The Testimony of Liu Xianzhi

The Testimony of Liu Xianzhi
 
I am Xianzhi, female, and belong to the Han nationality. I was born in 1971 in Tianmen, Hubei Province. I came to the Lord in the year 1989, and on October 26th I realized that I had been called to a mission. In the beginning of the year 1990, I joined the Gospel Legion to proclaim the gospel after undertaking the theological trainings of the South China Church. On October 4th, 1991, I was arrested in Shanyang County, Jingmen City, Hubei Province when I was at a reception house attending the scripture studies. As a result, I was detained for two months. On July 4th, I was arrested in Shayang County, Jingmen City, Hubei Province when I was at a reception house attending the worship gathering. On May 27th, 2001, I was arrested in Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province for preaching the gospel. From December 19th to 21st, the Middle Court of Jingmen City held the hearing, and gave me the sentence of three years in prison. Again from October 9th to 10th, the Middle Court of Jingmen City held a retrial. However, on getting back to the prison, I received a verdict paper issued by the office in charge of “reform through labor” of Jingmen City, which said I was to be “reeducated through labor” for three years. On February 1st, I was released. Then I returned to the church to continue to proclaim the gospel of Christ.
 
My mother gave birth to me in the early 70’s. I was the child who seemed to be “one too many”, since they have already had five boys and a girl. Later on I quitted school because of financial problems. In the same year, my mother started to believe in the Lord, for one of my elder sisters had been possessed by demons. However, I had never heard of Jesus before, and posed lots of hard questions on her. But she never stopped praying for me everyday, even in tears. She also asked me to copy hymns for her, and read the Bible to her. At that time, I felt that there was a void deep down my heart. Gradually influenced by my mother, I received Jesus Christ as my savior on October 26th, 1989. Soon in a “Truth Meeting”, I got to know that we Christians should walk on the narrow road, that the harvest cried out for workers, and that millions were ignorant of the gospel. My heart was stirred by His Grace, and was burdened by His mission to save souls. I was so eager that I just wanted to talk to everyone about the salvation I had received. So I often prayed at home in tears, and preached the gospel to every person in the village. As it turned out, my father, an unbeliever, persecuted my mother and me together with my five brothers and sisters-in-law, claiming that we were just idling around doing nothing. They forbade us to believe in Jesus, and drove us out. Later we returned home due to our relatives’ effort. But mother and I still refused to renounce our faith. As a result, they divided the household up. Mother and I tried to make a living on over 1 mu of field, and a small and shabby kitchen was our home. Mother was well over 60, and I had never labored in the field before. All we could do was to carry on the work, depending on the strength the Lord had given us. We had but two meals a day. Early in the morning we would go out, and gather some chicken dung and cow dung to spray into the field, since we couldn’t afford the fertilizers. It was Spring Festival time, but we got no money for special food or clothes. However, my heart was in peace, and full of gratitude.
 
One day after the Spring Festival, I was informed that there was a Bible School, and that I could study theology there. That was what I had been longing for! So I rushed back to report it to Mother. She was even happier than I was. Immediately she busied herself packing up my clothes carefully. However, when I saw her doing this, I felt troubled in my heart. If I left, wouldn’t mother be subject to more torture? My bother and sister-in-law would surely demand for me. What’s more, how could she handle the field? When I talked to her about my worries, she said with a stiff upper lip, “Just go ahead! Don’t worry about me. The souls out there waiting for salvation are more important than your old mother!” In the village there was a fellow sister, who learned that I was leaving. She came to me hurriedly and said, “To proclaim the gospel is to repay the Lord for His Grace! You can rest your heart and leave! From now on, your mother is my mother. I’ll be the one who washes her clothes and brushes her shoes. I’ll also take care of your field. There is nothing you need to worry about!” My dear mother and my dear fellow sister relieved me of the heavy burdens. So I left home with a small luggage and a big resolution.
 
So there I was, in the class of theology. It was a village house in the mountains. There were several dozens of us sitting on wooden boards, under which was nothing but bricks. Everyday we studied the life of the Lord Jesus and two books, Complete Salvation and Redemption Theology. At night, sacks filled with wheat stalks were made into our beds. At that time, our church was not as fully-established as it is today. We lacked food and money. Reception houses were also very few. Two simple meals were all we had each day. But we were hungry and thirsty for His Word. We prayed earnestly, filled with the Holy Spirit. Under such trying conditions, we still kept in mind that we were entrusted with the missions for the souls in China, and that was why we were there attending courses of theology.
 
We were there for only two weeks when the unbelievers reported to the police. They came after us, and the teacher led us into the mountains. One day we were studying the 6th chapter of John. Just then news came that the police were coming again to get us. So immediately we started to run into the mountains. On a slope we sat in a circle, and continued our Bible studies. The teacher of theology wept as she recounted the story. The Lord Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” We all listened and wept. A brother said when he was praying, “Yes, Lord, you have the words of eternal life! Others may withdraw, but we shall never withdraw!” The entire daytime we studied in the mountains. At night we returned to the reception house. One day when we continued our gospel studies, the police came again. So we all ran into the mountains for a second time, holding our pens and notebooks. Then we continued our studies in the somber forests. Every time we prayed, the teacher would remind us to hold the roots tight, in case we fell off while we prayed. We had no blankets or quilts for the night. Instead we slept on pine leaves and cedar leaves, which pricked us through the pants. We stayed there for three days, having but one meal a day. (An elderly uncle cooked it and carried it to us.) During that time we neither washed our face nor brushed our teeth. One day the police were at us again, so we held on to each other and climbed over a mountain. In a valley we stayed for six days before we went back. Each day an uncle would climb over the mountain and deliver the food to us, which he carried on his back. There were neither vegetables nor salt, but we were so moved each time that we ate it in tears. At that time we were studying Matthew 27, which recorded how the Lord Jesus was flogged and crowned with thorn. We all wept on reading it. The next day we were kneeling down in prayer when a brother said in his intercession, “O Lord, you were scourged because of me.” All of us shed grieving tears. Just that moment the lookout knocked hurriedly on the door, “Move! The police are at the door!” It was raining, so the teacher grabbed a roll of plastic sheets. We got up and started off, wiping our tears. We were in such a hurry that a couple of brothers got lost from us. Our teacher sent several brothers to look for them. After climbing over several mountains, they were finally found, and finally we got together. It rained more and more heavily, so we stripped the bark of the trees off and tied the plastic sheets to the trunks. All the brothers and sisters crowded under the sheets to stay away from the rain. Then we started to sing Isaiah 53:1-8, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Raindrops fell on our cheeks, mixed with our tears. When it was getting dark, we heard a person crying from a hill. We thought it might be someone who wanted to commit suicide, and several sisters went down to save her. They found out that it was the aunt who came to deliver food to us. She had failed to find us, so she cried out loud and sang, “Lost sheep, where are you now?” We were so surprised and happy to see her. When Aunt saw that a brother was pale from stomachache and the rain, she took off a plastic bag from her head and her padded jacket, and put them on him. We were all in tears. Aunt had brought only six bowls and six pair of chopsticks. We were very hungry since we hadn’t had anything to eat for a day. But no one was willing to grab the first bite. Finally, under the urge and demand of the teacher, we ate some in tears.
 
The atmosphere was really hostile, and the teacher decided to lead us to another place. At 1 a.m. we rushed in the rain. At 6 a.m. we took a bus and left that place. 5 minutes later, the police followed us to that very street on motorcycles. Thanks be to the Lord! We escaped with the skin of our teeth. Then we moved to another reception house. However, the environment was still far from friendly. So we had to move again two weeks later. We studied Complete Salvation there. Two weeks later we had to move again, and this time we managed to go through God’s Word and The Principle of the Truth. We had stayed in four reception houses in a roll. The difficulties didn’t scare us away. Instead, we loved each other deeply with the love in Christ. We cared for each other and looked after each other. The three months of trainings gave me knowledge of orthodox Christology, and also I clearly understood the pattern of church service. In June 1990, I joined the SCC Gospel Legion, and was sent to proclaim the gospel to South China, where the name of the Lord was unknown. There I would be a witness for Christ’s complete salvation.
 
In September 1990, the churches in Qianjiang and Jingmen, Hubei Province underwent a sever persecution. Many believers were arrested, fined, and imprisoned. Some could not even return to their houses. Several evangelists were also caught. However, the activities of the church were still going on despite the danger. On the afternoon of October 4th, a co-worker named Cao Hongmei and I went to the Shayang Canal region in Jingmen City to strengthen the faith of the believers in persecution, and lead them to study the Scripture. However, on seeing us entering the village, the village head spotted us and reported to the police. We had just sat down when there was hurried knockings on the door. We saw flashlights everywhere outside the house, which was surrounded by the villagers. From the room where we hid, I could hear them raising a great turmoil, quarreling and all. “By what right are you searching my house?” “We want to, damn it. This is our right.” Then we heard them searching the trunks and cupboards. The elderly women of that family cried out loud, “Why are you striking my son? He is the bread earner of the whole family.” Another voice was heard, “Search the attic staircase too! I don’t believe they got wings and flew away!” A man climbed onto the beam, and went down with a hardboard box filled with our notebooks and books. Another kicked open the door to the room where we were hid. They handcuffed us and escorted us to the car. At that time the sisters and brothers of that family tried to stop them from taking us away, but the police prevailed anyway, striking and cursing them. The car started off. Sister Cao and I shook hands behind their backs, signaling to each other that the Lord was with us, and that there was nothing to fear. Then we were taken in the car to the police station of Li City, Shayang, Jingmen. On arriving there, they welcomed us with strikes and kicks. After that, Cao Hongmei and I were questioned separately. During the interrogation, a policeman asked me about my name and hometown. I made no answer. Then a policeman of short build called Tang slapped me over the face two times, and said, “What the hell are you doing here?” I said, “I’m a follower of Jesus Christ.” “How many have believed after you preached to them? What are their names?” I didn’t respond. On seeing this, Tang kicked me hard, and I fell to the ground. He said, “Idler! It’s nothing but old women’s business. You are so young, and you are also involved in that? What good can Jesus bring? It’s all nonsense and ignorance!” The interrogation went on till midnight. Then they went to sleep, and handcuffed me to a bench behind me. My co-worker was also handcuffed in the same way in front of me.
 
The next morning the interrogation continued after they had breakfast. It was still about believing in Jesus, like in whose house we gathered, and the believers’ names. We kept silent. We were ready to partake the suffering of Christ. In the afternoon we were escorted to Huyaguan Prison, Jingmen City. The people in charge of the registration office asked about our names and home address. One of them shouted at us in a vicious tone, “Kneel down!” He kicked me onto the ground, and slapped me several times across the face. I got up and said, “I am just a follower of Jesus. I have done nothing deserving this treatment.” He replied, “The law doesn’t allow you to follow Jesus. If you don’t behave yourself, we’ll throw you into the cells, and you’ll see!” Then we were taken to a women’s cell, where was another evangelist named Zishou. She had been caught not long before.
 
Once they found a pack of instant noodles missing. The prisoner-in-charge maintained that we ate it, and demanded a person close to her to beat us. In fact, it was this very person beating us who stole it and ate it. Once they gave us a good beating with the brooms, then they demanded that we kneel down and slap our own faces. After that she was still not satisfied, saying that she would prick us into the fingernails with needles. On hearing this, we three prayed silently, “Lord, may you forgive them, and bring comfort to their hearts, where there is but emptiness.” However, Cao Hongmei and I were subject to the torture anyway. The needles went right through our fingernails till blood gushed out. While they were doing this, we prayed for them earnestly, with not even a bit of hatred. Finally the prisoner-in-charge threw the needle away. Then she took out her medicine and squeezed it onto our fingernails, saying, “I did this to you because I’m so bored.” Our words and deeds moved them, and they beat us no more. About 10 tens days later, several people called me out to take photos. Then I was escorted to a car, which took me to Shayang Prison, Jingmen City. From that day, I was separated from Sister Cao Hongmei and Sister Zishou.
 
There were only three women prisoners there, me included. The second day, two policemen from Shayang Police Department named Li Tang and Zeng Linghong called me to an office for interrogation, saying, “What good can it bring to believe in Jesus? We just want to save you. Would you like to cooperate with us?” I said, “The benefits of believing in Jesus are many, like the stars in the sky. Unless you become believer too, you wouldn’t know what it means.” They smashed at the table and said, “Stop the bullshit. We have called you here to confess, not to preach!” They took out the stuff that was confiscated when I was arrested, saying, “This is your ID card, and that is your notebook. We know everything you have done. If you are a true believer, go to the Three-self Church to worship!” I said, “The Bible doesn’t say we have to go to churches in order to worship Jesus.” One of them replied, “But here in China, you have to go to the Three-self Church, or else you are violating the law!” Seeing that I didn’t want to continue the conversation, they asked, “Would you like to see your family? We can call them and ask them to come.” I refused, though I didn’t have enough clothes with me and needed my family to bring me some. Same interrogation went on for a solid three days. On the fourth day, a policeman named Yan Lu from Jingmen Police Department was also there during the interrogations. Every time they went for the meals, he would ask me to go with them. I wouldn’t. All I asked the Lord was to guard my mouth and my heart. After they had the meal, they asked me, “Now do you want to confess where they are evangelizing, and who you have contacted with? Who is the leader of your church? Do you know Uncle Xu?” All I said was no. Again they said, “It’s almost Spring Festival time. If you don’t talk, how can we answer to the superior? We have to have some material in our hands before we let you go!”
 
That afternoon, my brother, sister-in-law and uncle came and gave me some clothes and money. After they left, Li and Zeng interrogated me again, offering me “advice” and threats. Still I refused to answer them the way they wanted. Then I was released at the end of December.
 
It was almost Spring Festival time when we returned home. My family members were all busy doing Spring Festival shopping. I stayed home for about two weeks. Greatly I missed the church. Many times my family members tried to make me stay. However, the love of Christ stirred up my zeal gain and again. So I returned to my old harvest field with a mission for salvation, and continued to feed the little lambs the Lord gave me.
 
Our church was thus established, following the pattern of Golgotha and Pentecost. Though there were always our brothers and sisters in jail, the gospel of Christ was spread throughout the provinces and cities in South China.
 
On July 21st, 1991, I attended the monthly communication meeting in Shayang, Jingmen City. However, the husband of a sister followed us secretly, and reported to the police. That very night, two co-workers (Kaikuo and Shengmei), four other members of the church and I were arrested. We were escorted to Yaoyang Police Department not far away from the reception house. On entering the yard, a short and fat policeman demanded that we all kneel down. The ones who refused to comply were struck in the legs and ankles with clubs, till they fell down. Then he pointed at me, saying, “Seems to me you’ve been arrested before.” I made no response. Actually I had already recognized him (He was Tang, the one I had met when I was arrested the time before). We all received blows from the club. Then he asked a sister about her name and address, but received no reply. He was so enraged that he tramped on our backs and slapped us across the face. After that, we were separated from each other. Sister Kaikuo was handcuffed in the yard，to a tree behind her. Sister Shengmei and I were handcuffed together to the rails of the staircase of the second floor. We were kept there till morning. The policeman named Tang was sleeping in a bedroom not far away from us. The lamps down the building and in the yard were turned on. Having no desire to sleep, I could hear dogs barking and people quarreling in the reception house (because the policemen went to take away the belongings of the reception family and our quilts and food by force, after we had been take away). It was about 8 o’clock when we were escorted to the cars, and the local brothers and sisters came to deliver food to us. We tried to hold back our tears, telling them not to feel troubled. Seeing that I was bare footed, an elderly sister took off her own shoes and put them on my feet. After that, Tang and other two policemen pushed Kaikuo, Shengmei and I into a car. They played the cassette on the way, which sang See You, Mother, and our hearts were also stirred. We were full of sorrows to depart from the church, yet were ready for the battle that was to come. The car arrived at Huyaguan Prison of Jingmen City, where the three of us were locked up in one cell. After the door was opened, we saw ten people sitting on their beds. Then the door was closed with a bang. The prisoner-in-charge demanded that we stand straight with our backs to the wall, and asked our names and addresses. Then she forced us to recite the rules of the prison. On the afternoon of the second day, another sister (Hongju) was sent there too, escorted by the policeman named Yan Lu, who had questioned me during the first interrogation. When he opened the door, he pointed at me and sneered, “Take good care of your little sister, will you?” Two days later, Sister Hongju was interrogated. She was beaten until she passed out. Somebody else took her in the cell, her forehead still bleeding. We washed the wound for her, telling her not to be afraid. A couple of days later, she was taken away. We three prayed earnestly everyday, preached the gospel to our fellow inmates, and recounted God’s mercy and Man’s misery. Our prisoner-in-charge was the first one to receive Jesus into her heart. Then all the inmates listened to us. Every morning and evening and before the meals, all of us would get together and pray (We three took turns to lead them in prayers).
 
One day we got our lunch ready, and were prepared to say our grace. Eyes closed, everybody was sitting on the bed praying. Just then the warden named Che opened the food inlet and saw us. He dragged us three out, cursing and shouting. Then he ordered us to kneel on the ground, which was still muddy from the rain. He said, “Trouble makers! You guys are in jail! What the hell do you think you are doing? Ask this Jesus to feed you then!” We looked up to our Lord. About an hour later, we were permitted to go back in. as usual we witnessed for Christ. The inmates sang Jesus Our Savior Crowned with Thorn together till they all burst in tears. Since then, the officials in charge of the prison separated us into two cells. Even so, we still sang praise songs out loud to each other. The following days we three were interrogated in turn. It was Yan Lu again to question me. On seeing me, he said, “Now we are old acquaintances. There is nothing more to be said. If you don’t have the right attitude, we won’t send you home like we did last time.” I still kept silent. Over a month later, Shengmei was taken out by her family. Later on Kaikuo’s father came to take her away too. The interrogators demanded that she write a paper of confession before the release. Her father, who was an unbeliever, tried to persuade her, and finally wrote the paper for her and took her home.
 
On September 23rd, Yan Lu and the others came to interrogate me again. On the same day, I was transferred to Qianjiang Prison. There were only four people in the cell. Seeing that I had little belongings, which they had been planning to take away, all the other inmates were irritated. So they ordered me to wash the dishes, wipe the floor, and cleanse the toilet. They told me that there had been a lot of Christians here in jail not long ago. Some were fined and released, and others were sentenced to hard labor. Once I had time, I would pray silently, and recall the grace I received from Jesus as well as the love I received from the church, during the days when I was out there evangelizing. A month later, a policeman in his forties (he was from Qianjiang Police Department) interrogated me. He asked, “Who is the head of your church?” I replied, “Jesus.” He was so furious that he smashed at the table, saying, “Bullshit!” Then he changed his tone, trying to coax me into disbelieving Jesus and betraying the church. He used both tough measures and tender ones. But I said no to all of them. Later it got cold, and I received some clothes and quilts from an aunt from the church. I was full of gratitude. I sang praise songs and prayed with a peaceful heart, ready for long-term confinement. On the 23rd of November, 1991, Yan Lu from came to the duty office of Qianjiang Prison, and asked me if I had anything else to say. I said no. Then he took out an announcement paper, which said three years of hard labor, and demanded that I sign my name on it. I wept at once. I felt so honored to share the hardship with the Lord! So I packed up and went on the car which headed for Shayang Labor Camp. On the road, I kept thinking about the hardships the overseas missionaries had encountered while they spread the gospel in China, as well as the history of our church, which was marked with blood and tears. I looked up into the sky. O Lord, as long as Your name is upheld in China, I could contently spend my days in jail! Tears of gratitude flew down my face. Yan Lu asked if I regretted. I said, “For Jesus, never!” He mocked me, “There are your comrades in jail. Take your time and worship Jesus there!”
 
The car took me to the second group of Shayang Prison, Qilihu. There were two houses near the gate, one was the duty office, and the other was the room for visitation. A policeman asked an inmate to frisk me, cut my hair, search my belongings, and register. I was assigned to Class 4. I grabbed my pack and was led into the yard. At the staircase I saw Sister Liu Jiaozhen. She said nothing when she saw me, but took hold of my pack and helped me to carry it. Seeing this, a supervisor (a supervisor was an inmate assisting the officials to maintain the order of the Labor Camp. Most of them had been prostitutes) came and kicked her several times, saying, “What is she to you? You are not allowed to associate with each other!” I took over the pack and walked upstairs into the room of Class 4. The supervisor admonished me that I was not allowed to visit other classes or talk to other people.
 
Most of the inmates there had been prostitutes. There were about 20 Christians. Also there were thieves, drug addicts and the ones who disrupted social order. The highest total number of the inmates was about 150. At that time there were also other four sisters from South China Church. Sister Liu Jiaozhen was from Qianjiang, Hubei Province. She was sent here in July, 1996, and was sentenced to three years in the Labor Camp. Sister Duan Zhenmei was from Lichuan, Hubei Province. She was sent here in March, 1996, and was sentenced to three years in the Labor Camp. Sister Lan Zhaoxiu was from Shiyan, Hubei Province. She was sent here in August, 1996, and was sentenced to two years in the Labor Camp. Sister Li Mei was also from Shiyan, Hubei Province. She was sent here in August, 1996, and was sentenced to one and a half years in the Labor Camp.
 
The following two days I was forced to memorize the 38 articles of the Labor Camp regulations. The third day I received an order to carry earth in the vegetable field. Sister Lan Zhaoxiu and Sister Liu Jiaozhen were working there too. Seeing that I was not able to carry the baskets, Sister Lan Zhaoxiu and Sister Liu Jiaozhen tried to help me, but the officials and interns all shouted at them, forbidding them to come to me. What’s more, these people filled my baskets to the top. At the end of that day, I felt sore all over. After having carried earth for two days, I was sent to carry bricks with several drug addicts. After I finished, I got blisters in my hands. Later I was given another task: Learn to weave carpets in the workshop. One day, while I was getting the thread onto the needle, an official called me out. Outside stood an elderly believer (I call her aunt) from the church, who had came to visit me. She said, “It’s so good to know you are here. The burden in our heart is off. Other brothers and sisters will pray for you. Please take good care of yourself.” I haven’t seen the brothers and sisters for a mighty long time. I missed them so much that I burst into tears. Sister Duan Meizhen and Sister Li Mei were in the same workshop, and they were a great help to me. Soon I could do a better job than the other inmates. Labor and the disciplines were no longer pressure to me.
 
I grasped the skills quickly and worked hard at it. As a result, the officials appointed me to be a team leader. (There were 4 people in a team.) The other three were drug addicts. Jesus shed His grace on us, and we could hold sincere talks while working. I explained the Bible to them, and that how Christ had brought salvation to the world. Also I taught them praise songs. The five of us believers formed an evangelizing team. Whenever there was a chance, we would talk with each other, eat together, and share His Word together. In everything we communicate with each other. Whatever we had, we shared. Often we fasted and prayed. Sometimes I asked God what I could do, since He had put me amongst them. We helped each other with love in labor and in daily living. Moreover, we encouraged each other to lead a spiritual life and to understand the will of God. Each month the sisters in the church and my over 70 year old mother would visit me. They have done this out of love in Christ. However, they were not allowed to go in. so all they could do was to stand outside the gate of the Labor Camp. Mother would strengthen my faith with the words of the Lord, as well as the love of the church when she came, so that I might not want in spiritual teachings.
 
In the year 1997, we had a party to celebrate the Spring Festival. The officials asked again and again that the Christian inmates sing a song on the stage. Some inmates from the men’s group were there playing instruments. So Li Mei and I went up, and sang Fellow Pilgrims. Then everybody was quiet in surprise. They even forgot to applaud. The instrument players couldn’t play a single note. An official was very surprised to find that he had never heard our song before. Another official, who knew the reason why, told him that we were Christians. Many inmates said, “You two were really brave to do so.”
 
Time went by. Sister Li Mei was released in August, 1997, and Sister Duan Zhenmei too, in September. Sister Liu and Aunt Lan were also to be released in October and December of the same year. However, both of them wanted to stay in jail with me or instead of me. Actually we all knew quite well that the law wouldn’t permit it, and that nobody had done this before. But Christ’s love and the care for each other in trial urged them to come up with this idea and implement it. Then it was October, when Sister Liu was to be released. She made the direct request to an official, asking for permission to stay in jail. After understanding what was going on, the official said, “You are the most foolish person I have ever met. You didn’t know anything about the law before, that’s why you believed in Jesus and winded up in here. Now you’ve been in the Labor Camp for several years, how come you still don’t understand the law?” The official turned her down. She regretfully said goodbye to Aunt Lan and me, and left the Labor Camp.
 
Aunt Lan prayed to the Lord everyday for this (staying in jail with me or instead of me). Days went by, and it was almost time for her to be released. I really didn’t want her to stay, just to be insulted by the officials. However, she said she was determined, and that she would make the request, no matter they would agree or not. The day of release was the day that all the other inmates longed for. However, on the day she did not feel happy or exited, nor did she pack up or get ready to leave. Instead, she went to the vegetable field and kept working as usual. When she came back to the yard about lunch time, an official stopped her and said, “Lan Zhaoxiu, you have been released today. Go pack up your stuff now, and we’ll sent you off after lunch.” She responded, “I know, but I’m not going home. I want Liu Xianzhi to go home, and I’ll stay in her stead. Or I can stay with her here.” The official looked at her with a solemn expression on his face, “What are you think you are doing? The law is merciless. Nobody can take her place.” Aunt Lan Zhaoxiu wept and recounted how blessed she was, and how much in debt to the Lord she was. In the end she said, “I’m simple and ignorant. There is nothing I can do to repay Him, so please let me stay here with Liu Xianzhi, so that she can get out and do the Lord’s work. This’ll be the tiny little bit of what I can do for Jesus.” They official paid no attention to what she said. Instead, he asked several interns to drag her into the yard, and made an order to her that she pack up and leave. She didn’t have lunch, but got prepared to work with those who were about to work. The officials stopped her and said, “If you don’t go home, you’ll be placed in confinement together with Liu Xianzhi!” In the afternoon, the team leader called Zhang came to the workshop, and asked me to talk to her. So when I saw her, I beseeched her to go home. She said, “I don’t care if they make me serve a longer term or keep me in confinement. I’m not leaving you no matter what.” When I came back from work in the evening, I saw that she was weeping by the bed. I pleaded to her again to eat something. Still she refused. Some kind-hearted inmates tried to persuade her to go home, but she wouldn’t listen to them. She went without food till morning. Then she followed those who were to work in the vegetable field, without having breakfast. It was very cold and rainy. At lunch break time, the official asked several supervisors to prevent her from going into the yard. Aunt Lan wouldn’t submit. She sat on the ground, right in front of the duty office, and refused to budge. However, the official in charge of the workshop cursed her and shouted at her. In the end she was driven away from the Labor Camp. When she was about to leave, she looked so much in anger, but there was nothing she could do. Every time I recall that scene, tears would swell up in my eyes.
 
Aunt Lan was finally driven away. Her unprecedented act created a sensation in the Labor Camp. Both the police staff and the inmates at the second group were shocked. Some said, “The Christians are truly different.” Some said, “Even if others pay me to stay in jail, I would never agree.” Some said, “The Labor Camp isn’t somewhere you really want to be, is it? Finally it was the day to be released. Anyone would die to go home.” Some said, “Liu Xianzhi is so fortunate! I wonder what the real relationship between the two is.” The love we had in Christ, and the faith we held onto became a legend and a mystery, in this dark corner of the world call the Labor Camp. My heart glorified the Lord even more, myself being surrounded by wondering and admiring eyes. There was a cry deep down in my heart, “Come and listen, all you who fear God. Let me tell you what he has done for me.” (Psalms 66)
 
I was the only Christian from SCC left in the Labor Camp. But I could carry on till the day I was released, for I was supported by the love, blessings and encouragement Jesus gave me through my fellow sisters.
 
While I was still there, Pastor Gong risked his life to visit me two times. The first time was in January, 1997. He came to the Labor Camp, in the name of my uncle-in-law. An official called me out. I was shocked to see him there. O Lord, how could my teacher come to such a place? I was so much in fear for him. I was a simple evangelist, and he cared even for me! I walked towards him, joyful and exited. He especially worried about our physical conditions. Again and again he said that if it was possible, he would willingly go to jail in our stead. Then I made a request to the officials, that he could go into the workshop and take a look. When it was granted, I took him immediately where Sister Li Mei and Sister Duan Zhenmei were working. Then time was up for the visit, and they left the Labor Camp. Seeing him leave, I burst into tears at his love for me as a father. What he had done for the students as if he were their father came back into my mind. My own father had never come to visit me, for I became a Christian against his will. But the deep love in Christ moved me greatly, and the love I had for the Lord and the church grew more and more.
 
The other time was the end of July, 1998. I was about to be released. Pastor Gong came to visit me with my mother. He said to me, “The Church had been planning on taking you back, but I heard that your elder brothers also would like to take you home. So you better go home first and comfort their heart.”
 
On September 23rd, 1998, I was released. After I went back home, my unbelieving father and brothers and sisters-in-law all insisted that I stay at their side. Mother prayed for me in tears. The mission I had and the urgency I felt for the lost souls all urged me to leave home. However, during the two weeks at home, the love for the family was such a big challenge to me. When I voiced my mind directly to my family, my sister-in-law knelt down and begged me to stay. The night before I left, my brother was seized by illness again, and my sister-in-law passed out. My aged father waited, full of sorrow, for me to change my mind. Looking up at the bright moon in the night sky, I felt my entire heart was ripped by the struggles. The love for my family wrestled with the mission call. In my mind was nothing but the co-workers and Pastor Gong, laboring in the spiritual battle field. I also recalled how Aunt Lan was even willing to stay in jail in my stead, so that I could get out and repay the Lord for His grace. How could I stay at home and enjoy the leisure alone? There was an ancient saying: You cannot be faithful to your king and obedient to your parents at the same time. I found it true. So in the early morning of October 6th, I returned to the church, and took part in the Co-workers’ Retreat in autumn.
 
At that tome, all the brothers and sisters were busy with the issue of South China Church Periodical under the leadership of Pastor Gong. All the brothers and sisters were eager to take there share of the publication, contributing articles of there own. God’s grace and truth revealed to us were thus recorded through the periodicals. Within a short 3 years, 48 periodicals had been published.
 
In May of 2001, more than ten of us co-workers were at a reception house in Zhongxiang, editing of the periodicals 49 to 59. On May 27th, Pastor Gong came with the news that a family not far from us had already been found out by the police. What was more, Li Ying, Xiao Yanli, Yi Chuanfu, Dong Daolai, Long Feng, Liu Honghua, Ma Yuqin and Yu Zhongju were all under arrest. On hearing the news, we stopped working, packed up our stuff, and moved to another place right away. We were busy with this till over 11 o’clock p.m. At that time, Pastor Gong, Sister Li Yingping and I were staying at another reception house. She and I had just gone to bed when we heard the windows and door outside was smashed upon. Then we heard Pastor Gong whispering at our door, “Get up and move!” Hurriedly we went to the backyard, where we saw flashlights coming towards the house. Seeing that there was no way to escape, Pastor Gong jumped back. We were under very urgent circumstances. Then Pastor Gong led us to the roof. As soon as Sister Li Yingping and I got on top of the house, those armed police who had broken in chased after us. Some of them even climbed on ropes to get on top of the roof. A whole bunch of people swarmed in. They didn’t show us any warrants. Instead, they took hold of us, and escorted us downstairs. I saw people holding video cameras, videotaping everything. There were swarms of people, confiscating the quilts, clothes, and home appliances of the reception house, as well as many copies of the Bible, South China Church Periodicals, and a lot of cash and jewelries, which were the tithes and contributions of the believers. After that, they escorted Sister Li Yingping and me to a car, where several people were sitting already. Sister Li Yingping said, “We are just Christians. We have done nothing wrong. Why would so many of you come to get us?” On hearing this, a man slapped her across the face. Sister Li had a stomach problem, so she was burping. Several men said dirty words to her, “You are gonna die. Do your prayers help you?” About two hours later, a man came up and said, “Damn it! He got off anyway.” Sister Li Yingping and I knew they were talking about Pastor Gong. We both felt relieved that he was not caught. Then we were escorted to the police training center Zhongxiang City. There we were separated from each other for interrogations, which took place all night.
 
I was led to a bedroom. There were four beds, two at each side of the room. About eight men in plain clothes sat on the beds. (They were leaders of each police departments of Zhongxiang City, but I don’t know their names). They ordered me to stand right before their eyes. One of them touched my body ruthlessly, and I was so scared that I screamed. He slapped me two times, and said, “I dare you to scream again!” He searched me and found a watch as well as a pencil. Then they asked me my name and where I was from, and I answered him. After that they asked me what my identity was. I said, “I’m a Christian.” One of them came up and kicked me, saying, “Glorious indeed, believing in this foreigner called Jesus rather than the Communist Party! You want to rebel. Don’t you? I’m Jesus to you now, you bitch!” His kick sent me lying on the floor. I pleaded to the Lord to put His words into my mouth. Another man said, “You are too young to believer in gods and ghosts and stuff. You are such a flunky to a foreign religion! Tell you what, Gong Shengliang has deceived you! It is him we want to arrest. If you cooperate with us, we’ll send you home anytime.” I didn’t know what they meant by “cooperation”, so I said in a normal tone, “We have freedom of belief. Jesus does not deceive anybody.” Then another said, “Talking to me about freedom of belief, you bitch? If we don’t teach her a lesson, she would even ask us to follow Jesus!” “Clank!” a pair of shackles was thrown in front of me. “I am God to you, bitch. If you don’t behave yourself, God is going to punish you. Weren’t you with Gong Dali tonight? How many times were you in bed with him?” I said in a rage, “Not even once!” “Bullshit! We saw Gong Shenhliang running from that damn house. Gong Dali even went to visit you in the Labor Camp! Surely he had a crush on you! If you don’t tell us the damn truth, you’ll regret having been born!” Several heavy blows followed, sending me to the floor. A man pressed my face to the tiles, tramping on my legs. Someone put the shackles on my bare ankles.
 
They posed ridiculous questions on me. One of them pointed at me, saying, “How many times have you had sexual intercourses with Gong Shengliang? We’ll give you a lesson if you don’t confess everything!” I was so confused. I was a Christian evangelist. Why were they questioning me about things unrelated to my faith and evangelizing? Didn’t they know what they have accused me of was sinful in God’s eyes? What on earth was going on I had no idea. Therefore I couldn’t answer the way they wanted me to. Then they forced me to stand up, and walk before them. It took all night. All eight of them took turns to harass me and torture me, like there was no end to it. A slim man held a steel clothes hanger in his hands. Each step I made, he would hit me hard in the ankle and toes, until they were all black and blue. Someone shoved me forward. I tumbled, and then a pair of feet treaded on the fetters. I fell and hit the floor. Sometimes I was shoved to the wall, and they would grab my head and bump it against the wall. My ankles and heels were all cut. The skin was rubbed off by the shackles, and blood gushed out. I felt so painful that I could barely walk. Two big guys came up. Each grabbing one corner of my clothes around the shoulders, they dragged me forward at a high speed. My legs gave away, and were dragged across the floor. They were out of there breath, saying, “So this is you want, huh? You bitch!” Then they let go of my body. Helplessly I lay on the floor, just to be treaded under two feet in leather shoes. A man stepped onto my hand, and ground it under his feet. Sharp pains permeated through my hand, and I felt the whole world darkened. I closed my eyes. A man swore at me, saying, “You wanna die? That’ll be too good for you.” I lay on the floor helplessly, unable to bear the torture any more. O Lord! Why were they forcing me to say that I had had sexual intercourses with Pastor Gong? What was their real purpose? Fortunately Pastor Gong was not caught. Or what would be awaiting him would only be more horrible.
 
When it was morning, some of them went for breakfast, and others went to have some sleep. Only Li Zhixiang (the chief of Huji Police Department, Zhongxiang City) was there to interrogate me. He said to me, “We have Li Ying and Xiao Yanli in our hands. Gong Shengliang will be caught too, and we’ll shoot him anyway. Others will settle other problems, and your job is to confess that you have had sexual intercourses with Gong Shengliang. Actually we have had all the evidences. All we want is your truthful confession.” Then he pulled at my clothes, and said, “Gong Shengliang bought these for you, didn’t he? What kind of color and style is this? Only old women in their eighties would wear it. He coaxed you into doing hard labor for him. You are living like a pig.” I had been so badly beaten that I was barely alive. So I said, “You got the power in your hands. What evidences do you need? What I say won’t work out for you.” I was ready to die. Superintendent Li jumped up, gnashed his teeth in a rage, and said, “Wanna be a martyr, don’t you? You bitch!” Then he held the hair beside my ears, and pulled me up on it with great force. My whole body was hanging in the air. My heartbeat quickened, my eyes grew dim, and cold sweat came out. I could barely breathe. Then he suddenly tossed me to the floor. After his doing this for several times, I passed out. When I finally came to myself, Superintendent Li ordered me to stand up. Then he had me look up at him, and said, “The superior have already issued their policies to us. We can beat you folks up whatever way we want. Even if you got beaten to death, we’ll say you well deserved it! If you want to bring up a lawsuit, you are not going to win the case. If you still don’t confess that you have had sexual intercourses with Gong Shengliang, I’ll strip you naked, and feed you r body to the dogs. If you cooperate with us, we’ll be good friends, and I can help you to get a job.” At that time, I heard Sister Li Yingping screaming in the room next to me, and the interrogators were swearing at her. On the 28th, right before supper time, Liu Congzheng (the chief of the Section of Religions Affairs) came in. He held a copy of South China Church Periodical, shook it in front of me, and said, “You are even able to write articles? Good for you! Was it Gong Dali who told you to write?” I said, “It was my own idea.” He said, “Cut off that damn bullshit. What’d the relationship between you and Gong Shengliang?” I answered, “He is my teacher in Christ, for he came to the Lord much earlier than we did.” Since the day I was arrested till then, I hadn’t had a drop of water to drink. What’s more, they even forbade me to use the bathroom. I was still having my period. There was neither toilet paper nor sanitary napkins. As a result, I got blood stains in my clothes. Liu said, “If you don’t cooperate with us, we’ll let you hold it till you get sick and die. Are you still a virgin? I can try on you to check it out.” Superintendent Li was by our side, and leered at me with an evil grin. I kept praying that the Lord be with me.
 
Late on May 28th, I was escorted to the detainment center of Zhongxiang City. An official there looked at me up and down in great astonishment, and looked at the policeman who escorted me. The policeman said in a hurry, “She’s fine. We’ll take her away in a couple of days.” When this official took me to the cell, he asked me, “What have you done to have them beat you up like this?” I said, “I’m a Christian.” Then he whispered to himself, “There are other Christians sent here these days. How come all of them got so badly beaten?” On stepping into the cell, I saw Sister Yu Zhongju, Sister Xiao Yanli, Sister Liu Honghua, Sister Ma Yuqin, and other two sisters. So there I was, with loose hair and disfigured face, and covered with dirt. On my swollen feet was a pair of men’s slippers, and my ankle was still bleeding. All of them were greatly grieved and wept. Since then, I had to lie down in bed all day, unable take care of myself. Seeing this, the official in charge of the women’s cells told the interrogation staff to take me to the Legal Medical Center of Zhongxiang City, where I received IV there for three days. The nurse asked about my wound. Before I could answer, those who took me there just prevaricated to her. When I was having my IV, I heard hem say, “There was someone even more miserable than her. That person was beaten in to a coma and had just been salved in the ICU.” During those days, the sisters in the cell were interrogated one after another. Sister Xiao Yanli and Sister Ma Yuqin were transferred elsewhere. Sister Liu Honghua also said that she was scared of the beating. Only Sister Yu Zhongju hadn’t been interrogated those days.
 
On June 8th, Superintendent Li and Superintendent Xiang of the special team for the case took me to the room where I was interrogated for the first time (it was a bedroom of the police training center of Zhongxiang City). On the way there I saw, in one of the rooms, a brother form a reception family knelt down barefooted, holding his head and let out tearful cries. Several policemen kept whipping him hard with leather belts. My heart trembled with fear. Having led me to the bedroom, Superintendent Xiang said, “Li Yingping has admitted that she had had sexual intercourses with Pastor Gong. If you don’t say so too, you’ll be the only miserable one. You have been preaching the gospel for many years. Have you ever had decent meals? Have you ever had fun? What have you got from this crap? Has following Gong Shengliang brought you any benefit? Tell us that! All we want you to do is to admit that you have had sexual intercourses with him. You won’t be held responsible if you say what we tell you. Gong Shengliang will take all the blame. We’ll keep the secret for you. It is Gong Shengliang that deserves to be executed. Meng Xicun hates Gong Shengliang so much that he wanted us to take revenge for him. You know quite well of the outcome if you don’t confess!” I was so troubled in my heart. Pastor Gong was a dear teacher to me, and we had never done what they were accusing me of. But all they did was to force me to say that I did. They held me up for a whole day, trying to talk me into confessing it. At night they forbade me to sleep. They didn’t even permit to blink. The next morning, seeing that I still had no intension to talk, Superintendent Xiang kicked me angrily, and had me fettered again. He swore at me, “Damn you, are you dumb or what? We haven’t had a wink of sleep just to interrogate you. I don’t believe you are more damn stubborn than Xiao Yanli and Li Ying!” Superintendent Li shoved a fully-charged electric club at me with great force, right on my head, breast and buttocks.
 
Then he took hold of my collars, and ripped my shirt open. I screamed, trying to hold my breasts with my hands. Then Li scorched my hands with the electric club until they were covered with blisters. I rolled and screamed on the floor. He thrust the electric club into my mouth, and had me cornered. I tried to put my clothes back on, and wiped my tears. Superintendent Li let out roaring laughter, and said, “Ask Jesus to save you! If you don’t confess, we’ll beat you to death, so that you can see your Lord!” I asked the Lord to take my life. I could not bear this brutal torture anymore. I felt dizzy and panicky from the two days’ inquisition by torture, engulfed in torment, humiliation, hunger, exhaustion and fear. At this moment, Superintendent Li and Superintendent Xiang grabbed my hands, forced my hand to sign, and put fingerprints on a piece of paper. They said, “Gong Shengliang isn’t your daddy or mommy, is he? Why did you look out for him like this? After you put your fingerprint here, your Lord still wants you anyway. We can reply to the superiors too. You’ll be free from any responsibilities.” On hearing this, I knew that their evil plot had succeeded. My heart was sorer than from the electric clubs. Pastor Gong loved his students like his own children. He was still on the run night and day for the gospel. But here, the police staff who executed the law made up false testimonies just to sentence him to death! When I thought of this, I was so full of sorrow and anxiety in my heart. There was nothing I could do except to make the truth clear, and ask for the righteous and peace-loving people to reveal Pastor Gong’s innocence to the world.
 
On June 1oth, I was sent to Huyaguan Prison of Jingmen City. When I was about to sign in, I saw that Xiang Fengping was also there to sign. The wounds in her hands and feet showed clearly. I was assigned to Cell No.4, while Xiang Fengping to Cell No.5. The prisoner- in-charge was planning on giving me a pass-through (a beating). But I was covered with wounds, which were still bleeding. After seeing this, they dropped the idea of beating me. Sister Wei Kaiqin (she had been caught about two weeks ago). Immediately she took her own clothes out for me. So I took my clothes off. My inmates all saw that I was black and blue all over, and some wounds were still dripping with blood. They all exclaimed in anger, “What kind of law have we got today? What’s the great deal about believing in Jesus?” Sister Wei Kaiqin and I could talk about the Lord’s words and His grace together, and pray everyday. Every time her younger brother came to visit her, she would talk about the Word with him and the superintendent of the prison, asking them to follow Jesus. At the beginning of July she signed a detainment certificate, and was transferred to another place.
 
Towards the end of July, Li Zhixiang of the special team for the case came to interrogate me in an interrogation room of Huyaguan Prison again. All he did was to put my finger print on a blank piece paper with only my name on it. After that he left. I had no idea what this was in the legal procedures.
 
On July 17th, people from the Procuratorate of Zhongxiang City came with a warrant for arrest. Liu Congzheng came as well. He asked me what was on my mind. Enraged, I replied, “I shall never regret having faith in Jesus! You have employed vile measures against me. Be aware, you will be held responsible before the law. You can’t escape your responsibility.” One day at the beginning of August, people from the Procuratorate of Zhongxiang City came to check on me. When the prosecutor asked me, “Do you hold your witness in the police department as nothing but the truth?” I said, “The notes from the interrogations contained nothing but false witnesses resulted from inquisitions by torture. The interrogators made it up, and grabbed my hands to get the fingerprint.” On hearing this, the prosecutor laughed and shook his head.
 
I had been kept isolated in Jingmen Prison till mid September. The special team for our case had made an order to the prison staff, forbidding my contacting relatives. Nobody cared for our clothes, or daily necessities. I still had that periodical dizziness and quick heartbeat. I was tormented both body and soul. During that time, Xu Fuming, Cao Hongmei, Fu Shijun, Gong Bangkun, Dui Qingfeng, Qiu Chunyi and other fellow believers were also sent here and imprisoned in Jingmen Prison.
 
One day in late September, two policemen (one of them was called Li Guanghong) of the Jingmen special team for the case came to interrogate me again in an interrogation room in the prison. As usual they forced me to say that I had had sexual intercourses with Pastor Gong, and to recount the affair in detail. (Like when and where, what kind of underwear I was wearing, and what positions we were at, etc.) Then they took our several pictures that had Pastor Gong and his students in it, and maintained that they were evidences that Pastor Gong had had sexual intercourses with his them. But there were also our brothers, folks in their eighties, as well as little children in the pictures. How could they make their explanations on that too? Seeing that I was still silent, they threatened me, “You want to be interrogated elsewhere (by elsewhere he meant the Police Academy of Jingmen City), don’t you? You are but a shortie with a bunch of bones. You’ll be fixed in no time. Do you want to be like Yu Zhongju? She has already gone to see the Lord. Now the Communist Party is in absolute power. You are obedient, you live. You are rebellious, you die!” What? They had beaten Yu Zhongju to death? I felt my head grew heavy and my heart trembled. I could barely pull myself together to sit down. Seeing the expression on my face, Li Guanghong and the other man didn’t say a word. Instead, one of them grabbed my arm, and squeezed a pen into my hand, and forced it to sign and put the fingerprint on a piece of paper. I struggled to break free, only to push the inkpad and a glass of water off the table. I tried to resist with all my might, but they pressed my thumb onto the paper anyway. Then they demanded that I read a paragraph of the interrogation notes. I wouldn’t say a word. On of them smashed at the table, and said, “You are damn plain stupid, aren’t you? Gong Shengliang is to be shot anyway, and you are still looking out for him? You want to read the notes about how he turned you in? Don’t be shy. I’ve done it before and know everything about sex. Do you want to see how Gong Shengliang and Zhang Xiaohong made love? Technology is truly advanced these days. You can make life-like videotapes without the real scene. You might appear in a video show too. All of these will be evidences in the court. Nobody is like you nowadays. Even the movie stars and models would strip themselves naked and show themselves around.” Then they videotaped me, and put the notes they wrote in front of me. They demanded that I read it aloud, but I wouldn’t, no matter what! The man who held the camera urged me to voice it out, for he had other businesses to look after. I paid no attention to him, but insisted to read first what was in it. Then Li Guanghong reached to my cheeks and chin, saying, “Pretty sensual, isn’t it? Didn’t Gong Shengliang do the same to you?” I screamed, “Villains! Not a single word in your notes has been said by me! It’s a false testimony!” Then I pointed at a paragraph in the note, saying, “I have never said ‘I slept with Gong Shengliang in order that I can be close to him. If I get close to him, I can understand the Bible better, and be a good Christian.’ You just made the whole thing up!” Another man laughed and said contently, “Alright, alright, stop recording. No more needs to be said.” All of a sudden I realized that something went wrong. I felt the whole word darkened. I burst into tears, unable to hold it back anymore. I couldn’t forgive my ignorance whatsoever. Seeing that I was in tears, they said, “Full of regrets, aren’t you? Actually many people have told us to take revenge for them, and give Gong Shengliang what he deserves. Do you want to write something to bring up a lawsuit against him too?” I smashed at the table and screamed, “Liars! The teacher I know is not what you said to be!”
 
 
I was still tearful when I got out of the interrogation room. On the way I saw that Brother Gong Bangkun and Brother Du Qingfeng were also being interrogated. Sister Sun Minghua was just out of the interrogation room too. Her entire body swelled up, and kept coughing. She handed to me a quilt. We were both engulfed in unspeakable sorrow. She said to me, “Don’t blame yourself so. As long as we are alive, we can give our true testimony and make everything clear.” Then an official urged us to go back to our own cells. So I asked him to hand the quilt to Brother Xu Fuming.
 
Before the National Day holiday, the policemen in charge of the prison had let words out that there needed to be at least three cells for women to hold a whole lot of prisoners. As a result, all of us women prisoners were divided into three cells, although there were not many of us. After the rearrangement there were just two or three or five people in one cell. (There were our sisters in each cell.) As it turned out, on October 12, six sisters were sent here. They were Sister Zhang Xiuying, Sister Zhang Yingjun, Sister Qin Xianhua, Sister Li Duojia, Sister Li Mei, and Sister Rainbow Li, who was only 15 years old. Brother Hu Yong was also sent here. After a period of time, we were put into two cells instead of three. Xiang Fengping, Cao Hongmei, Yang Chijiao, Zhang Xiuying, Zhang Yingjun, and Sun Minghua were in one cell. Li Duojia, Li Mei, Qin Xianhua, Rainbow Li and I were in one cell. There were many of us, but they forbade us to have contacts with our families. So we had no extra clothes or daily necessities. The five of us shared one quilt. Those we had done all the work in the cell, the inmates that were unbelievers were still annoyed at us. What’s more, they had to face the interrogations everyday, which tormented us both body and soul. We were without even the most needed daily necessities. So each time an inmate was released, we would plead to her, so that she could leave the rest of her daily necessities and discarded clothes to us. The broken basins other had thrown away, we would gather them back and use them. After rounds and rounds of interrogations, Yang Chijiao and Zhang Xiuying were sentenced to three years in the Labor Camp, and were sent away. Later on, Qin Xianhua, Li Mei, Li Duaojia, Zhang Yingjun and Rainbow Li were released one after another as well. Only then did the church know our whereabouts, and sent us clothes and money. On November 23rd, after breakfast, an official opened the food inlet of our cell, and handed me a coat, saying that Pastor Gong had asked him to deliver it to me. Only then did I know that Pastor Gong was also locked here in Jingmen Prison.
 
On December 7, Li Ying, Li Yingping, Dong Daolai and Yi Chuanfu were transferred from Zhongxiang to Jingmen. That night the 15 of us were called out. They ordered us to squat by the walls, and hold our heads with two hands. As it turned out, some people from Jingmen Procuratorate and Jingmen Court came to distribute the bills of indictment. The bailiff who came with them kept hitting us on the head and kicking us in the legs, saying, “Behave yourselves and squat there quietly. Each read his own part of the indictment. After you have finished, sign your names.” Pastor Gong was there, in heavy shackles. He didn’t even have enough strength to squat, so he just sat there on the cold tiled floor. He looked so haggard. I was about to greet him when the bailiff shouted at me, “You wanna ask for trouble, bitch?” After reading the bills of indictment, we found that they were full of false statements. They were not truthful testimonies from interrogations at all. We all realized that the special team for the case, the Procuratorate and even Jingmen Middle Court had already made the verdict, and tried all measures to get testimonies for heavy sentences. So we made our request to the judge that we contact our families to get lawyers. He just ignored us. So Pastor Gong made the request another time. The judge replied, “The court will get you some assistance lawyers.” Pastor Gong said to him, “I’d like to have my family get me a lawyer from the religious circle.” He said, “There aren’t such lawyers in China.”
 
On December 8th, Sister Meng Xicun, Sister Ma Yuqin and Sister Xiao Yanli were transferred from Jingshan Prison and Dangyang Prison to Jingmen. Sister Xiao Yanli and Sister Meng Xicun received the bills of indictment. Sister Ma Yuqin was exempt from indictment. After a week, she went home. 9 brothers (Pastor Gong, Xu Fuming, Hu Yong, Gong Bangkun, Du Qingfeng, Qiu Chunyi, Fu Shijun, Dong Daolai and Yi Chuanfu) and 8 sisters (Li Ying, Sun Minghua, Xiao Yanli, Cao Hongmei, Xiang Fengping, Li Yingping, Meng Xicun and I), altogether 17 of us, were identified as the principal criminals of the SCC case.
 
We carried through the tortures of brutal and deadly inquisitions, which lasted for 6 months. But still we felt helpless, being isolated from the rest of the world, and facing the indictment of Jingmen Procuratorate, which was neither based on the truth nor measured by the law. We had no idea where God, who would never slumber or sleep, was leading us. However, we didn’t lose our hope. So we made our request to the officials again and again, that we contact our families. Li Guang, the official in charge of the prisoners said, “The superiors have issued their orders that you cannot have your own lawyers. The court will appoint some assistant lawyers for you.” We were even deprived of the right to have our own lawyers. We felt helpless, and wondered what the will of God was. Cell No.4, the one I as at, threw a note to Cell No.5, which said “Let’s fast and pray for three days.” As it turned out, an official picked it up. Superintendent Hu called for me at once and asked me about the note. I said, “Even a cornered dog would try to jump over the wall. We have been isolated from everything for such a long time. How are we supposed to have the appetite?” He replied, “All this is what the superior commanded. There is nothing we can do. If I hand this note to the court, you’ll receive a more severe sentence.” After this incident, we were all moved from Cell No.4 to Cell No.1, away from Cell No.5. However, we still fasted and wrote our statements according to the truth. (The officials gave us paper and pens under our continuous requests.) We were very naïve, never been to a court before. So we all imagined that we could make everything clear in the court. A judge was supposed to care for the citizens. Surely he could not confuse right and wrong. We still trusted in the court in China. That’s why we had this great hope in our heart and kept writing our statements.
 
On December 19, after breakfast, we were called out one after another by the policemen, burdens and longings in our heart. Tens of armed policemen were at the door of the duty office. They ordered us to stand still by the wall, and called our names. “Gong Dali!” “Here!” our pastor answered with a deep voice. On that moment, all the eight of us turned to him. Looking into his eyes, which were full of tenderness and anticipation, I was filled with sadness and compassion. Then two bailiffs came up, pulled his arms to his back, and handcuffed him. Tumbling along the road, he was dragged into the car in those fetters, which clanked along the way. We were also handcuffed in the same way, and were escorted (it was female bailiffs that escorted us) to four cars one after another. When we entered the yard of the court, we saw that our relatives had been there already, seeking for us. The bailiffs shouted at them, and tried to drive them away. They escorted us out of the cars, and held our heads down so we could not look back. We were pushed into a small detention room by the gate of the court.
 
Then the time came that we were summoned to the court. The judge, jurors, lawyers, secretaries and civil plaintiff were all there, each in his position. In the corner of the public gallery sat more than ten people, some of them were the ones that interrogated us. But our relatives were not there. The bailiffs who escorted us got a row of seats behind us. But we had to stand there in a row. Not even a single on of us got a seat. The cameras were towards us. After we had taken our places, the judge ordered that our shackles be taken off (only Pastor Gong was still fettered). Then he read a list of those present in court, and asked us if there were jurors we would like to challenge. We all said no. Then he asked if the statements of the defendants in the bills of indictment were true. Xiang Fengping and I all spoke up, “The time length of detainment is not accurate. We were arrested was 15 days earlier than was recorded, which is not in the in the account.” The judge didn’t seem to be listening, and made no response.
 
Then the civil plaintiff presented his civil indictment. The plaintiff called Xie Dong (male, from Zhongxiang) said dirty words at will and cursed us. But the court did nothing to stop him. After the hearing of the civil case was over, the hearing of criminal case began.
 
Pastor Gong, Li Ying, Sun Minghua, Xiao Yanli, Xiang Fengping, Meng Xicun, Li Yingping and I were kept in the court for further trial. The others were led out of the court, waiting for their hearings.
 
The public prosecutor accused us of “disrupting the execution of the law by organizing and employing a cult organization.” The reason was that South China Church had issued “cult” publications— the SCC periodical— held illegal gatherings, and illegal evangelizing. The public prosecutor accused Pastor Gong of “disrupting the execution of the law by organizing and employing a cult organization”, and pointed to him as a cult leader. The accusation went as following, “Gong Dali had been a Christian since childhood. Since 1983, he have been spreading the gospel and establishing churches in various provinces and areas. He started the publication of the SCC periodicals, and founded ‘schools of theology’, training and sending evangelists to various places for illegal evangelizing.” The public prosecutor accused Li Ying of “disrupting the execution of the law by organizing and employing a cult organization”, pointing to her as the one responsible for the financial management of the church, and undertook illegal evangelizing in various places. The public prosecutor accused Xiao Yanli, Xiang Fengping, Liu Xianzhi, Meng Xicun and Li Yingping of “disrupting the execution of the law by organizing and employing a cult organization”, that they were typing, printing and issuing the periodicals, and were active in all kinds of gatherings. Liu Xianzhi was identified as the author of four articles. All this time the lawyers were laughing, talking, whispering to each other, walking around, and even eating snacks. After the public prosecutor had finished the indictment, the judge asked if the defendants and their lawyers had any objections to the accusations. Fu Lang, Ma Jun, and He Dalin (lawyers that our families had employed for us) all said, “Yes!” But Zhang Qiong, Wu Xuesheng and Li Wanhai (lawyers appointed by the court) all said, “No.” All the eight of us said, “Yes!” The evidences that the public prosecutor presented were copies of SCC periodicals and some materials from the sermons, and read aloud a paragraph from an article The Recent Situation in the Small World in the first issue of the SCC Periodical. The trust we had had in the court was gone. I was surprised at the casualness in the court, and let out a sigh for our case. We Christians were here on trial in an atheist court; we felt but absurdity. After the day’s hearings were over, the bailiffs handcuffed us from behind, and escorted us back to the prison.
 
The second day (December 20th), we were escorted to the court again after breakfast. The ones accused of committing injury were put in court. Others stayed at the detention room. From the barred door of that room, I could see that several brothers and sisters were being escorted up in turns, but Pastor Gong was nowhere to be seen. (He was kept in the court.) Xiang Fengping, Li Yingping, Meng Xicun, and I were detained in that room all day instead of going to the court. In the evening we returned to the prison. The sisters who had been in court said to us, that Pastor Gong wasn’t even able to stand through the trial. He fell onto the ground when it was half way through. From what they had said, I knew all hope that we had in the trial was in vain.
 
On the morning hearing of the 21st, the public prosecutor accused Pastor Gong, Sister Li Ying and Sister Sun Minghua of rape. In the afternoon, Meng Xicun, Li Yingping, Xiang Fengping and I were also taken to the court. The judge asked me, “Liu Xianzhi the defendant, the indictment holds the accusation against you that you have had sexual intercourses with Gong Dali. Is this the truth?” I answered, “No! The police staff held inquisitions by torture. They made up the whole story and forced me to make a fake testimony!” The judge said, “Be brief, just tell me yes or no.” Then he asked, “Li Yingping the defendant, the indictment holds the accusation against you that you have had sexual intercourses with Gong Dali. Is this the truth?” Sister Li Yingping said, “No.” Then he asked, “Xiang Fengping the defendant, the indictment holds the accusation against you that you have had sexual intercourses with Gong Dali. Is this the truth?” Xiang Fengping said, “No.” The judge asked again, “Meng Xicun the defendant, the indictment holds the accusation against you that you have had sexual intercourses with Gong Dali. Is this the truth?” Meng Xicun said out loud, “No!” The judge said, “Meng Xicun the defendant, you are held responsible for legal outcomes if you bear a false witness in court. Is that understood?” Meng Xicun said, “Yes.” Then the public prosecutor brought out the bill of indictment used during the interrogations, saying, “There’s your own fingerprint on it! How do you explain this?” Meng Xicun said, “It was the result of the police staff’s inquisitions by torture. They employed vile means, tearing my blouse off, humiliated me, and coerced me into writing it. Your Honor, please make clear that I am innocent of these crimes!” All the assistant lawyers in the court whispered to each other and sneered at her. Then all the defendants were brought to the court for the final statement. Pastor Gong spoke, “I thank the court for giving me the opportunity to make my statement. There are several points that I’d like to make clear. First, the South China Church is not a cult because it has a certain organization, a unified faith, fixed canons, and requires the believers to be the light and salt of the earth and law-abiding citizens…” The judge interrupted impatiently, “Gong Dali, be brief!” Pastor Gong continued, “Secondly, I have nothing to do with committing injury, the testimonies of which you have just heard from the other defendants here in the court. Thirdly, there is no plaintiff to charge me with rape, and there are no witnesses either…” The judge roared at him, “No need to speak further. The court has convicted you of these charges.” A bailiff moved the microphone in front of Sister Li Ying. She said, “Your honor, my church is not a cult organization. The faith I hold onto is Christianity, not some cult belief. It holds salvation from the cross as the foundation, the great power of the Holy Spirit as evidence, the truth in the Bible as the standard, repentance as the requirement, and…” The judge interrupted her with an angry shout, “Li Ying the defendant! The court mind you, be brief!” So Sister Li Ying had to cut her statement short. She said, “I have nothing to do with committing injury. The testimony from the police was the result of inquisition by torture for five days and nights.” The judge said impatiently, “Li Ying, I warn you, what you have done has been made clear. The court has affirmed of these charges.” The bailiff looked annoyed, and said, “So damn troublesome. You don’t want to die; that’s all.” Same thing happened to Sun Minghua and Gong Bangkun, who had barely said anything when they stopped them. When it was Brother Yi Chuanfu’s turn, he said, “Your Honor, please take a look at the wounds I received while being tortured by the police.” Then he showed his two arms and legs. The legs of his pants were pulled up, and we saw the pus and blood running down his legs. All of us shuddered and wept, while the judge roared, “Yi Chuanfu! Put your clothes down! Take control of your emotions!” Brother Yi complied unwillingly. He was about to continue when they stopped him. All the brothers on trial for the case testified that Pastor Gong had never incited or plotted injury, and that Sister Li Ying and Sister Sun Minghua had nothing to do with committing injury. But they were ignored in court. Not a single word they said was put down, while every word the public prosecutor said was recorded and affirmed.
 
When our lawyers pleaded for us, the court made clear that we had been convicted as a cult, and that there needed nothing to be said about that. Many times the judge interrupted the lawyers, giving them warnings that the time was limited, and that only the articles of the legal evidence could be presented, not the contents. When Li Wanhai, Xiao Yanli’s lawyer was defending her, the bailiff went to him and said, “She’s no relative of yours. What are you saying such a whole lot of stuff for?” Then when Meng Xicun’s lawyer was defending her, the bailiff came up again and said, “Why are you trying so hard to help her? How much money has she paid you? Cut it short!” The public prosecutor came up with a vehement refute on our lawyers, but the court gave no chance to the latter to make their defense again. (It was dark already.) What was more heartbreaking was that the lawyer of Brother Hu Yong, one of the brothers who had been sentenced to death, never showed up on the third day. It was not until the afternoon of the second day did the lawyer of Gong Bangkun come.
 
Finally it was the turn for the defendants to make their statements. The judge said that each one of us could say but one sentence. Pastor Gong said, “Please be more lenient to my students.” The bailiff said contemptuously, “You are so damn fake.” and moved the microphone away. The rest of us all said one sentence too, asking the court to pass a just judgment. The bailiff said impatiently, “Shut up, we knew it already.” The armed police sitting behind us all complained, “How come they still don’t call it a day? We are starved. It seems that they are going to wrap it up in three days instead of four. In this case we can enjoy our two days’ rest as usual.”
 
By the time the hearings ended, we still presented to the court our statement about how we had undergone inquisitions by torture, though we were totally disillusioned already. The hearings ended, but the worries and confusions in our hearts increased.
 
 
On December 23rd, Jingmen Middle Court sent a secretary and a bailiff to Jingmen Prison with a record of the trial for us to sign. We were ordered to stand still by the wall, and sign our names one after another. I was the first one. I requested to read the content before I could sign. The secretary said, “Read for what? Everything here was what you folks said in the court. It’s not a novel!” I said, “I don’t believe you. Who knows what you have recorded?” The bailiff roared, “Sign it now! You are wasting my time! I’ll read it to you altogether later.” Those who were a bit slow received their blows. When it was Brother Qiu Chunyi’s turn to sign, he also required to read it. The secretary gave him two strikes as an answer. All seventeen of us signed, waiting for him to read the record to us. However, he just whispered something to the officials, and swaggered off.
 
Then it was the night of December 29. All of us were in bed; some had fallen asleep already. Suddenly the door was thrown open with a bang. An official shouted at us, “Get up quickly, all of you from the South China Church!” Not knowing what had happened, we all panicked and shuddered in fear. We were led into the yard, where we saw many familiar figures standing in the dark corners. Some of them were from the police staff, some were from the Procuratorate, and some were from the court. The bailiffs ordered us to squat. We were escorted into an interrogation room one by one. The light in the room was extremely strong. After we went in, two bailiffs would twist one’s arm behind the back, and press the head down, as if we were to be beheaded. We were escorted in front of a camera. A judge in civilian clothes announced our sentence. Then we were ordered to sign, put our fingerprints on the paper, and notify if we were making an appeal. We were escorted to do these things, one after another. I could hear the announcements from the interrogation room, “Gong Dali the defendant…is sentenced to death, and deprived of all political rights. Xu Fuming the defendant…is sentenced to death, and deprived of all political rights. Hu Yong the defendant…is sentenced to death, and deprived of all political rights. Li Ying the defendant…is sentenced to death with a respite of two years, and deprived of all political rights. Gong Bangkun the defendant…is sentenced to death with a respite of two years, and deprived of all political rights. Sun Minghua the defendant…is sentenced to life-long imprisonment, and deprived of all political rights. Xiao Yanli the defendant…is sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment. Xiang Fengping the defendant…is sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. Yi Chuanfu the defendant…is sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. Dong Daolai the defendant…is sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. Li Yingping the defendant…is sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment. Meng Xicun the defendant…is sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment. Du Qingfeng the defendant…is sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment. Qiu Chunyi the defendant…is sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment. Cao Hongmei the defendant…is sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment. Fu Shijun the defendant…is sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment. Liu Xianzhi the defendant…is sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment.”
 
Now two more brothers were fettered after the trial. The night sky appeared even darker and more silent than usual. We collapsed onto the beds, weeping our hearts out. So much distressed as we were, there was nothing we could do. Pastor Gong had said, “It is worth it, even the entire South China Church is sacrificed for the sake of a rightful name for the churches in China!” However, the South China Church was subjective to the death penalty as a cult. What would other house churches in China face? In such a helpless situation, we still had this hope in the Lord, who had saved us from death that He would deliver us again. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25) Keeping the words from the Bible in our mind, we wrote papers of appeal in tears. However, the officials of the prison refused give us paper or pen. We asked for several days, till they finally gave us some. Each of us had two pieces of paper, and two people would have to share one pen. Sun Minghua mentioned it to the officials that these were not enough. An official named Li Guang said, “You are not writing your wills, are you? It won’t be of much use anyway.” We felt chilled to the heart by these merciless words. At that time, the entire nation was happy celebrating the New Year, while the believers of the South China Church were still struggling for their life. We handed in our appeals, and waited and waited for whatever would befall us.
 
Life in prison was suffocating. Besides, we were deeply grieved by this SCC Case. Everyday we spent in tears. Often we would fast (for 10 or 7 or 3 or 2 days), and plead to God for our lives. In those days, our spiritual meditations never stopped. Four sisters stayed in one room, which made it easier for the meditations. Each Sunday we would fast, sing praise songs, pray, discuss a paragraph in the Bible, or recall the history of the Church, just as what we would do in normal days. In order that we could walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we would also celebrate each others’ birthdays and festivals. No matter what festival or whose birthday it was among the 17 of us, we would order a dish, and make birthday cards (out of soap boxes or cigarette packets) or festival cards, on which we would paint pictures and write words of encouragement. By these we strengthened each others’ faith, and showed the love between us, as fellow believers and students to our teacher. As long as there was a chance to get out of the cell, we would willingly risk the chance of being chided by the officials, just to run to the windows of Pastor Gong or other brothers and sisters’ cells, and greet them or shake hands with them. Pastor Gong often asked the officials to deliver some money, clothes or daily necessities to us. Under those circumstances, we were all greatly encouraged and comforted by these actions that seemed to be quite ordinary to the outsiders. We had been in a cell next to that of Brother Xu Fuming, Brother Gong Bangkun and Brother Hu Yong. Everyday we could go to the exercise yard (behind each cell was an empty space called an exercise yard. It was about 20 square meters in area, and around it was walls about 5 meters high with iron wires on top. Nobody could make their way out from there. Between two cells was a wall. Before and after the meals during the day, one could do some exercises there) and shout to them, as well as sing some praise songs. We could hear each other. Also we passed some Bible verses around to encourage each other. The officials would chide us when they heard us singing, but we kept on singing anyway. In the end, all the inmates from over 20 cells could sing Don’t Say We Got No Home. The singings of the children of God brought a change to the monotone surroundings, and made the life there more colorful. In the singings we could feel the preciousness and sincerity of our fellow believers. When we had some spare time, we would make some paper works (swans, stars, Chinese knots, all kinds of cards, and crosses). We sent these to all the inmates in every cell, bringing with them greetings for the festivals, as well as blessings and the message of peace from Christ. Since the day the brothers and sisters entered prison No.1 of Jingmen City, the officials there would hate them, fear them, and admire them. All the time they would try to find faults with us. During the monthly check up time, an official named Li Guang would break into our cell with armed police and no warnings. But they couldn’t find anything to bring up against us. In the end he took away our papers of appeal and bills of indictment.
 
On the 4th of June, Judge Zheng Bomin of the Superior Court of Hubei Province came for an interrogation before the retrial. I shuddered with fear when I went in for the interrogation. Judge Zheng said to me, “I’m Judge Zheng from the Superior Court of Hubei Province. I have come to review your case. Tell me if you have anything to say.” I was still too frightened to speak, for the bailiff who drove the car at the Middle Court of Jingmen City was walking around in front of me. Judge Zheng said, “How come you don’t speak?” I said, “Because I’m so scared to be interrogated.” He said, “No need to be scared. I’m not going to beat you. Just tell me what you have to say.” So I mustered my courage, and gave a brief account of the whole event. Also I told him how the special team for the case tortured us during the interrogations, just to get false testimonies. Then I pulled up the legs of my pants, and said, “Judge Zheng, please take a look at this. The wounds are still here. Now I limp when I walk…” The bailiff driver struck me in the hand and said, “What the hell are you talking about?” I said, “This is not your business. It is Judge Zheng who questions me, not you. Are you folks brave enough to beat us but afraid to be found out?”
 
It began to get warm, when there were more and more people (Falungong practitioners, defrauders, prostitutes, etc.) sent here in jail. The new inmates had nothing with them, just like us when we first came in. So we gave them our only spare clothes to them. They were full of gratitude; some even came to the Lord too. Some other inmates were to be released, and left us the daily necessities that they didn’t want to us. Many came and many went, but we were always the “permanent residents” of the prison. Cao Hongmei and Xiang Fengping were both prisoners-in-charge, so we took the leading role in hard labors, as well as making the bed, wash the dishes, and clean the bathrooms. The quilts were supposed to be made into different shapes, like couches, TV sets, cushions, and washing machines. This we had to take care of two times a day. The officials would be checking on the cells anytime. Over 30 dishes of the three meals should all be washed within a fixed time, and it was the same with the bathrooms. We took over all the work, and saved a lot of troubles for the officials. However, there were still some who would find faults with us, or report to the officials that we were still meeting each other or praying, just to please the officials. We had already gotten used to it. One day, the cement ground of the cells was to be repainted. So the inmates from two different cell rooms all crowded into one. Hardly had we ant chance to meet. The eight of us all sat together, praying and singing praise songs. Superintendent Guan, who was checking on each cells, spotted us. He said, “All the other folks are having fun in the exercise yard. Why the hell are you sitting here?” Then he put us back into the two cells.
 
We had been away from the church so long that we had this keen desired to read the Bible. However, Superintendent Guan turned us down each time. Pastor Gong handed in a paper of requirement, and it was approved. A copy of the Bible was given to him, only to be confiscated soon during the check. Since the day Pastor Gong was arrested, he had been fettered all the time. The shackles were with him for 411 days. Then the officials came to change it for another pair, since he was in them for so long. When they called him to get new fetters, he refused, saying, “I have deep feelings for them.” Then he made a request that he be moved to the guardhouse. He said, “I have gone through all kinds of trials and torments except for this one. I would like to be transferred to the guardhouse.” The officials responded, “Are you serious? Only those who disobey the rules are shut in there. There had been no one to make this request.” Only those under heavy sentences could be given porridge to eat once in a while. However, Pastor Gong wouldn’t eat it all by himself. He asked the food deliverer (a food deliverer was usually an inmate who stays in the prison to do this work) to give the porridge to his students. So we could have some once in a while. Just like this, the teacher and his students of SCC did all they could to help each other, sending with them love in Christ. Pastor Gong was locked in a cell not far away from us. In each morning and at night when it was really quiet, we could hear him cough, with the sound of the shackles clanking in our ears. We really wanted to do something for him, but there was nothing we could do.
 
Then it was September 23rd, about 8 p.m. We had already gone to sleep by then when we were woken us up. Some of us were called to the reception room, some to the clinic, while others to the duty office. We were informed that notice for the retrial from the Middle Court of Jingmen City was to be issued to us. When I was in the duty office, and was about to sign my name on the paper, a political advisor of the inmates asked a question, looking confused, “Why are you always coming at night to give them the materials?” Hearing this, they just dodged the question, saying, “We have a lot of other work to do.” We read that on the notice was written the reasons for retrial, “The true situation of the case is unclear. There was also a lacking of evidences. The procedure of the hearing for civil charge was totally illegal.” We were informed that the retrial would be held on October 9th, but we were given no bills of indictment.
 
The retrial was to be held in such a short time, and there was also a seven-day’s National Day holiday during this few days. Still we were forbidden to contact our family or hire lawyers. What could we do in this short time? There was only one choice: write our own statements. Though it might not be of any use, we would still do all that we could. The officials, busy preparing themselves for the long holiday, cared nothing about our having no pen or paper. We waited for three days, and the response from Superintendent Hu was, “What is this fuss all about? There’ll be a retrial, so what?” Sister Sun Minghua spoke in tears, “Superintendent Hu, for over a year you have forbidden us to contact our families. You never cared about our supply of daily necessities. We have tried to control ourselves and make no troubles for you. But you cannot deprive us of this right to write our own statements for our own case! At least we are not prisoners. Even if we are, there should be some humane treatment, right? We want to hire lawyers and write our statements!” Unwillingly, Superintendent Hu dropped us some paper and pens, and said, “Our job is to make sure that you are fed. As for appeals and things like that, the superiors have to leave you the way you are.” We had no idea what he meant by “the superiors”.
 
People both outside the prison were happy enjoying their long vacation, and everybody else inside the prison was also celebrating. However, we were still so extremely worried about our case, which was going to determine life or death for our fellow believers. Holding the bill of indictment that Jingmen Procuratorate issued on December 7th, 2001, I thought to myself that the retrial would take at least a week. We were all well prepared, and had written our statements carefully.
 
Then it was October 9th. After breakfast, we were called out to stand in two lines to be handcuffed from behind, just like the first time. The bailiffs escorted us into four cars. Each side of the road that led to the Court was swarmed with our brothers and sisters. Our relatives held onto the iron bars of the gate of the court, longing to have a glimpse of us. When we entered the yard of the yard, the gate closed behind us. Then we were escorted into the court. The judge, public prosecutor, lawyers, secretaries, and civil plaintiffs were all there, each in his position. This time, those of us on trial sat down in a row, each with a bailiff sitting behind our backs. The public gallery was all empty. The bailiff who had kept swearing in court wasn’t there either.
 
After those legal procedures were over, Sister Xiang Fengping, Sister Meng Xicun, Sister Li Yingping and I were escorted back to the detention room. During that day we were not called to the court. The two women bailiffs said to each other in surprise, “How come these people haven’t been taken to the court yet? We heard that this time their sentences have been altered, and four of them were to be released. Are they the ones to be released?”
 
The second day, all the seventeen of us was there in the court. Mr. Yang Dunxian, the lawyer of Pastor Gong, Chen Zhikai, the lawyer of Sister Li Ying, and Qian Lieyang, the lawyer of Sister Sun Minghua all pleaded not guilty. All the other lawyers pleaded for lighter sentences. When it was the defendants’ turn to make their statements, they all proposed to the court that just judgments should be given, base on the truth and measured by the law. Brother Yi Chuanfu showed everybody in the court the wounds. One and a half years had passed, but the wounds were still festering. Before Brother Yi Chuanfu could say anything, he had already burst into tears. The lawyers present were all shocked to see this, and let out heavy sighs. Then Sister Sun Minghua, Sister Cao Hongmei, Sister Xiang Fengping, Sister Li Yingping and Sister Meng Xicun all testified again that they had never had sexual intercourses with Pastor Gong. I said in tears, “The police got the testimony by nothing but torture. They even pulled my bra off by force.” Mr. Qian addressed the judge immediately, “I’d like to call the attention of the court to what this girl had said. Please take heed to the inquisition by torture.”
 
By lunch time on October 10th, we really had this doubt if the hearing was to be finished soon, since the defendants had made their statements already. Then we were escorted back to the prison, only to be taken up to court again at 3 p.m. Everything appeared to be the same, but we had no idea what the next step was going to be. While I was still thinking, the judge spoke out loud, “All stand up!” So everybody stood up. The entire court was in silence. All we could hear was each others’ breath. Then the judge took up the verdict paper and announced, “…Gong Dali the defendant is guilty of committing injury thus receives sentence life-long imprisonment. He is also guilty of rape, thus receives the sentence of ten years’ imprisonment. The court’s decision is life-long imprisonment, and the deprivation of all political rights. Xu Fuming the defendant is guilty of committing injury, thus receives the sentence of life-long imprisonment, as well as deprivation of all political rights. Hu Yong the defendant is guilty of committing injury, thus receives the sentence of life-long imprisonment, as well as deprivation of all political rights. Li Ying the defendant…15 years’ imprisonment. Gong Bangkun…15 years’ imprisonment. Sun Minghua the defendant…13 years’ imprisonment. Xiao Yanli the defendant…10 years’ imprisonment. Qiu Chunyi the defendant…3 years’ imprisonment. Du Qingfeng the defendant…3 years’ imprisonment. Cao Hongmei the defendant…2 years’ imprisonment. Fu Shijun the defendant…2 years’ imprisonment. Meng Xicun, Liu Xianzhi, Li Yingping and Xiang Fengping shall be released.” I listened to the verdict, and wondered how it could be decided so quickly.
 
The hearing this time took an even shorter time than the first one. It ended in a hurry, in only one and a half days. Doubts were still in our heart, demanding an answer. When the seventeen of us were escorted into the court, we walked in a long line. A bailiff said, “Gong Dali, what a long team you got here!” Pastor Gong replied right away, “This is not my team. It is the team of the Lord!” Our relatives all crowded at the gate, waiting to take us, who had been released, back home. However, the bailiffs pushed us into the cars by force. Pastor Gong stood before the car door, longing to take a look at his relatives and students. But the bailiff who escorted him twisted his arms, pressed his head down, and pushed him hard. He was forbidden to turn his head, even to pick up his slippers that fell off. When the cars passed through the gate of the yard, I saw the relatives all rushing up, just to be driven away by the “security staff” with electric clubs. When we were half way to the prison, the bailiffs had us handcuffed again, claiming to be “fulfilling their duties”. Then I remembered that a person from the court called these four bailiffs who escorted us out and whispered something together for a while. So I knew it had been all planned.
 
Then we returned to the prison. However, when informed that we four were released, the officials there were really confused. When we got in the cells, the inmates were all very happy for us. They even blamed us for coming back to the prison, and said that we were supposed to be home with our families. We busied ourselves packing, and said, “No hurry, we are here to finish up the last work.” While we were still rejoicing, Sister Li Yingping and I were called to the interrogation room. There we were handed an announcement paper, which said three years in the Labor Camp. I was greatly shocked. All that I felt at that moment was that it was so hard to be a Christian in China, even harder than to die and go to hell. Even those who murdered and set fire were more welcome than Christians. Such is the era we live in!
 
It was October 11th when people from the Middle Court of Jingmen City came and gave us the record of the hearings. Sister Li Yingping asked the judge, “There were neither plaintiffs nor witnesses to charge Pastor Gong of rape. Why was he convicted guilty of that? Why was he given such a heavy sentence?” He replied, “There was nothing we could do about it. It was the superior who had made their decision.” I asked him, “Is the verdict of the Middle Court of Jingmen City still stands? Why now we are to spend three years in the Labor Camp?” He said, “That’s not our business. The court can’t do anything about that.” So we got finished with the verdict paper, and came out. Then we saw Pastor Gong standing there, talking to Superintendent Hu. Sister Li Yingping, Sister Meng Xicun and I, together with several other sisters, went over and talked to them. We all shook hands with Pastor Gong. It was the first time that the officials permitted us to talk to Pastor Gong face-to-face. Still we could see from his weather beaten face the life of Christ in him, and the urge of the mission call for our nation. Now his hair had almost all gone white. There was but little blackness showed. His voice was still full of strength, just as in the old times, but he had emaciated. His legs were in a bad shape. When we returned to our cells, we all asked him again to take good care of himself.
 
We all felt the whole SCC case was but absurd. But we knew more deeply who God was. Just as Paul had said, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For in our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4: 16-17)
 
On October 15th, after breakfast, people from Jingmen Police Department came to the peison, and urged Sister Xiang Fengping, Sister Li Yingping, Sister Meng Xicun and I to get packed and get into the cars. We were all unprepared for this, for we had thought that we would be sent into the Labor Camp when the time for appeal was over (October 20th), or when the verdict paper of the appeal was given to us. So we got in a great bustle. Then we decided to say goodbye to the other brothers and sisters as well as Pastor Gong. However, the official and the police forbade us to go. Sister Xiang Fengping seized a chance, and ran to Pastor Gong’s cell, and told him that we were leaving for the Labor Camp.
 
After we arrived at the Labor Camp, we were taken to the duty office. There was an official called Liu Qin, who was called to the other side by the policemen who escorted us. They whispered to her for some time, and left. Then we were welcomed by “two strips and one cut”, which meant that we take off all the clothes, all the belongings be confiscated, and our hair be cut so short that we all looked ugly. Then two security monitors (they were drug addicts who helped the officials to maintain the order) put on airs, and poured slanders on us before the officials, saying that we were a cult. They tore up the appeal for reconsideration regarding to the sentence to labor, which I wrote in prison, threw it on the ground, and said, “Pretending to be experts of the law, aren’t you? You are a cult member! Remember that!” Then Liu Qin took us to the door of the duty office one by one, and demanded us to learn to answer three questions. The first question was, ‘Who are you?’ The answer was, ‘A laborer in the Labor Camp.’ The second question was, ‘Where are you?’ The answer was, ‘In the Labor Camp.’ The third question was, ‘What are you doing here?’ The answer is, ‘I receive my education through labor, in order to reform.’” Then she said, “The belief of SCC is a cult belief. Prayers and preaching by passing notes are forbidden in the cells. No one from the South China Church is allowed to talk to each other. You have to say ‘report!’ whenever you come in or go out.” The four of us took our clothes, and went into the yard. I was assigned to Class 4. After lunch, all the people in my class went out. The security monitor ordered me to memorize the “55 guidelines”, and forbade me to talk to other classmates.
 
We were under strict administrations. The second group, the one I was in, had two sub teams. The first team was made of common inmates, including prostitutes, thieves, those that disrupted social orders, Christians, while most were drug-addicts. This team consisted of five classes. Most of the inmates of the second team were Falungong practitioners. We had a time limit for everything. We had to run to wash the dishes or use the bathroom. All was like in the army and undertaken collectively.
 
There were seventeen sisters from the South China Church altogether, when I first arrived at Shayang Labor Camp. Two elderly women (Ma Quanying and Liang Guo Feng), whom we call aunts, were responsible for cleaning the toilets and the entire yard. They ran here and there all day long till their feet got swollen. Sister Zhang Xiuying worked in the kitchen, and everyday she would work till mid night. The rest 14 worked in the earphone workshop, and were all assigned to the first several parts of the 12, which were the most tiring and demanding. I was assigned to work in the second part, sticking up membranes. I was in the same team as Xu Zongying. I couldn’t catch up with the inmates who had been there for a longer time, but the security monitors all added to my work load. I had to stay there for the last batch, until over 11 o’clock. I wasn’t even allowed to sleep right after I got back. I had to recite the required readings. Sometimes, when having finished their work, Sister Xu Zongying, Sister Chi Faling and Sister Yang Chijiao would come to help me with the work. Once Sister Xu Zongying tried to help me, so she handed me the membranes she had stuck up. Wu Najun, a drug addict grabbed them over and said, “Xu Zongying, you are not supposed to help Liu Xianzhi. The officials have forbidden you to talk to each other.” On hearing this, Sister Xu Zongying was very angry. So she said, “I would help everybody but you! The officials never forbade us to help each other!” As a result, those drug addicts, led by Wu Najun, took all opportunities to take revenge on us. Every once in a while they would take my membranes by force or steal them.
 
We were sent to the Labor Camp because of our faith. This was why we were challenged every minute in this atheist place. Under these suffocating circumstances, we still set up evangelizing teams and fasting teams to strengthen each others’ faith in different ways. We sent each other daily necessities, talked to each other secretly about the words of God, helped each other with the work, sent birthday gifts (notebooks and cards) and ordered dishes for each other. In the trials and temptations, we felt all the more how hard it was to hold on to your faith and how precious the sincerity was between the fellow believers.
 
The drug addicts in the same class with Xiang Fengping and Aunt Liang were always trying to bully them and take advantage of them, either openly or secretly. The food Xiang Fengping and Aunt Liang bought would never come to them. They got thermoses, but they could never get to drink the water. To please the officials, Liao Yanhua the drug addict even gave them Xiang Fengping’s thermos. What’s more, she would always find fault with Xiang Fengping, and demand her to do the cleaning work of the entire class. Two other drug addicts, Long Lanjiao and Wu Najun, would also bully Xiang Fengping with a praiseworthy teamwork spirit. When Liao Yanhua was about to be released, she couldn’t find her stool. So she handed in Xiang Fengping’s as her own. As a result, Long Lanjiao gave Xiang Fengping a severe punishment, putting her to do the cleaning work for a whole month.
 
I had never gone for a so called “heart-to-heart” with the officials since the day I came to the Labor Camp. Never had I strived for the security prizes, no matter it be several days off the terms or whatever. We excelled in all the works, that is, all except “confessing our wrongdoings” (none of us admitted that SCC was a cult or turned away from Jesus). The other inmates and the officials all saw the excellent work we did, and wondered why. In many things I really wanted to tell them what my point of view was, but I just couldn’t. Then one day after the list of those to receive a reduction of the terms was put out for the first half of the year (besides the security prize), in one afternoon of June, all the sisters of SCC were informed that we take pens and paper and go into a classroom. There were 11 of us: Li Yingping, Liu Xianzhi, Xiang Fengping, Meng Xicun, Chi Faling, Li Qiong, Li Li, Yang Chijiao, Tian Mingkun, Xie Zexin, and Zhang Xiuying. We were ordered to sit away from each other. The security monitors wrote over 10 questions. They told us to “tell the truth”, and that nobody should whisper to each other to get the answers. We could only get to work after we had finished the answers. For those who were illiterate, they could say their answers, and the security monitors would put down the words.
 
Those words were in our heart for so long. We just wanted to make our faith known, by answering the questions. Whatever the officials and inmates might say we paid no heed. As it turned out, our answers were very much the same. All of us denied that SCC was a cult, and made clear the differences between the nature of “South China Cult” and “South China Church”. As a matter of fact, the questions were decisive for the reduction of terms for the first half of the year. Our answer was a no to the possibility of that reduction. Li Mengxia, an official in charge of the workshop, spoke to Yang Chijiao and Chi Faling, “You ‘South China Cult’ folks have all behaved well except that you don’t confess your crimes. As long as you renounce your faith, all the reduction awards would go to you folks. Same with the monthly security prize too.” Later on it became a well known fact that the SCC members were not to receive those awards. The inmates had voted for Zhang Xiuying and Chi Faling to receive a reduction of terms, but some other people took their place. However, several officials in charge of the workshops knew quite well what excellent work we had done, and spoke for us in the meetings, trying to get the monthly security prizes for us, which could make us released several days earlier.
 
At the end of December, 2003, the group provided a “special phone service”. Sister Xiang Fengping wanted to call home, and ask her family to send her some clothes. She waited for a long time for her turn. Then the official named Liu Qin asked her, “Xiang Fengping, you are here to make the phone call too? You’ll still be a believer when you get home, right?” Sister Xiang Fengping smiled and said, “Sure!” Liu replied, “Still a believer? Then you are not allowed to use the phone! Our phone is for the reformed inmates! You see Li Cuilan (she belongs to a cult called Narrow Gate in the Wilderness) and Wang Jinghua (she belongs to the cult called Restoration)? They had admitted that they believed in cult religion, and wrote their renunciation papers. Wang Jinhua paid for the skill trainings (One paid 600 RMB to learn to knead for a months. If a believer wrote the renunciation paper, her terms could be reduced for a month.) Meng Xicun is stupid as you! She paid the money but didn’t hand in the paper. Not a single day will be reduced from her terms.” Sister Xiang thought the official was only joking, and made the request again, saying, “Please, Madame Liu. It’s my first phone call in over a year. Please let me call.” Liu Qin said, “I am serious! When I say no, I mean no. What you have just said has been recorded. With this we can even prolong your terms here!” Sister Xiang had to return to the cell. She made the request to Liu Qin again and to a team leader named Wang Qin, but was again refused. What made me more embarrassed was when my aged mother came to visit me, she herself also being a Christian. My elder brothers and sisters-in-law, who were unbelievers, gave me warnings along with the officials when they came to visit me, saying, “Realize what situation you are in right now, and withdraw yourself from the cult. We are waiting for you to turn back. If you do, we’ll still regard you as our beloved sister…”
 
I didn’t care much about all these things against my believing in Christ. What made me puzzled was that SCC wasn’t labeled as a cult, even by the court, but in the Labor Camp we were all oppressed as cult members, which made more people who didn’t know the truth hate us. All the inmates and officials had the same thought, “One can do anything except believing in Jesus. Only ignorant people are Christians.” “With the development of technology, religious notions will disappear gradually! Man can overcome nature.” “How can you say I dislike you? I’ll like you all the more if you were drug addicts.” “The first time you got in here because you were ignorant. The second time because you were stubborn. Now it is the third time, and all that I can say is you are stupid.” All the time we were facing challenges. In one word, we were eyed as a bunch of people that were incapable of being brought to reason.
 
Most of the sisters were released by the end of the year 2003 and January, 2004. In the end, there were only four of us there: Xiang Fengping, Meng Xicun, Zhang Xiuyin and I. We were released on the same day, February the 1st.
 
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy, because the Lord had done great things for us, had brought back our captives, like streams in the Negev.
 
The whole world would only appear more and more dark, evil and hard to cope with before the morn arrives. Facing the road of faith under my feet, I felt all the more burdened with my mission. Whenever I remembered Pastor Gong and other brothers and sisters in jail, as well as the church, oppressed and in ruin, I would feel that I was urged to do something for them. It’s like fire burning in my bones. If I keep silent, even the stones would cry out! Even if I couldn’t proclaim the gospel anymore, I would still reveal the truth of SCC case, for witnessing the name of Christ, and that the house churches in China could be granted freedom to believe!
 
Written by Liu Xianzhi
April 1st, 2004