(Minghui.org) Through talking to Chinese tourists in Australia, I have gained a lot of experience in how to approach them and help them quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I've also learned how to deal with conflicts that can occur among practitioners, tourists and tour guides.
Some Chinese tourists refuse to listen to and even abuse Falun Gong practitioners when they try to talk to them about Falun Gong and the persecution in China. If we continue to talk to them while holding on to our own human notions, people around us might think that we are wanting to argue with them.
Some tourists purposely avoid practitioners, so other tourists and tour guides might think that the practitioners are bothering them.
As tour guides lead their tour groups to other attractions, practitioners and I talk to them or show them our informational boards. The tour guides sometimes think that we are interfering with their work and preventing their clients from enjoying the scenery. If the guides complain to their management, they try to have us removed. This has happened several times.
Chinese tourists like to take pictures once they arrive at the tourist spots and don't want to be bothered at such times. So if we persist in talking to them, it could have a negative effect.
Looking for a solution, I studied the Fa more and discussed the situation with other practitioners. I came to to the understanding that we need to be considerate of others.
I began to step aside to let them take photos and even offered to help them if needed. I would chat with them to create a friendly atmosphere. This way I could lead on to the topic of quitting the CCP and give them some information about Falun Gong.
However, some tourists still refuse to listen and behave very coldly or suspiciously, so I am extra careful around them. Some Chinese have a strong fear of the CCP; some are sympathetic towards Falun Gong, but believe that quitting the CCP is a severe crime against the nation; some tourists just look around while I'm talking, as if I wasn't there.
I may sometimes talk to tourists away from the group or from the attention of the tour guides, lowering my voice to speak. I joke with them to ease their worries, tell them about the persecution and help them to quit the CCP. I have been very successful this way.
After carefully observing different situations, I've learned to interact in a more friendly manner with Chinese tourists.
A typical Chinese tourist in Australia may encounter Falun Gong practitioners several times during their trip. Thus, in order to avoid repeating ourselves, we should find out if they have already quit the CCP before asking them to quit.
I pay attention to Australian politics, the economy, and social and cultural information because it can be useful when chatting with people.
In one case, a girl asked her friends a question about the Sydney Opera House. I had studied the topic and explained the answer. They were impressed with my knowledge, so I kept talking to them. I brought up the issue of Falun Gong, and even helped them to quit the CCP.
A tour guide once witnessed a friendly interaction between practitioners and the tourists. He commented, “This is good, as long as your guys don’t fight and argue.”
I didn't understand what he was talking about until I witnessed several conflicts between practitioners and tourists.
For example, some tourists didn't want us to talk with them and abused us, calling us “traitors.” When practitioners continued talking, the tour guides may see it as arguing or having conflicts with the tourists.
I gained a deeper understanding of Master’s words in Zhuan Falun, when he taught us to “...not fight back when you are beaten or sworn at.”
If practitioners do not act strictly in accordance with Master’s requirements, more misunderstandings will arise among Chinese tourists and their tour guides.
The number of those who have quit the CCP increases every day. This is partly due to the team effort of many practitioners who go to tourist attractions.
A Chinese tourist may agree to quit the CCP in my location, but he or she may have learned about the persecution in another location, from a different practitioner, or from newspapers and banners. They may have listened to the very kind words of other practitioners, so the old forces control over them had already been weakened.
I need to remind myself constantly that I should not think too highly of my own achievements. We are all working together and should not have a competitive mentality. We need to have a peaceful mind to do this important job of saving sentient beings.
Thank you, Master for your compassionate salvation. Thank you, fellow practitioners for your continuous cooperation.