Tiange Cao

My name is Tiange Cao, and I am a student at the Music Department of Feitian College in New York. I was born in in China, and have had to face the brutal persecution under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from the moment I was born. This persecution has been intertwined with my own life from the very beginning.

My mother was steadfast in her faith, and refused to give up her practice or expose any fellow practitioners. She went to work every day, yet because she practiced Falun Dafa, she was only paid 10% of her salary. Ultimately, she lost her job and was eventually dismissed from her position because she refused to give up her faith.

When I was only nine months old, my mother took me to Tiananmen Square to hold a banner declaring "Falun Dafa is good." Despite her peaceful appeals, the police beat my mother mercilessly and took us to the Tiananmen police station for harsh interrogation.

Before I turned one, the police tried to send my mother to a labor camp. To avoid capture, we moved a lot and lived a life of constant displacement. My mother later told me that due to the constant moving to unfamiliar places, I had no regular routine and was unable to adapt to the new environments at such a young age. As a result, I became seriously ill.

At the age of seven, my mother was arrested again and sent to a detention center. As my father anxiously prepared to search for her, I was overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty. When my father was about to leave to find her, I insisted on going with him despite being fully aware of the dangers. I’ll never forget the time we were surrounded by three or four police cars on all directions. At that moment, I truly understood what utter fear and helplessness felt like.

Yet that day, I resolutely stood by my father’s side, even though I knew that I might never be able to turn back. I was ready to face whatever uncertainty awaited us, preferring to face danger together as a family, rather than safety all alone.

Before we left China, I lived in constant worry. Every day at school, I feared that when I came home, I would never see my parents again. Whenever I saw a police car, the memory of being surrounded by police would flood my mind. That fear shadowed me relentlessly, clinging to me wherever I went.

My mother went on a hunger strike for over 20 days while in detention and was only released when her life was at risk. We truly didn’t know what would happen next; every twist of fate felt like an endless stretch of darkness.

The hardships I endured have not made me weaker, rather, they have made me stronger. Because I know, the truth can not be suppressed or destroyed in this world.

In 2019, I was fortunate enough to come to Fei Tian and eventually join Shen Yun Performing Arts. Here, I felt the selfless love and support of my teachers and classmates. It was also here that I began to understand that life is not merely about survival, but about pursuing truth, kindness, and beauty. The emotional ice I had built from years of suffering began to melt. At last, I understood that the true meaning of life is not about surrendering to violence and fear, but about holding firm to one’s beliefs and bravely pursuing light and justice.