Front Left: Fang Nanjie (younger sister) Front Right: Yang Xinyu (author) Rear Left: Ms. Fang Jing (mother) Rear Right: Mr. Yang Zhu (father)

(Clearwisdom.net)

December 11, 2003

Dear Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Uncles, Aunts, Big Brothers and Sisters (Editors' Note: In Chinese, it is common to use these terms of endearment for non-family members as a show of respect and friendship),

How are you? My name is Yang Xinyu, and I am 11 years old. I am a 5^th grade student in elementary school. My little sister is Fang Nanjie. She is nine years old and in the 3^rd grade. We live in Longzhou Subdivision, Section #4, Building #3, Unit 2, Apartment #1, Longzhounanxiang Road, Jingjiang District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. We both go to Longzhoulu Elementary School in Chengdu City.

We once had a happy family of five - grandfather, father, mother, sister, and me. My parents were both laid-off workers. My mom's health was poor, and she had many chronic illnesses. My father had poliomyelitis and could not think or act very fast. In order to support the family, my parents got up early and worked long hours every day. They bought fresh vegetables every morning from a wholesaler to sell in our neighborhood. The vegetables' prices were low, and they only earned several hundred yuan per month. [500 yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.] For years, every day was the same. In winter, the skin on their hands cracked, with blisters and sores that bled continually. They suffered a lot. In the summer, their sweat soaked through many shirts. To support our family, my parents worked very hard and endured a lot of pressure.

In 1995, my mother started to become happier. She started to smile, and her illnesses disappeared almost overnight. She talked in such a calm and peaceful tone. She told us that she was so happy because she had started practicing Falun Dafa. It was almost as if her whole life was just for obtaining Dafa. She also told us that Teacher said the universe has a characteristic called "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance," which is the only criterion for judging good and bad. Teacher also told us to unconditionally look inward when facing conflicts, to not fight back when beaten or sworn at, and to always consider others first. Thus, our whole family became Falun Dafa practitioners.

My parents always treated our neighbors and the elderly very nicely. Even though they were very busy, Dad, Mom and Grandpa paid close attention to my sister's and my schoolwork. They patiently taught us to draw, paint, write, and do calligraphy. If there was anything that we did not understand, my parents would help us think it over together. I love that happy family of five. I love my dad and mom.

Since July 20, 1999, however, just like thousands of other Dafa practitioners, my whole family told the government the honest words, "Falun Dafa is good!" based on their firm belief in Dafa and the principle of being responsible to the nation and its people. What waited for them were handcuffs, violence, and dark jails. What exactly happened to the government that we trusted? My mother stood up and told the authorities her own experience of benefiting from the practice of Falun Dafa. The officials did not listen but tried to persuade my mom to stop the practice. My mom was firm in her belief and so was detained for 15 days. After her release, she started to carry the truth of Dafa forward. She was not doing it for herself. She had hope for everybody to be good and healthy and for the society and whole country to benefit. She wanted everyone to understand that Falun Dafa is good. Mom spent all her savings on airplane tickets and flew to Beijing with my little sister. My grandpa and dad stayed home because I was just in the first grade in elementary school.

My compassionate and righteous mother went to Tiananmen Square and unfolded a banner saying, "Falun Dafa is good!" Then she came back home with my sister by train. Soon after, police broke into our home and arrested my mom for going to Tiananmen Square. My family was so sad and depressed. One month later, we received a notice that my mom would be sent to a forced labor camp for one and a half years. My sister and I started sobbing when we saw the notice. On the day she was arrested, my mom did not want to cooperate with the police's illegal action and hung on to the metal bed posts. But four big policemen pulled her away, put handcuffs on her, and carried her away.

Every time I recall that scene, I always regret that I did not grab Mom's hands and stop the vicious actions of the police.

Mom left us. So my grandma came from the village to take care of my sister and me. My mom was detained in the Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp in Zizhong, Sichuan Province. The living conditions in the labor camp were miserable. In order to force the practitioners to give up cultivation, the labor camp forced my mom and other practitioners to sit straight, in a fixed position, with both legs tightly together. If anybody moved even a little, the police and other criminals would beat, kick, and humiliate them. They were not allowed to take showers and only had 5 minutes in the morning and at night for brushing their teeth and washing. The firm practitioners all experienced brutal tortures and were disfigured as a result, becoming "black people." However, my mom never gave up her belief.

I remember it was ten days before school began when Mom left the labor camp. She came to the village to pick up my sister and me. The whole family was so happy.

After she came back, Mom was busy making a living, telling people about what had happened to her, and monitoring our studies. Summer vacation came again. In July 2001, my whole family took the train to Beijing to spread Dafa. A short while after we unfolded the yellow banner with the words, "Falun Dafa is the righteous Way," a group of policemen arrived. They forced my dad into the police vehicle. Then they wound the yellow banner twice around my mother's neck and pulled it tightly. Mom almost couldn't breathe, but she did not give in, and the police had to stop. My sister and I again witnessed the police's atrocious behavior, this time in the special location of Tiananmen Square in the light of day. We couldn't hold back our tears. Mother, however, kept comforting us and told us to listen to what Teacher had taught, express no complaint and hatred, care little about our personal benefits, and become a true practitioner who never fights back even if beaten or cursed. Little by little, we stopped crying and we left Beijing with our mother. Before we left, we took four pictures and ate a big watermelon at the train station. On the train, we helped an old lady who had no money to pay for her ticket. She was very happy.

The police and people from our neighborhood committee saw my parents doing truth clarification. So, in a very few months, my parents were detained again. Our grandma had to come from her village to take care of us again. During these four years, our family experienced separations like this numerous times. Soon we received the notice of my parents' sentences. Mom was illegally sentenced to three years in a forced labor camp, and Dad was sentenced to two years. My grandpa's health deteriorated day by day, both from grief and his advanced age, and he passed away in February 2003. Once my parents learned this tragic news, they would have been so sad. We couldn't help crying out in sorrow. We were all deeply shocked. Grandpa had loved us dearly when he was alive. When we were in difficulty, he used his meager income to support the family. Before his death, he still had a lot that he wanted to tell my parents.

People with kind hearts, I believe that there are thousands of times more good people than bad people. I sincerely call for all good people to extend your righteous hands to support Dafa. I hope the governments and authorities stop the persecution against Dafa practitioners and allow all children to grow up in warm sunshine with the love of their fathers, mothers, and families.

During the past several years' cultivation, I have experienced the happiness and joy that Dafa brought to my family. Dafa taught us the essentials of being a human - "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance." My parents' choice is not wrong. Dafa has given us everything. Thus my parents' firm belief in Dafa is unshakable. I also benefited a lot from it. My sister and I always had excellent grades in school. If everybody could be like my parents, the world would be forever beautiful. I am so proud of having such a father and mother. I am honored to have them as my parents. I will be waiting patiently for them to return home.

Mom and Dad, please don't worry about us. We are all doing fine. Please do take care of yourselves when you are detained. To the policemen in the prison, please treat my parents nicely. To those righteous people who know about this case, help us so that together we can rescue our parents and they can come home early.

Your loving daughters: Yang Xinyu (writer)

Fang Nanjie

Note:

Father: Yang Zhu, currently detained in Xinhua Forced Labor Camp in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province

Mother: Fang Jing, currently detained in Women's Forced Labor Camp Section #42, Dabao Village, Luodaiwen'an Town, Longquanyi District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province

Xinhua Forced Labor Camp in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province: 816-2274441
Administration Office: 816-2280410
Unit #1: 816-283008
Unit #5 of Group #4: (816) 2830117 (Zhao Yu)
Head of Group #6: Zhu Huaizhong, 13035651945 (cell)
Group #6: 816-2830597
Unit #3 of Group #6: 816-2830543
Wu Zhengjun: 13035665588 (cell)
Huang Ming: 13808118055 (cell)