Daughter Fears the Worst After Mother Disappears in China

Chen Xiao holds onto hope as she awaits news of her mother, who has been missing for three years. Supplied by Chen Xiao

After nearly three years of silence, Australian citizen Chen Xiao is anxiously awaiting news of her 76-year-old mother, Tan Zezhen, who was abducted by Chinese authorities for refusing to give up her faith.

Chen fears her mother may meet the same fate as her close friend, Xu Shanping, who died in July, just two days after being released from prison.

Xu, who was taken alongside Tan, had been severely emaciated due to torture and mistreatment in prison.

“Where are you, Mum? We really miss you!” Chen said in a Moon Festival greeting message to her mother.

“It’s been so long since we’ve heard anything from you. I don’t even know if you’re still alive. We all hope you can come home soon and have a reunion dinner with us.”

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities detained the two women in Guangxi province on Dec. 19, 2020, for distributing information about Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice that combines meditation and moral teachings to cultivate the mind and body.

Despite her disappearance for almost three years, Tan’s family has not received any legal documentation or been informed of her whereabouts.

Chen described her mother’s transformation after she began practising Falun Dafa in 1996.

”Her health improved dramatically; she was vibrant and full of life,” Chen said.

“People like my mother save the country a significant amount of healthcare costs. Our entire family has benefited from Falun Dafa. Every practitioner uses the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance to measure themselves, striving to become better people.”

Ever since the practice has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999, Tan’s life has been turned upside down.

“In the past 25 years, she has had her home ransacked more than 20 times,” Chen said.

“She served two labor camp terms for a total of three years and nine months. She was also repeatedly held in brainwashing centers, suffering all kinds of physical torture and mental pressure.”

Chen’s father, now 80 years old, is struggling without his wife and remains deeply worried about her safety.

10 Years of Waiting for a Passport and Reunion

Tan’s story mirrors that of another Falun Dafa practitioner, Li Tao, who has been separated from his wife, Zhuang Wei, and daughter for over a decade. They currently also reside in Australia.

Since 2008, Chinese authorities have denied his passport applications, and in 2023, they placed him on a list of individuals banned from leaving China.

The reason for his restriction, as reported by the Jishui County Public Security Bureau, was “potential harm to national security and interests.”

Li Tao, a software and hardware engineer, was first detained in a labor camp from 2001 to 2002 for refusing to renounce his beliefs.

“After a decade of separation, my family still cannot reunite,” Zhuang said.

“I urge the Australian government to help bring us back together and call for an end to the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China.”

Li Tao's wife Zhuang Wei. Supplied by Zhuang Wei

Peaceful Spiritual Practice Target of Brutal Persecution

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice that has gained widespread popularity since the 1990s.

With roots in ancient traditions, the practice consists of two main components: self-improvement through the study of teachings, and gentle exercises and meditation.

The practice offers spiritual growth through focusing on truth, compassion, and forbearance.

Many practitioners report improvement in health, increased energy, as well as mental clarity through their disciplined practice.

However, in 1999, then-Party leader Jiang Zemin saw the rising popularity of the practice as a threat to his power and the atheist ideology of the CCP.

A coordinated suppression campaign followed, including efforts to discredit Falun Dafa globally through propaganda and pressuring organisations, media, and governments to align with the CCP’s stance.

Falun Dafa practitioners, known for their improved health and clean lifestyles, have also become targets for forced organ harvesting—a practice involving the state-sanctioned mass killing of detainees to sell their organs.

A Plea for Help

Both families have called on the Australian government to use diplomatic channels to intervene in their cases.

In a letter addressed to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Chen noted that international pressure could make a crucial difference in securing her mother’s release, as well as drawing attention to the plight of other detainees.

“Without urgent intervention, I fear my mother may not survive her current ordeal. Your attention to this matter could make a profound difference in reuniting our family,” she said.

Their appeals add to a growing chorus of human rights groups who have long urged governments around the world to speak out against the CCP’s treatment of Falun Dafa practitioners.

In June, 26 human rights groups, including the World Uyghur Congress, Genocide Watch, and the Australian Christian Lobby, penned a letter to the prime minister to take urgent action against the “egregious human rights violations” targeting Falun Dafa in China.

“We ... are deeply concerned over the ongoing human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners in China, which are in violation of international human rights treaties,” the letter reads.

These cases shed light on the ongoing human rights abuses and the emotional toll on those left waiting for their family members’ return.