Hongyu Zhang will never forget the day in 2014 when she escaped China leaving her father behind, alone. Just 6 months prior, she lost her mother who died of torture in police custody. Zhang, now a permanent resident of the United States, said that her biggest fear is losing connection with her father in China. On Aug. 13, when she could not reach her father by phone, she knew it was time to face her biggest fear.
Zhang and her parents are practitioners of Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that consists of meditative exercises and moral teachings. The practice garnered over 70 million followers in the late 1990s in China because of its health benefits and moral improvements. The Chinese regime, out of a fear of Falun Gong’s rapid growth and popularity, launched a persecution against the group in July 1999.
The persecution continues today.
Zhang found out from her relatives that on Aug. 10 her father was taken away by police, who also ransacked her father’s home. Zhang’s father, Ming Zhang is being held in a local police station in Dandong city of China’s northeastern province of Liaoning. The police station has since denied visitation by Zhang’s relatives.
Ming Zhang, 64, started practicing Falun Gong in 1996. His health condition drastically improved shortly after he took up the practice. He stopped smoking and drinking. He worked at the Bank of China before switching jobs to a district court in Dandong city, and received praise from his coworkers and supervisors.
The entire family enjoyed the blessings of following Falun Gong’s moral teachings, which center around the values truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
Turbulent Years Under the Persecution
Then the persecution started and “everything turned upside down,” Zhang said, “but we never gave up our belief. From my teenage years, I experienced separation from my parents multiple times.”
In 2001, Zhang’s father went to Beijing just to tell the Central government that Falun Gong is good. But he was sent to a forced labor camp for 3 years.
In 2007, Zhang’s mother was detained and severely tortured at the notorious Masanjia Labor Camp. After over three months of torture in the labor camp, she was on the brink of death. The labor camp sent her home fearing that she would die in the camp.
In September 2013, Zhang’s mother was again arrested because she was talking about Falun Gong to people outside of her home. Then the police took Zhang and her father into custody as well. They were harshly interrogated. Zhang witnessed her mother being tortured. She was confined to a metal chair for a long period of time with her wrists and ankles tied to the chair.
Eventually, Zhang’s mother’s whole body became swollen. She developed urinary incontinence, and her blood pressure shot up to 230. Once again, the police sent her home when she was in critical condition. But this time, she did not survive.
Zhang’s mother died in November of that year, two months after she was arrested.
That was when Zhang made the difficult decision to leave China so that she can help end the persecution by telling people her family’s story.
In June 2018, Zhang’s father was arrested while distributing informational pamphlets about Falun Gong. He was sentenced to one year in prison. Zhang spoke at human rights rallies, went to protest in front of the Chinese Embassy, and wrote to U.S. officials about her father’s condition.
‘Only the Tip of the Iceberg’
Fearing that her elderly father would not be able to withstand the tortures, Zhang has been pleading with elected officials for help. “I have lost my mother due to the persecution. I don’t want it to happen again to my father.”
“What my family has been through is just the tip of the iceberg of this senseless genocidal persecution of innocent people. In China, millions of Falun Gong practitioners have lost their jobs, lost their loved ones, or had their families broken,” Zhang said.
“Yet, according to Chinese Constitution and law, practicing Falun Gong is legal in China. However, the communist regime has been sustaining this persecution via propaganda, violence, and coercion.”
“I am very fortunate to be in the free land of the United States. I wish people can get a glimpse of the evil of communism through the story of my family,” Zhang said. “I hope to be able to connect with my father again soon.”
From The Epoch Times