Thousands of letters of greeting, poems, and gaily colored cards sent to a website based outside China are a sign that under the surface big changes are taking place inside China.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is an opportunity for Chinese to come together with their family and friends, eat moon cakes, enjoy brightly colored lanterns, and contemplate the moon’s beauty. Falling this year on Sept. 19, the holiday is also an opportunity for people to send their regards to Mr Li Hongzhi, the founder of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.
Sent in care of the Falun Gong website Minghui.org, the missives come from long-standing practitioners of Falun Gong and ones who just started, from individuals who don’t practice Falun Gong at all, from every province and region in China, and from locations around the world.
The dominant theme of these communications is gratitude. Gratitude for recovery from long-standing ailments, for lives and families made harmonious, for the wisdom gained from the teachings of Falun Gong, and for the opportunity to become spiritually free of the Chinese Communist Party.
This outpouring of gratitude takes place despite 14 years of persecution, with the CCP having used all manner of means to drive people away from Falun Gong. Sending a card to Mr. Li requires courage—believing in Falun Gong or simply speaking out for the practice can be severely punished.
Yet, these graceful, beautiful cards come streaming out of China nonetheless. By sending these expressions of gratitude, the Chinese people show they have tuned out the CCP’s campaign of hate. With a bright card, they show their hearts are free.
