In a challenging world full of temptations, maintaining morality and conscience is not an easy task. For example, when a virtuous person faces attacks from malicious people, should he resist with violent counter force, or could he conquer the evil with kindness and righteousness?
In this documentary, Toronto-based Director Yan Ma tells the story of two Falun Gong practitioners, Li Jianhui and Zhang Yijie, who have survived mental and physical torture in the Chinese communist regime’s prison system. Instead of their spirits being broken, they find ways to maintain their integrity, compassion, and determination in their belief.
This documentary is 25 minutes long.
Treatment
At the beginning of the film, Director Yan Ma is interviewed and talks about why he has decided to make this story: since his childhood, he has studied the teachings of the ancient philosopher Lao Tsu, “The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest.” To him, this sounds good but not practical. This puzzle motivates him to look into stories of people who have extraordinary life experiences. He goes on to introduce the two subjects of the documentary, Zhang Yijie and Li Jianhui. Zhang Yijie was an official in China’s central government. Li Jianhui was a successful entrepreneur. Both of them lost all their money, social status, and freedom, due to the persecution of Falun Gong, a peaceful meditation practice. Yet, they did not lose their kindness, generosity, and determination in their belief.
The film then goes into the lives of Zhang and Li.
It is July 20th, 1999, in Beijing. Zhang Yijie is informed that Falun Gong is going to be banned by the communist regime. She decides not to go to work but to go to the appeals office in Beijing to ask the government to take back this policy. When she arrives there, she sees tens of thousands of fellow Falun Gong practitioners, and rows of armed police surrounding them, staring at them. All the practitioners are then thrown into buses and taken to a stadium to be registered.
The same day, in China’s southern city of Shenzhen, Li Jianhui stands in front of a government building for the same purpose. He is also taken away by the police and put under house arrest. He has an opportunity to read a book about Jesus Christ’s last day before crucification. He gains an understanding of what is going on in China and makes up his mind to be determined in his belief.
Li Jianhui is sentenced to a four-year prison term. Zhang Yijie is sent to a labor camp to serve two years and four months of forced labor. This was ordered by Li Lanqing, the highest official in charge of the crackdown of Falun Gong. The reason? To deter any government officials or communist party members who dare to practice Falun Gong.
This is a war launched by the Chinese communist regime against people’s consciences and spiritual beliefs. Refusing to give up Falun Gong is the only reason for the harsh punishments. In prisons and labor camps, not only are they forced to do heavy labor, the practitioners are forced to denounce and curse their belief in front of all of the inmates, and to participate in efforts to “transform” others’ thoughts. Anyone who refuses to follow the guards’ demands is subject to electric shocks, torture, forceful injection of psychiatric drugs, etc.
This is the environment where Zhang Yijie and Li Jianhui try to survive. For them, giving up their belief in “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance” is not an option. As a result, Zhang is forced to stand 42 days and nights without sleep, while suffering repeated beatings and humiliation. It is a miracle she went through that ordeal and still lives. Li Jianhui was forced to run under the burning sun for a few hours when the temperatures were over 45 degrees Celsius. And he was locked in a dirty and filthy solitary cell for 100 days and had to stand for more than 12 hours each day. They recall how their belief helped them to turn fear and anger into compassion and treat the inmates and guards with respect and kindness. They also recall the supernatural miracles they experienced in their most difficult situations.
The positive energy they carry are changing the people around them. As an entrepreneur, Li Jianhui even finds ways to coordinate the inmates during the forced labor so the work efficiency improves, and they finish their quotas before their deadlines. He is greeted by the inmates as “Uncle Li.” The guard who always thinks of punishing Li Jianhui for not giving up his belief never carries out his plan because he feels Li Jianhui is “so nice.”
At the end of the documentary, Director Ma talks about what he has learned– compassion is a strength that few people have realized. It is not wishful thinking, but a proven truth.