Ah Hong, a 59-year-old woman, had pursued fame and fortune recklessly in her youth without considering the consequences. Halfway through her life, she had an empty bank account and was diagnosed with late-stage cancer ten years ago. It wasn’t until then that she began to reflect on the gains and losses in her life.
Practicing Falun Gong, Cure the Cancer
Around 2000, Hong saw a display board at a Falun Gong truth clarification site in Hong Kong for the first time. The board showed bloody images of practitioners being beaten by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She believed the CCP could do such things but bypassed the display board many times without delving deeper into it.Later on, while visiting her relatives in Beijing, Hong heard that a female executive at a state-owned enterprise who was also an overseas-educated doctor had been arrested by the CCP for practicing Falun Gong. Her company leaders and family members advised her to write a “guarantee letter” promising not to practice Falun Gong anymore so she could be released from prison. Her leaders even promised to promote her and raise her salary after her release if she complied with their request. However, she insisted on continuing to practice Falun Gong despite these offers. At that time, Hong already had a question in her mind, “How can there be a person in the world who doesn’t care about promotion and wealth? How can they be so foolish?”
When Hong visited Chongqing, China, to see her relatives, her father mentioned that the government had recently arrested many Falun Gong practitioners and claimed that these practitioners had guns. Hong couldn’t help but argue based on common sense, “The CCP controls the society so strictly. Where did these people go to get the guns? What could they do with the guns?”
Life is unpredictable. In 2011, when 47, Hong was diagnosed with uterine fibroids and underwent surgery to remove them. Three months later, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and cancer cells had spread throughout her body. She could no longer undergo surgery. Hong searched for doctors in Hong Kong and mainland China but was advised to rest at home. Her family asked her to return to Chongqing for treatment but worried she might not survive the trip.
From then on, Hong suffered from severe sleep disorders and often couldn’t fall asleep. The after-effects of her previous surgery also caused her to experience urinary incontinence. The doctor secretly told her family that she was already in the late stages of cancer and that her life might only last three to six months.
Hong described how she gradually became unclear when her condition worsened, “When my condition was very serious, I often saw deceased relatives talking to me at my bedside.” She believed some people could communicate with deceased loved ones before passing away.
By chance, a Falun Gong practitioner in Hong Kong introduced Falun Gong to Hong several times. With a trial-and-error mindset, Hong read Falun Gong books, bought instructional DVDs, and tried practicing at home.
On the first day of practicing Falun Gong, Hong only read a few pages of the book and did a few exercises. She said, “I slept until dawn and didn’t need to take sleeping pills anymore. It was very comfortable! Before that, I woke up every 10 to 20 minutes.”
“After half a month of practicing Falun Gong, my body felt different. I felt I didn’t need to take medicine anymore,” Hong said.
When she went for a follow-up with her doctor, he was amazed at how much her condition had improved and asked, “What did you eat? Did you see any other doctor? The lumps on your body are much less than before. ”
Hong gladly replied, “I have been practicing Falun Gong, and this would be my last visit.”
Spiritual Sublimation Through Practice
Practicing Falun Gong has brought physical health to Hong and spiritual sublimation.From 2010 to 2011, Hong faced financial difficulties and lost many loved ones; meanwhile, she also battled cancer. At that time, she began to reflect on the gains and losses in life.
Before practicing Falun Gong, Hong was an atheist who spoke recklessly without fear of consequences. “I had a strong ego and believed I must succeed in everything.” She also pursued money relentlessly and thought that money could buy everything. “If I want something done, I will do whatever it takes.”
However, after practicing Falun Gong, Hong started to believe in the existence of gods and Buddha. She became peaceful and understood the importance of going with the flow of life rather than being obsessed with money.
Due to her severe illness, the Hong Kong government provided Hong with monthly disability payments of around HK$5,000 and other benefits such as transportation discounts. However, under the teachings of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” by Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi, Hong realized that as a healthy person now, she should not receive these benefits anymore according to the practice of becoming “Truthful.”
Therefore, she voluntarily applied to cancel these benefits, shocking the government officials who asked her multiple times, “Have you made up your mind? Once it is canceled, reapplying is difficult.” Hong firmly replied, “ I am now healthy, so I don’t need that.”
Witnessing the Brutality of CCP’s Family Planning Policy
Hong said, “Falun Gong was demonized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP); after witnessing the miraculous effects of the practice, I began to reflect more deeply on the CCP’s lies and my own experiences in mainland China.”Hong grew up in mainland China and immigrated to Hong Kong in the 1980s. Before that, she had witnessed firsthand the bloodshed and cruelty of CCP’s family planning policy.
She recounted how family planning workers would barge into people’s homes and forcibly abort pregnant women, treating them like criminals. “If there were no one at home, these workers would take away valuable items from the house, even taking away chickens if there were any. If the house had no valuable items, they would at least make holes in the walls.”
Letting Go of Resentment Toward Police
After moving to Hong Kong, Hong found that what she had learned in mainland China was very different from what she had experienced in Hong Kong. She saw what a normal society is. However, she also lamented that “Hong Kong has become much similar to mainland China within just over 20 years since 1997.”Hong had an unpleasant experience at a police station in Hong Kong. On July 1, 2020, the day after CCP imposed the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” she was arrested by police for distributing free copies of The Epoch Times.
Hong refused to wear prison clothes or sign her confession statement as she insisted on her innocence. A male Superintendent of police threatened her by saying, “If you don’t sign your name or wear the clothes, we'll send you back to mainland China for organ harvesting.”
“When he finished speaking,” Hong recounted, “the male police officer probably realized he had said something wrong and was livid. He immediately put on a mask and stopped talking.”
At that time, Hong felt very sad and couldn’t help but cry. “I turned to the higher-ranking male police officer and asked him, ‘How many people have you sent back to mainland China for organ harvesting? Have you done it yourself? If you have, admit it. Don’t wear a mask. I will remember you, and I will tell the world.’”
Hong then looked at the police officers present and said, “Do all of you agree with such an evil act as organ harvesting?”
“At that time, the male Superintendent was very embarrassed. Over a hundred police officers were present, everyone looking at each other without saying a word,” she added.
Calmly Confronting the Hong Kong of Today
After the deterioration of Hong Kong’s environment, many Hong Kong people emigrated to foreign countries. Hong said that she would always stay in Hong Kong.She lamented that Falun Gong practitioners had been through so much in Hong Kong over the years, but if the CCP were to do anything unjust towards them again, they would still face it calmly. “Falun Gong still exists in Hong Kong, which also comforts Hong Kong people. No matter what happens in the future, I will face it calmly.”
“Many Hong Kong police officers grew up in a free environment and understood some truths. They won’t persecute Falun Gong practitioners like the CCP’s public security personnel do. Compared with the CCP’s public security personnel, I’m not worried about Hong Kong police officers and government officials.”
She finally emphasized, “The CCP is not having an easy time either; they should consider their future. They shouldn’t cross certain lines because how will they return when they fall from power one day? What about all those bad things they have done? They are very pitiful.”
