(Minghui.org) While pursuing her Master's degree in the U.K. in 2004, Ms. Shi Ningyao was amazed to see a Falun Gong practitioner meditating on a busy street. She was impressed by how tranquil the practitioner appeared despite the surrounding hustle and bustle.
At school, she looked up Falun Gong online. Growing up in the atheist communist regime in China, she’d been taught to believe that spiritual belief was “outdated” and “superstitious.” Everything she saw in the U.K. was in sharp contrast to the persecution she’d witnessed and propaganda that slandered Falun Gong she’d read in China.
She was intrigued and read the Falun Gong teachings to find out more about the practice. The teachings opened a brand new world before her eyes. Her view of the world changed. She felt grounded and assured. She was determined to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance for the rest of her life. She understood why so many people practice Falun Gong in China and resist the persecution despite the risk of being arrested.
Ms. Shi could have stayed in the U.K. after she graduated, but she decided to return to China to share her story with those who were being deceived by the communist regime and prevented from learning about something so beautiful.
Up to that point, life had been easy for Ms. Shi, so she never could have imagined what awaited her upon her return to China. The police found her and asked what Falun Gong activities she had participated in in the U.K. and what practitioners in the U.K. she had known.
After she was released, her mother slapped her in the face. She had always been the apple of her parents' eye, and they wanted the best for her. Having lived through numerous political struggles and campaigns themselves, her parents knew how dangerous it could be to stand up to to the tyranny of the communist regime and they hoped some “tough love” would make their only child give up practicing Falun Gong.
They stopped financially supporting her before she had a chance to start job hunting.
Ms. Shi couldn’t understand why her parents were so afraid to learn just the most basic facts about Falun Gong—the fear in them was so deep that they couldn’t even stand to hear a word about it.
She moved out and started her own life. With no connections, it wasn’t easy for her to find a decent job, despite her Master's degree from the U.K. She did odd jobs to support herself and tried her best to spread information about Falun Gong.
On July 4, 2009, Ms. Shi was arrested. The police interrogated her into the night. After the officers fell asleep, she escaped from the police station.
She managed to find a hotel that didn’t insist on seeing her ID for her to check-in. She sat down and logged into her social media account to send out a message. When she stepped outside momentarily, she saw a police car parked outside of the hotel. It dawned on her that her Internet activity had been tracked. Luckily, she escaped a second time.
During those few years, even though she had a few opportunities to leave China, she decided to stay and continue her efforts to speak out for her faith.
Her difficult, solitary life only made her stronger. She transformed: a spoiled, self-centered, and arrogant young woman became warm, generous, and considerate.
Her transformation also softened her parents’ resistance. They gradually changed their view and became more receptive to her practicing Falun Gong. She often visited them and shared her experiences with them.
On October 8, 2017, Ms. Shi was arrested again. This time, she wasn’t able to escape and was sentenced to five years in Liaoning Province Women’s Prison.
While it’s not known what she is suffering at the moment in prison, her courage and perseverance continue to inspire more practitioners to speak up for their faith.
