Australians Touched by the Awakening of 400 Million Chinese People

"The Awakening of 400 Million" premiered at Drill Hall in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 27. Grace Yu / The Epoch Times

It may be surprising that at least one out of every four Chinese people has publicly declared their withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its related organizations.

On Oct. 27, “The Awakening of 400 Million,” an investigative documentary that chronicles the biggest spiritual awakening movement by the Chinese people, premiered in Australia in downtown Melbourne.

Movement Triggered by Editorial  

The Tuidang movement was triggered by the editorial series “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” first published in the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times on Nov. 19, 2004.

The series comprehensively exposes the bloody history of the CCP and gives an in-depth analysis of the deceptive, violent, cultish, and rogue nature of the Party in different areas of history, politics, economy, culture, and faith.

On Jan. 12, 2005, The Epoch Times published a statement calling for Chinese people to withdraw from the CCP and its related organizations, also known as “Three Withdrawals” (withdrawing from the CCP, its Youth League, and the Young Pioneers).

On Feb. 22, 2005, more than 10 organizations, including the Epoch Media Group, the Farewell to the CCP Alliance, and the Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice, joined forces to establish the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP, a nonprofit service organization that assists people with the Three Withdrawals.

As of Oct. 8, 2023, the number of Three Withdrawals counted by the Center has exceeded 420 million.

Three Withdrawals for World Peace: Director

Li Jun, the director of The Awakening of 400 Million, is also known for his documentary “Harvested Alive,” which exposed the CCP’s crime of forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners for profit.

Mr. Li spent three years investigating a dozen frontline “Three Withdrawals” volunteers in Europe, Australia, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, wishing the documentary could record this period of history.

During the Q and A session, Mr. Li appreciated volunteers in Australia for their assistance in making the documentary.

“I interviewed a lot of volunteers for a total of 50 hours. The stories they told were very moving and blew me away,” he said, adding that there were so many touching stories and the real difficulty was how to choose between them.

“There’s only about one-twentieth of the interviews shown in the whole movie.”

At the end of the documentary, Mr. Li proposed to all the Chinese people in the audience to also do the Three Withdrawals.

It is worth noting that in China, elementary school is compulsory. Children start elementary school at age six and finish at age 12. Almost all elementary school students are required to join the Young Pioneers, which is treated as an honor.

“I believe that after watching this movie, you should be able to see what the CCP really is,” he said. “When all Chinese people wake up and quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, only then will there be peace in China and the world.”

‘Falun Gong Practitioners Use ‘Love’ to Oppose Tyranny’

“We are using ‘hate’ to oppose the tyranny of the communist party, but Falun Gong practitioners are different. They use ‘love,’” said Gao Jian, the representative of the Chinese Democratic Movement Alliance of Australia, after the screening.

“This is a completely different perspective. Falun Gong practitioners are marvellous!”

Mr. Gao was touched by the story of an elderly gentleman from San Francisco in the movie.

“He recorded and archived all ‘Three Withdraws’ lists and numbers each year. When someone questions the number of 400 million, those records, one by one, are the best proof,” he said.

Gao Jian from the Chinese Democratic Movement Alliance of Australia spoke after the movie screening. Grace Yu/The Epoch Times

Mr. Gao added that in the 70 years of communist rule, Chinese society has become materialistic and morally bankrupt.

“How to save this nation from disaster is a big project,” he said. “Expelling Marxism and reviving Chinese culture can only rely on Falun Gong practitioners.”

Labor Criticised for Weak Response to Beijing

Gerard Flood, the former deputy chair of the Democratic Labor Party, decried the current government’s “weak and inadequate” response to the CCP’s atrocities after watching the film.

Mr. Flood referred to the recent news that despite repeated objections from the Opposition, the Australian Federal Police and Charles Sturt University are still training Hong Kong police, which has been suppressing Hong Kong’s civil liberties in recent years.

Gerard Flood, the former deputy chair of the Democratic Labor Party, called for a stronger response to the CCP after the screening. Grace Yu/The Epoch Times

“The Australian Government has no idea if that training agreement has ended or has been extended,” he said. “Foreign Minister [Penny] Wong’s refusal to answer Senator [James] Paterson’s simple question exposes her and the Albanese government as totally inadequate to deal with mainland China’s bully-boy thuggery.”

“These disgraceful responses by the Australian Government are also dangerous because they incite the CCP to increase its aggression.”

“The CCP’s vast ongoing cruelties and its growing aggression against freedom, progress, and world peace demand a strong response.”

Jennifer Zeng and Sherry Qi contributed to this report.