Alice Liu

My parents and I have been practicing Falun Dafa since 1995. We were fortunate enough to escape the persecution that started in China in 1999 as we had already moved to the U.K., but for over two decades our family have been victims of CCP’s transnational repression campaign targeting Falun Dafa.

In 2001, my father’s Chinese passport renewal was refused at the Chinese consulate in the U.K. because he was a Falun Dafa practitioner. He was explicitly told his case was under the direct jurisdiction of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and that to successfully renew his passport, he’ll need to denounce or condemn Falun Dafa. Those years without a passport severely hindered his work as a university research fellow, since he couldn’t attend any international academic exchange conferences.

My grandparents on both my parents’ sides and my uncle were regularly harassed with threats and bribes by Chinese State Security officers for information on my parents’ “activities” abroad, once even including my attendance of Fei Tian in NY. My family members were either visited or received phone calls at home and work, or “invited to drink tea,” and this continued until they each passed away or left China. My father couldn’t go back to attend the funeral of his parents a few years ago since he was blacklisted by the CCP.

Revealing the CCP’s atrocities committed against Falun Dafa practitioners was something I had been involved with since I was young, as my friends and family have been deeply impacted by the persecution. For a practice that has benefitted us so much, in both our health and guiding us to be people of elevated moral values, I believe we must speak up for our faith. A moment etched in my memory comes from when I was in history class as a student in the U.K., the revelation that Stalin and Lenin — big heroes from my elementary school education in China — were not the magnificent leaders that CCP touted them to be. I realized people living in western societies have the freedom to see the CCP for what it truly is, and I believe those of us who know the truth have a responsibility to tell the world how the CCP has been persecuting the Chinese people since it took power in 1949. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to perform Shen Yun, as I was provided with not only the chance to learn the true culture and history of China, be able to connect with my heritage, and showcase this glorious culture to audiences around the world, but at the same time reveal the human rights atrocities committed by the CCP against Falun Dafa practitioners.