Seven years ago when at the age of 36, he had been the director and general manager of the China Nonferrous Metal Industry and Trade Group (Hong Kong) and the East Copper Limited Company. He had been stationed in Hong Kong for 10 years.
Seven years later, still in the prison, he spoke with pride as before, "In those days, I had done a good job in my field (trade investment and futures, etc.)." At that time, he was highly recognized and respected by his counterparts at home and abroad.
However, Falun Gong gradually made him lose his mind. In 1999, he was sentenced to twelve years in prison and deprived of political rights for two years for using cult organization to undermine the implementation of law, causing death by organizing evil denomination, and illegally obtaining state secrets.
Ji Liewu firstly practicing Falun Gong was because of his bad health. He knew that it was caused by his busy work, but he did not take proper steps. In Sep.2006, Ji Liewu talked about Falun Gong and Li Hongzhi from the very beginning.
"Early in the 1990th, because the work was too busy-what I did was more than what ten people did, and I worked for almost 24 hours a day," Ji said, "my health was in bad condition and I got many chronic illnesses from constant overwork, which were not easy to be cured. I went to see doctors here and there, including the herbalist, the Taoist priest, Buddhist and so on."
Thus, Ji Liewu, who had planned to keep fit, gradually engaged himself in Qigong. "Falun Gong, including Qigong and the supernatural ability which were quite popular at that time, and even some content of the Buddhism and Taoism, was more detailed and easier to read and understand." Ji said, "It was not like the Buddhism and Taoism which were well-effected but too general. I was quite busy and did not have so much energy. Compared with Falun Gong, the Buddhism and Taoism were more difficult."
In the second half of the year, Ji Liewu began to practice Falun Gong.
In the late 1995, Ye Hao, who was acquainted with Ji Liewu and also the cadre of Falun Gong and the confidant of Li Hongzhi, took the initiative to contact with Ji. "He said Li Hongzhi wanted to go to Hong Kong and hoped I could receive him." Ji said, "As I was in Hong Kong at that time, it was convenient to receive Li Hongzhi. Thus, I got acquaintance with him."
After that, Ji Liewu took charge of the matters when Li Hongzhi wanted to go abroad. "At that time, Li Hongzhi's mother and sister were in Thailand. He should pass through Hong Kong when going to Thailand." Ji said, "He stayed in my home when at Hong Kong. Sometimes I bought air tickets for him and arranged his journey. He also visited some friends in Hong Kong."For the first time Li Hongzhi went to Hong Kong in 1995, up to settling down in the US in 1997, Ji Liewu took all in charge. Ji made "journey arrangement and reception" for Li Hongzhi, and also accompanied him to many places, such as Australia, Singapore, the US and so on. Furthermore, Ji Liewu also helped Li Hongzhi establish the Press of Falun Gong in Hong Kong. Ji became the cadre of Falun Gong and the confidant of Li Hongzhi soon.
Ji Liewu was so active because he believed that Falun Gong was "good to people". "Li not only preached that Falun Gong could cure illness, he also preached cultivation of morality and 'Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance'. He claimed that if you lived according to 'Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance', you would be a good man. You should be indifferent to fame and gain and not scramble for power. You should be a man of culture. So, from this point, I thought Falun Gong was good to the people and society." Ji said, "Based on the view that Falun Gong was good, I did for it the more the better if I could. And I do did quite actively."
"Furthermore, Falun Gong's main ideas was to cultivate the mind and preach the system of 'Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance'. But many phenomenons or explanations this system expounded were similar to what mentioned in religion. So I thought Li Hongzhi could know much in this field and I could learn knowledge and experience from him, or gain deeper understanding about life and science through contacting with him." Ji Liewu said that with this kind of idea, he contact with Li Hongzhi. "Li Hongzhi said he was not interested in what happened in the human world, so I seldom asked his things in the world, and he never talked about his experience and family neither. He talked more about Qigong and some problems, mental feelings or experiences during practicing Falun Gong. I contacted with him mostly because of this. At that time, I did not try to find his shortcomings or to be suspicious of him. I did not see him from that point of view. At that time, I believed all that he said. That was the situation on the whole."
In fact, Ji Liewu did not believe the so called Falun in the stomach of the disciple at first. "I surely did not believe in the beginning." Ji said, "I remembered that when listening to his class for the first time, I could just accept thirty percent and had different views about the other 70 percent. After all, I had learnt engineering courses and had a clear understanding of antitheism. I accepted the philosophy or the ideas from the point of view of antitheism when contacting with the religions in the past. I never tried to understand the ideas from the point of view of theism."
"Later, when I contacted with a disciple, he claimed that he opened his third eye. After that, when I came across problems when practicing Falun Gong, I gradually began to explore and validate what the matter was. And then, I gradually devoted more." Ji said, "Thus, while suspicious at first, I got trapped at last."
Li Hongzhi's viewpoint of not engaging in politics and avoiding politics made Jiliewu more active on Falun Gong affairs. "The viewpoint had been mentioned more than once in his lection, so that I was deeply impressed by the saying." Jiliewu said, "Common people would never take part in a collective assembly, which had something to do with politics. This was personnel exercising process, and it had nothing to do with political affairs. At that time, I was comparatively aware of the consciousness. If Li engaged in political affairs, I would be far away from him. However, I thought that he did right without engaging with policeal affairs."
Ji Liewu believed that his thought of "being far away from political affairs" and "doing the right thing" resulted in participating and plotting the 4.25 affair. Ji said, "I did not realize its political nature in advance. Later, I was sure that it was an action with political weight."
According to the statistics, taking advantage of Falun Gong organization, Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen, Ji Liewu and Yao Jie, with the instigation of Li Hongzhi, had organized, plotted and commanded the group to besiege state organs and public institutions for 78 times with more than 300 Falun Gong practitioners every time in Beijing and Tianjin and other places. "Most of them did not think it over from political aspect." Ji said,"many practitioners, including those who had practiced for several years and were addicted to practicing Falun Gong, cannot accept the negative comment of media on Falun Gong if the media's comment was different from what they thought and did not cater to their taste. Usually, Li Hongzhi let everybody discuss it." Ji said, "Li Hongzhi's understanding on politics was different from the dominating thinkings and ideologies of the society. He had his own thought in ideological aspect. However, the practitioners did not take the polical factors into account. Their purpose was to exercise and have a healthy body. They did not unscramble the 4.25 inciden and incident of besieging Beijing TV station. I think many people would not take part in that, if they had a basic judgment from political and social aspect."
Ji said: "When the media's report of similar incidents occurd more often, the pratitioners were paralyzed by the abnormal thought and made wrong decision."
"If I had a normal thought and calmed down, I would not join in the besiegement. At then, Li Hongzhi expressed his lection again and again and everbody were angry about that, so everybody was addicted to that thing. People lost their ability of independent thinking under that circumstance." Ji said.
"But even though, I recollected myself, and I thought I did not have a good control of myself." Ji said, "though we did the besiegement, I thought if we had reason to do that and I lacked of time to think about it. At that time, everybody had sequacious mind..."
Tan Deyin: Talking so much with you, I feel that you are made use of by the swindlers. It is my feeling. I do not know if you agree with me.
Ji Liewu: It should be right. It should be right. It should be right. It is right! Because at least it is impossible for us to do things harmful to the society or the country. It's not our thoughts. It's not our original intention. What we wanted was just keeping fit and self-cultivation.
Tan Deyin: If so, what would you do with Falun Gong in future?
Ji Liewu: It is impossible. I will absolutely never take part in these matters... Never. It is a prospect to contribute to the country in the future if possible. Now, I can just face things at present.
(Kaiwind, October 10, 2006)
