Weijing also met a young mother from Fangshan District with her three-year-old daughter. Standing in front of her were two college students from Renmin University. These people from walks of life gathered at the Bureau of Letters and Calls of the State Council on Sunday, April 25 to tell the government a message from the bottom of their hearts. People stood quietly on the sidewalk in twos and threes without occupying the road or blind lanes.
As the number of people increased, Weijing saw police guiding scattered Falun Gong practitioners from the north and south into one place. At about 8 AM, Kong Weijing, who was standing in the second row, was just about to sit and meditate when she suddenly heard a round of applause. She quickly stood up and saw Premier Zhu Rongji walking out of the west gate of Zhongnanhai. Zhu Rongji strode across the road with several staff to the Falun Gong practitioners.
As soon as Zhu Rongji stopped, he asked one question after another, “Why are you here? Do you have any demands?”
Everyone replied, “We want to practice.” “We want to cultivate.”
Zhu Rongji immediately asked, “Who is not letting you do the exercises? I have instructions from the central government’s Three No Policies.”
Someone in the crowd responded loudly, “We did not see it.” “People were arrested in Tianjin.”
Zhu Rongji asked again, “Who made you come? Who is your representative? Do you have a representative? Let the representative come and talk to me.”
Everyone said, “We came by ourselves”.
Zhu Rongji said, “How would I talk to so many of you? Ask your representative to come talk to me.”
At this time, some people raised their hands and said, “I represent myself.” Everyone raised their hands and repeated, “I represent myself.” “I also represent myself.”
Zhu Rongji pointed his finger at random people and said, “You, you, you, can you come talk to me?” Weijing saw that she was selected, so she replied, “Yes!” Then she and two others followed Zhu Rongji out of the crowd towards the west gate of Zhongnanhai.
Zhu Rongji's entourage immediately asked the three of them, “Which company are you from? What are your names? What are your telephone numbers?”
Weijing replied, “Dongsheng Road Branch Office of Haidian District Office.” Another person was an accountant for a large company, and the other was a graduate student from the Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
As Zhu Rongji walked, he confessed to his subordinates that he asked the Director of the Bureau of Letters and Calls and the Director of the Central Office to come here. Then the three of them were taken to a house on the north side of the west gate with a sign “Reception Room,” and Zhu Rongji left.
Soon two leaders came in, took out small notebooks, and started learning about the situation. Weijing and the other two practitioners recounted what happened in Tianjin and made three demands: first, immediately release the 45 practitioners detained in Tianjin; second, publish and distribute Zhuan Falun and other Dafa books; third, give Falun Gong a fair and legitimate environment.
In order to allow the leaders of the Bureau of Letters and Calls to fully understand the content of Falun Gong, Kong Weijing proposed finding more Falun Gong books that have been published. Upon receiving permission, she came out of the west gate of Zhongnanhai and walked to the Falun Gong practitioners across the road. She explained the situation. Everyone handed over the Falun Gong books they were reading or carried in their backpacks. She took the Falun Gong books and a joint letter entitled “No Participation in Politics—Veteran Practitioners” and returned.
When she went back, she found another Falun Gong practitioner from the Second Academy of the Ministry of Aeronautics and Astronautics. After inquiring, the two leaders said the situation would be brought up to higher levels as soon as possible, but the central government would need to investigate before responding. They told the practitioners to pass on this message to the other practitioners outside so everyone could go home first and not gather for extended periods of time. They also said, “Beijing is the capital. You are all cadres and employees of Beijing enterprises and institutions, so you must safeguard Beijing's international image and global influence” and so on.
After that encounter, Weijing came out with the others. After updating everyone, she returned to the crowd where she stood before. A few hours later, she saw heavily-armed soldiers appear at the roadside in front of them. The practitioners in the first row stood at gunpoint, but no one panicked, and the crowd did not move. A while later, the military police with guns evacuated. Weijing, like everyone else, stayed until after 9 PM. After hearing that their three demands were accommodated, she went home.
“Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners gathered at Fuyou Street, Wenjin Street, Xi'an Gate, Beihai, and Chang'an Street for over ten hours, yet not even a piece of paper was left behind. Even cigarette butts littered by the police on duty were picked up.” Weijing said, “Later the CCP said that 'Falun Gong besieged Zhongnanhai,' and the central leaders did not come out at all.' All their claims were fabricated excuses for suppression, and they were powerless before the truth.”
After “4·25”, Kong Weijing, an everyday employee, became well known within the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. She heard people say Jiang Zemin directly scolded the top officer, “Someone from ICBC joined as well!”
Less than two months after April 25, the CCP began its persecution of Falun Gong. In those dark days, Weijing, like other Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China, was monitored, arrested, and suspended from paying pensions. Her family members were also implicated and harassed. In order to prevent her family from being implicated, she had to divorce her husband. The date on the divorce certificate is July 20 of their second year. Over the next ten years, she would cry whenever she thought of her once warm and harmonious family.
Although the CCP’s repressive methods are extremely brutal, Weijing has no regrets about her choice. She believes she and other Falun Gong practitioners did great deeds for the benefit of the country and people.
“Before April 25, I practiced Falun Gong for the sake of personal healing and fitness. After April 25, what I did was not just for personal matters.” She said, “Especially in today's society when morality is declining, phenomena that go against good human nature and conscience are endless and shocking. Falun Gong practitioners are saving people because only 'Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance' can bring hope to mankind.”
This year's “April 25” is coming again. When Kong Weijing recalled the event 22 years ago, she also remembered Zhu Rongji who brought them into Zhongnanhai and later successfully resolved the petition. She hopes that Zhu Rongji can record the truth of what happened on “April 25” and pass it onto future generations.
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/267080
