(Minghui.org) Xu Qiaoying entered the beauty and hairdressing industry when she was 13. She is now 75 and remains steadfast in her career, with her passion for work as unwavering as ever.

While others admire her skill and stable life, few are aware of the hardships she has endured—including marital betrayal, financial ruin, and chronic illness, which once led her to believe she wouldn’t live past 40.

One day, Falun Dafa changed the course of her life, enabling her to break free from confusion and illness and emerge with renewed vitality and hope.

Mature Beyond Her Age

Qiaoying was born in a rural village in Chiayi, Taiwan. Her parents were farmers, and she had six siblings. The family lived a life of poverty and hardship. They barely managed to support themselves by farming, and covering the daily expenses of nine people was a huge struggle, let alone the expense of sending the children to school.

When Qiaoying graduated from elementary school, her teacher told her, “Since you can’t go on to higher education, why not learn a useful skill?” She took this advice to heart and, with the help of her teacher and mother, entered the field of beauty and hairdressing.

From apprentice to assistant to starting her own business, Qiaoying has always remained dedicated to her duties, diligently honing her craft and striving for perfection. Now in her seventies, she still personally styles her clients—her hands are weathered by time, yet still deft and full of passion and strength.

At age 75, Qiaoying still does her client’s hair and makeup herself.

Qiaoying recalls that when she first started, Taiwan’s economy was booming, and many young people turned to shady means to make a quick fortune. What kept her grounded in the turbulent society was her mother’s advice. “My mother taught us from a young age that even though our family was poor, we must never lose our ambition.” Her mother’s encouragement and this sense of pride drove her to use her skills to support her entire family.

As the eldest daughter, Qiaoying has shouldered her parents’ expectations and family responsibilities since childhood. “My mother is old and in poor health. I am most worried about what will happen to my younger siblings if something happens to her.”

This deep concern has driven her to work tirelessly since she was thirteen. While others see her as glamorous and busy, her beautiful exterior hides all that she’s been through.

Failed Marriage

Qiaoying got married when she was 24. Her husband not only abused her physically, but also almost used up all the savings she had worked so hard to accumulate, leaving her with nothing after so many years of hard work.

She said, “At that time, there was only 17.5 NTD (~ 0.5 USD) left in my bank account. How was I supposed to live? When my husband realized that I had discovered he had taken the money, he flew into a rage and smashed all the furniture, throwing everything around in a frenzy.”

Faced with violence and deception from her spouse, Qiaoying felt extremely frightened. She recalled, “During that period, I felt like I was being torn apart. I had thoughts of ending my life several times.”

The marriage ended in less than a year, and she became a single mother who felt lost and helpless. Qiaoying admitted that she couldn’t find any meaning in life at the time and saw no hope for the future. She spent her days feeling depressed. “I often wondered why life was so hard and so tiring. Would I even make it to forty?”

Finding Hope

In 2009, a trip back to the south to visit relatives changed her fate. Her brother was overjoyed after learning Falun Dafa, so he gave each of his sisters a copy of Zhuan Falun and a videotape of the exercises. He taught them the basic movements of the five exercises on the spot.

Qiaoying brought the precious book back to Taipei, and from then on, she played Master’s exercise teaching videos in the beauty salon every morning. When customers came, she worked; when there were no customers, she followed Master’s exercises and practiced them. She read Zhuan Falun respectfully. While reading, she felt the wonder of the Fa and Master’s compassion, and her heart was deeply touched. She then read all of Master’s teachings, one after another.

From the Fa, Qiaoying understood the meaning of life and was able to gradually let go of her past misfortunes. She no longer blamed others, but was grateful for all the opportunities she had to pay off her karma and improve herself. She said, “I completely understood it. My heart is now filled with gratitude to Master.”

Remarkable Changes

Before practicing Dafa, Qiaoying had pain almost everywhere in her body. “At that time, I had difficulty even lifting my arms. I had to rely on physical therapy to maintain my physical functions for many years, but it was painful and expensive. From my head to my feet, I was sore and numb, as if my entire body and blood vessels were blocked.”

Because of this, when she first started practicing Falun Dafa, even simple movements, such as raising her hands, caused intense pain. However, she persevered through her tears. During that period, Qiaoying studied the teachings and practiced daily, aiming to enhance her capacity for endurance and perseverance and to push beyond the limitations of her body continually.

Qiaoying is doing the fifth exercise.

Soon, Qiaoying began to feel remarkable changes in her body. Having suffered from chronic constipation and a sallow complexion for years, she began to expel a large amount of toxins from her body. “At first, when I started practicing the exercises, I could feel that the sweat and waste products had an unusually foul odor. I knew that Master was cleansing my body, purifying every part of it, including the internal organs. After some time, I felt much lighter and more refreshed.”

Once, when Qiaoying was practicing the fifth exercise, she felt someone gently push her three times from behind while she was sitting in meditation. Immediately, the hip pain that had been troubling her for a long time disappeared. Another time, while meditating, she saw Master, wearing a yellow exercise uniform, strolling toward her from a distance. When she tried to see more clearly, the figure had already silently disappeared.

After the meditation, her hands were wet with her tears, “I knew Master saved my life!”

True Happiness

Qiaoying’s resentment and hatred gradually melted away through her cultivation practice. She gratefully said that it was Master who completely renewed her life. “Dafa turned every part of my life that was bad and negative and washed it clean, bit by bit!”

Now, she no longer asks why life is so hard. She smiled and said, “People see me living alone and think I am lonely and miserable, but true happiness comes from Dafa. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to practice Dafa! I want to follow Master wholeheartedly and practice.”