Sister Hu, now 54 years old, lives in Zhao Dong Village, Zhao Ji Township, Taihe County, Anhui Province. Recalling the days when she practiced Falun Gong, Sister Hu deeply regrets it. At that time, Sister Hu was deceived and blinded by Falun Gong, which claimed to be able to "cure diseases and eliminate disasters". In Sister Hu's view, it was Falun Gong, under the banner of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance", that brought suffering to her whole family and led to the death of her strong and healthy husband.
Sister Hu was a local born and raised. In 1988, at the age of 20, she married Zhao Jianliang (a pseudonym), a boy from her village who grew up with her. They had a daughter and a son, and lived a not wealthy but happy life, by contracting land and relying on her husband working in construction within a dozen miles around.
Her husband was an honest man. He often told Sister Hu, "You just stay home and educate the children, and I earn money outside. Our life is so peaceful and stable now. We should focus on how to nurture our children to be successful, which is the right path for us."
Zhao Jianliang said and did exactly that. He took on the small construction projects of the villagers' houses, working from dawn till dusk overtime. In 2007, his daughter successfully got into university, making Zhao Jianliang and Sister Hu's family the envy of relatives and neighbors for a long time. However, their son was naughty from a young age. His academic performance was always unsatisfactory, and he dropped out of school early to start a family.
After the Spring Festival in 2015, the son and his wife entrusted their child, who had just one year old, to Sister Hu and went to work in Shenzhen. Zhao Jianliang told Sister Hu that as a grandmother, her duty was to take good care of the grandson and to take responsibility. At that time, Sister Hu happened to be diagnosed with thyroiditis, which made her constantly worried.
In the spring of that year, the arrival of a relative disrupted Sister Hu's peaceful life. The relative claimed that practicing "gong" could not only cure all diseases but also strengthen the body, and more importantly, keep the whole family safe.
Sister Hu was not interested in these claims, and with a young grandson and busy household chores, she did not take them to heart.
The torment of illness often led to her depression. That relative appeared again, saying: "This is 'qigong', which emphasizes 'truthfulness, compassion, forbearance', and is especially suitable for 'healing and health maintenance,' It's a good thing.” Under the relative's persuasion, Sister Hu started practicing this so-called 'qigong' with skepticism. After a period, the relative quietly told her that this 'qigong' was actually Falun Gong. Sister Hu vaguely understood that Falun Gong was a cult organization that had been banned by the State according to law. However, the strong psychological suggestion, along with the relative's continuous brainwashing, made Sister Hu believe that the improvement in her condition was due to Falun Gong. Thus, thinking that she was practicing "gong" merely for healing, Sister Hu gradually fell into the fallacies of Falun Gong, which led her astray.
Sister Hu gradually became obsessed, treating the Falun Gong book "Zhuan Falun" as a treasure. Later, she not only practiced at home, but also went out with the relative to secretly spread Falun Gong leaflets.
Over time, Sister Hu became indifferent to her family and loved ones. She neglected her grandson and no longer cared for her hardworking husband, focusing only on her own "study" and "practice". At that point, Sister Hu was delusional, mistakenly believing that the so-called "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" of Falun Gong was the way to be a good person. She was deeply convinced by Li Hongzhi's fallacies and heresies. Moreover, she disregarded medical advice, stopped her medication, and relied solely on practicing for treatment. Sometimes, she even went out to "clarify the truth", disappearing for days at a time.
She often did not come home all night, neglecting the family and children. Seeing their grandson often crying all night, Zhao Jianliang, who used to handling a bricklaying trowel, had to hold his grandson and feed him, feeling a great deal of anger inside.
During the days of uneasily sleeping alone with his grandson, Zhao Jianliang also had to work with his workers on the construction site during the day. In fact, Zhao Jianliang was also ill, suffering from high blood pressure and severely elevated blood sugar levels. The doctor advised him to rest, maintain a happy mood, and avoid staying up late.
Zhao Jianliang earnestly advised his wife to believe in science, seek medical treatment when sick, and take good care of their grandson. However, Sister Hu ignored her husband's advice, stubbornly believing that only those who practiced Falun Gong were good people. She saw her husband's concern as selfishness and even hostility.
One night in October (lunar month) 2015, when Zhao Jianliang returned from a construction site in another village, he found Sister Hu practicing Falun Gong with several people at home again. The dinner was not prepared. Their grandson was playing alone on the cold ground in front of the door, wearing a thin old sweater and looking like a muddy child. Zhao Jianliang was so angry that he jumped up and loudly scolded them. Seeing that his scolding did not elicit any reaction from Sister Hu, the heartbroken husband picked up his grandson and burst into tears. This man, who rarely cried, could never have imagined how this "Falun Gong" could change his wife so completely!
Due to extreme anger and overexcitement, Zhao Jianliang fainted on the spot while holding the terrified and crying grandson tightly in his arms. The husband's fainting did not stop Sister Hu and others from “practicing”; they ignored Zhao Jianliang lying on the ground and the loudly crying grandson, continuing to immerse themselves in cultivation.
The continuous crying of the child attracted the attention of kind-hearted neighbors, who then urgently called 120 to send Zhao Jianliang to the hospital for treatment. Zhao Jianliang was diagnosed with a cerebral infarction. Having missed the optimal treatment window, he was in hospital for half a month before unfortunately passing away.
The death of her husband did not awaken Sister Hu. She stubbornly believed that all of this was a test from her master, and that she had finally rid herself of "desire for fame and fortune", taking another step closer to "heaven".
In June 2016, Sister Hu and her fellow practitioners went out with Falun Gong propaganda materials to "clarify the truth". They posted the materials under bridges and on utility poles. After being discovered by local people and reported to the police, they were duly punished.
Sister Hu's blind devotion drew the serious attention of local township and village officials. The township officials visited her multiple times to deeply understand her family situation and her thoughts. Considering the situation of Sister Hu's family and their residence location, and her own wishes, they helped Sister Hu and her son and daughter-in-law, who had returned from working in other places, opened an agricultural supply store for selling seeds, pesticides, fertilizers, hardware, and other general merchandise. The township officials helped Sister Hu contact suppliers and apply for a business license, and guaranteed the supplies such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides with a permit for payment after sales, thus enabling the smooth opening of the store. Sister Hu's daughter, who was working in another place, also came back home specifically to join in persuading Sister Hu. It was not until this moment that Sister Hu seemed to understand a bit of the reality.
Nowadays, the agricultural supply store makes a profit of about 40,000 yuan a year. While managing the store well, Sister Hu can also look after her grandson, enjoying her family life to the fullest.
Reflecting on her past life, Sister Hu said with emotion that, she initially practiced Falun Gong for the sake of having a healthy body, but later gradually became obsessed with achieving “Perfection” and “Ascending to higher levels”, even starting down the path of illegality, something she never thought of.
Looking at her husband's portrait, Sister Hu often cries bitterly and shed tears of regret. In her own words, her husband, a wonderful family man, died prematurely because of her practice of Falun Gong, which has turned her once happy family into one that is no longer complete. This damage can never be repaired!
