In a studio in Canada, Liu Yong has just completed two new paintings. The Chinese artist, who recently arrived in Toronto, granted an exclusive interview to Vision Times, recounting the hardships he has endured over the past 27 years.
Liu Yong graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Northeast Normal University and later took a position at a leading Chinese university. He recounted how he began practicing qigong due to poor health, which restored both his physical and mental well-being. However, his practice of Falun Gong led to 27 years of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, during which he endured a series of hardships, including four years of wrongful imprisonment. While he was in prison, his mother passed away, and his wife was also imprisoned twice for practicing Falun Dafa, serving a total sentence of six and a half years. After his release, he opened a sculpture factory, which was forcibly shut down by the government, resulting in severe financial losses. Later, they chose to flee the Chinese Communist Party, crossing the ocean to Canada to begin a new chapter in their lives.
In the interview, Liu Yong repeatedly mentioned that the strength that carried him through those difficult years came from his heart being filled with Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance. This belief filled him with hope for the future. He hopes that his personal experiences will help “Little Pinkies” recognize the evil nature of the CCP, enable those suffering from illness to regain their health, allow those struggling with depression to see hope, and help those feeling lost to glimpse the dawn of a new future.
A single roll of film transformed an ‘atheist’
From childhood, Liu Yong had been indoctrinated with the Communist Party’s atheistic ideology, viewing religion and qigong as “feudal superstitions.” Consequently, he initially dismissed qigong with disdain. The turning point came in 1994: he helped an elderly woman make a copy of a photograph of Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong. After the copy was made, the woman took the original photo with her, leaving him only the film. According to his account, one day as he was about to throw the film into the trash, he suddenly felt he shouldn’t do it. He reasoned that as a person, one must learn to respect others, and throwing Master Li’s photo into the trash would be disrespectful. So he retrieved the film and put it back in the photo album.
After putting his things away, he leaned against the headboard to rest. At that moment, he said he suddenly felt as if an invisible force had immobilized him, and he couldn’t move a muscle. Just as he was wondering what was happening, a deep, azure sky, an exceptionally clear and transparent blue, appeared before his eyes. Against this sky, the image of Master Li, dressed in a yellow exercise robe and seated on a lotus flower, slowly materialized. Just as he was wondering if it was an illusion, Master Li suddenly appeared right before him, seated on the lotus flower, radiating a powerful energy field filled with the power of compassion.
For the best of our weekly content！
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Check your email to complete sign up
He said that his years of atheistic beliefs melted and crumbled away in an instant, like an iceberg, and flowed down as tears. On the lotus flower were three large, golden characters: “Truth, Compassion, Forbearance.” Below them were two lines of smaller text. The Master told him that “Truth, Compassion, Forbearance” is the highest Buddhist teaching in the universe, and that he must practice with vigor and diligence. The Master asked him, “Have you remembered this?” Overwhelmed with emotion, he replied, “I’ve remembered it,” and then the Master slowly faded away, and he regained the ability to move.
Liu Yong said that this experience led him to two realizations. First, gods and Buddhas do indeed exist; they simply lie beyond the visible spectrum of human vision (400–760 micrometers), so people cannot see them and therefore assume they do not exist; Second, he witnessed the truth of the ancient saying, “When a thought arises in the human heart, heaven and earth are fully aware”, the human mind generates brainwaves that, like cell phone signals, constantly communicate with the universe; whatever a person thinks, heaven and earth know. He said that although he did not believe in qigong at the time, simply because of the thought, “I should respect Teacher Li,” the Master appeared to encourage him.
From then on, he began to earnestly practice Falun Dafa, elevating his character and striving to be a good person in accordance with Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. He transformed his previously hot-tempered disposition. He would get up early in the morning to practice the exercises with his classmates on campus, and his body soon underwent a complete transformation: his long-standing lung disease, neurasthenia, and insomnia vanished without a trace. Since then, he has had a rosy complexion and walks with a light step; from 1994 to the present, he has remained in excellent health.
Achieving glory amid tribulations
In 1999, Jiang Zemin believed that the number of Falun Gong practitioners had grown too large, exceeding the number of Communist Party members, particularly noting the significant presence of experts, professors, and high-ranking officials in the Party, government, and military. Jiang Zemin believed that Falun Gong was competing with the Communist Party for the support of the masses. Despite opposition from all other members of the Politburo Standing Committee, Jiang Zemin acted unilaterally to suppress Falun Gong. He used the media controlled by the CCP to fabricate lies about Falun Gong, including claims of murder, suicide, and self-immolation, to incite fear and hatred toward Falun Gong among the people.
Liu Yong was under long-term surveillance by state security and was dismissed from his public office in 2002. Because he stood firm in his faith and spoke the truth, he was repeatedly detained in detention centers and later imprisoned for four years. During that time, he was shocked with high-voltage electric batons, beaten by police, kicked violently in the abdomen, and struck with wooden planks until his entire body turned purple like an eggplant. On one occasion, his hands were handcuffed to an iron table, leaving him immobilized; he was forced to sit on a hard metal bench for days without sleep, causing excruciating pain in his buttocks. After going on a hunger strike in protest, he was force-fed. His teeth were pried open during the process, causing them to fall out.
Liu Yong said that no matter how the Chinese Communist Party persecuted him, he harbored no resentment or hatred and consistently maintained a sincere, kind, and forbearing attitude. He said he felt sorry for those who persecuted him, believing they once shared the same mindset as he did, not believing in gods or Buddhas, nor in the principle that good and evil will be repaid accordingly. He noted that the indoctrination of such atheism had sown terrible, evil consequences within them, and it was truly tragic that they followed the evil Party in persecuting the good and the kind.
Liu Yong recounted that after each instance of harm, he would quickly recover through practicing the exercises. Whenever he faced fear, he would recite the Master’s teachings in his heart, and the Master’s divine power would manifest: the first time he was illegally detained in a detention center, he encountered an uncle, whom he had not seen in over thirty years and had only heard about, who was serving as a prison guard there and took very good care of him. The second time he was in a detention center, a Japanese friend he had met previously was serving as a cell leader there and took excellent care of him. The third time, when he was illegally detained in a detention center on the China-Myanmar border, a friend’s older brother happened to be a senior official at the facility and also treated him with great care.
When he was imprisoned in 2013, he used the principles of “Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance” and the wisdom gained through his cultivation practice to overcome many dangers and instances of persecution, and was able to create paintings while in prison. According to his account, even more “miracles” occurred during the creative process. In the art world, every mature painter has their own subject matter. Just as he was feeling lost about what kind of subject to paint, an image with an environmental theme immediately appeared before his eyes. It was incredibly beautiful, so he quickly sketched it down. No sooner had he finished that painting than another environmental image appeared before his eyes, which he captured as well. In this way, he created a series of small environmental-themed paintings while in prison. After his release, he retrieved these works from the maximum-security prison.
Three months after his release, through a stroke of luck, he was hired by a university as the library director. The library was spacious and well-lit. In his spare time, he devoted all his energy to painting and making picture frames. The library housed many specialized books on environmental protection from both China and abroad, and he incorporated these environmental theories into his work, ensuring that his pieces not only featured beautiful visual effects but also possessed a strong foundation in environmental theory and scientific evidence. After the exhibition, his work was covered by numerous media outlets, including China.org.cn (affiliated with the State Council of China), the Yunnan Provincial Government website, Yunnan Television, Xinhua Satellite TV, Sohu.com, and Yunnan.com.
Miraculous manifestations of Falun Dafa in prison: Terminally ill patients regain health
Liu Yong recalls that over the years, whether he was detained in Changchun, Beijing, or Yunnan, many inmates and prison guards “witnessed the miraculous manifestations of Falun Dafa.” When he first entered prison, the police treated him with extreme cruelty, assigned multiple inmates to monitor him closely, and installed additional surveillance cameras and listening devices in his cell. He said he harbors no resentment or hatred, because he knows they have been deceived by the CCP’s one-sided media, such as television and newspapers, and have been misled into believing that Falun Gong’s actions, including the Tiananmen Square self-immolation and alleged murders, pose a threat to society. This is why they harbored hostility toward him. He calmly explained to them the truth about the self-immolation, described the changes in his own health after practicing the exercises, and spoke about the contributions of the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to society. Gradually, the prison guards stopped being hostile toward him and even granted him many concessions.
According to his account, there was an inmate in his cell suffering from abdominal ascites. His abdomen was severely swollen, and his condition was critical. He explained the truth about Falun Dafa to this inmate and taught him to recite the nine-character maxim: “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are good.” The inmate asked him, “Why would reciting these nine words cure my illness?” Liu Yong explained: “It has been scientifically proven that human thought generates brainwaves. Just like cell phone signals, these brainwaves are constantly communicating with the universe. The Dharma taught by Master Li embodies the characteristics of the universe. When you recite these nine words, you are communicating with the energy of the universe. When the Master becomes aware of this, He will remove the illness, what Buddhists call ‘karmic retribution’, and you will be healed. You can give it a try. If the Dharma didn’t work, it wouldn’t have spread throughout the world.” The inmate believed his words. After reciting for a week, the fluid buildup in his abdomen had noticeably subsided, and he was able to stand up. Upon seeing this, the prison guard immediately changed his view of Falun Dafa. Liu Yong taught him the exercises, and the guard did not interfere. Soon, the inmate regained his health.
In another cell lived a drug trafficker suffering from rheumatic heart disease. He had been incarcerated for many years and found it extremely difficult to walk, he needed two people to support his arms just to move, and was in constant danger of dying. The police dared not interfere with him. He was the seventh child in his family and was nicknamed “Seventh Master.” Upon seeing the miraculous recovery of the first inmate with ascites, the prison leadership immediately had two inmates help “Seventh Master” over so that Liu Yong could assist him. Liu Yong explained the principles of Falun Dafa to him and asked him to recite, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.” “Seventh Master” was very stubborn. No matter what was said, he refused to believe it, and eventually just sat there without saying a word.
In the afternoon, the prison officials came by and saw that “Seventh Master” was sitting there, struggling even to breathe. They quickly had two inmates help him out into the courtyard for a walk. About an hour later, the cell door opened, and “Seventh Master” walked back on his own without needing assistance, raising both arms as he walked and shouting, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.” ” He swept past us like a gust of wind, leaving the other inmates in the cell utterly astonished. Liu Yong asked him, “You didn’t believe in the Dafa this morning, how come you believe in it now?” “Seventh Master” replied, “ While I was out walking, I thought about what you said, it actually made some sense. So I recited ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ once, and suddenly I felt strength returning to my body. Then I kept reciting; the louder I spoke, the more strength I felt. Now I can walk on my own.”
Cameras were installed throughout the cell block, and the prison officials immediately noticed “Seventh Master’s” transformation. They summoned Liu Yong to their office and kept saying, “Dafa is truly miraculous. ‘Two men who were on the verge of death were instantly healed just by reciting nine words. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it even if you’d sworn to it. It seems I’ll have to learn Falun Gong too. Starting today, the cafeteria will prepare whatever you want to eat. If they don’t have it, we’ll buy it from outside. You’re free to study, practice, and teach others to practice as you wish.’ From then on, shouts of “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” could be heard from many cells.
Liu Yong also shared an experience he had after his release from prison. After resigning from his job at the university library, he earned a living doing sculpture projects. In addition to covering his family’s living expenses, he funded environmental charity exhibitions across China out of his own pocket, through which he made many friends. One day, a friend came to visit him with his wife. The woman was gaunt and pale, and extremely sensitive to the cold. She suffered from a severe breast condition that had caused her breasts to become ulcerated. After seven or eight months of treatment in the hospital with no improvement, doctors would stuff gauze into her wounds to absorb the pus and blood, causing her excruciating pain. She had visited many hospitals, both traditional Chinese and Western, but saw no improvement, and at one point even contemplated taking her own life. Liu Yong comforted her and shared his own experience of having suffered from many illnesses in the past, all of which were cured without medical treatment after he began practicing Falun Gong. She said she didn’t believe him. She worked at the “June 10 Office” (the office responsible for suppressing Falun Gong) and believed that Falun Gong led people to commit suicide, self-immolate, and endanger society; it encouraged people to withdraw from the Party, Youth League, and Young Pioneers, and to oppose the Communist Party, which was why the Party had begun suppressing Falun Gong in the first place. Therefore, she didn’t believe Falun Gong could cure illnesses. As soon as Liu Yong heard this, he realized the cause of her illness: it was karmic retribution brought on by her work.
He told her that the Chinese Communist Party’s media serves as the Party’s mouthpiece, and the news is all designed to deceive the common people. Falun Gong teaches people to be good people by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, which contributes to social stability and family happiness. Through the practice, the body’s meridians are unblocked, all the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of meridians are opened. Once the meridians are unblocked, one achieves a state of health free from illness. Practicing Falun Gong eliminates illness particularly quickly, which is why the number of practitioners has risen rapidly, reaching 100 million. When Jiang Zemin saw that the number of practitioners had surpassed the number of CCP members, he believed Falun Gong was competing with the Communist Party for the support of the masses. To suppress Falun Gong, he needed a pretext, so he staged fake videos, such as staged suicides and self-immolations, to deceive people both at home and abroad, inciting more people to harbor hatred toward Falun Gong. Yet Falun Gong is a Buddhist teaching meant to save people from peril. Those who harbor hatred toward the Dharma will not be saved when danger strikes. Since its establishment, the CCP has launched a continuous series of campaigns, persecuting at least 80 million Chinese people to death. However, the principle that good and evil will be repaid is an absolute heavenly law. When people join the Party, the Youth League, or the Young Pioneers, they raise their right fist and take a solemn oath: “To sacrifice everything for communism.” Communism is a specter. Swearing an oath before a specter makes one a part of it, and such a solemn oath is bound to come true. When Heaven comes to exact retribution and destroy it, every member who has joined its organization will be eliminated along with it. To save these people, Falun Dafa teaches that one may use one’s real name, pen name, or alias to publicly declare withdrawal from this specter-like organization. Only then, when Heaven destroys the CCP, can one avoid being eliminated. Therefore, withdrawing from the Party, Youth League, and Young Pioneers is for the purpose of saving people, not for political participation. After she understood the true purpose of the “Three Withdrawals,” she and her husband withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
She also told Liu Yong that, in addition to working at the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, she had previously worked in the civil affairs department. All homeless people apprehended in her city were required to be registered with her office before being sent to a shelter. Over the course of a year, 485 people were registered through her office. When she went to the shelter to inspect operations at the end of the year, she found that all 485 people were gone, they had been taken away by higher-ups for organ harvesting and trafficking. It was only then that she understood the true meaning behind the CCP’s call to “eradicate poverty.” Later, Liu Yong explained the truth about Falun Dafa to her. She believed him and went to the hotel where they were staying to teach them the exercises.
That evening, they reviewed the exercise movements together. Just as they finished the dynamic exercises, a mixture of pus and blood oozed out from her festering breast. A few days later, the wound had healed completely, a result that even the doctors found incredible. A week later, she excitedly told Liu Yong over the phone, “I’m completely healed! I’ve already climbed two mountains. Dafa is truly wonderful! Before, I had to hold onto the back of the sofa just to walk around the house, and the cracks in the windows were all taped up. Whenever the wind blew, my whole body would ache as if I were being pricked by needles. Now I can climb mountains and I’m not afraid of the wind anymore. Thank you so much.” Liu Yong told her not to thank him, but to thank Dafa, it was the Master who had helped her. She quickly replied, “Thank you, Dafa. Thank you, Master.”
Liu Yong said he was so moved that tears streamed down his face. Here was someone who had once participated in the persecution of Dafa and its practitioners, yet as soon as she recognized her mistakes, the Master immediately helped purify her body, without any resentment or hatred. What a magnificent act of compassionate salvation this was. Later, she resigned from her position with the “610 Office” of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee and chose to distance herself from the Chinese Communist Party.
Looking back on these past twenty-seven years, from initially taking up the practice due to illness and regaining her health, to suffering expulsion from the practice, detention, four years of imprisonment, and torture after 1999, followed by the passing of his mother, his wife’s two stints in prison, and the forced closure of his sculpture factory, Liu Yong felt deeply moved. Both in prison and after his release, he has consistently continued his painting. Today, he and his wife have begun a new life in the Land of Maple Leaves. In the future, this artist plans to create more paintings to inform mainstream Western society about the human rights situation in China, hoping that this will help put an end to the CCP’s 27-year-long persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
Editor’s note: This article is based on an interview with Liu Yong and recounts his personal experiences, observations, and understanding of Falun Dafa.
Original article
Comments