This true story of the Bai Family in China traces how their devotion to truth placed them on a collision course with the Communist Party. When they became practitioners of Falun Gong, it paved the way for a painful and torturous, yet enlightening, path in life, especially for the two brilliant brothers Xiaojun and Shaohua. After the Chinese Communist regime began its systematic repression of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, Bai Xiaojun was tortured to death in one of the laogai or "re-education through labour" camps. His brother Bai Shaohua also disappeared in another such prison for three years. Through blood and sweat, Shaohua made it alive out of prison but was once again abducted in early February, 2008.
The details in this gripping account of how Falun Gong practitioners are being repressed reveal the larger pattern of life, and death, under a totalitarian regime.
Authors Long Tu and Yuan Meng, now living in Canada, compiled this account through personal contact with members of the Bai Family. They also write from personal experience. Long Tu is a computer program designer and Yuan Meng an architect and urban designer. Yuan Meng was herself imprisoned for 16 months in a laogai camp before leaving China, where unusual "meals" caused her body to swell and her back bones were broken during the persecution. They now live in Toronto and wrote Pagoda of Light to honour their imprisoned friends, noting that "the experience of the Bai family is but one of thousands of examples."
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Bai Shaohua is the younger of two brothers born to Old Mr. Bai and his wife. The family is an old and respected one. There isn’t anyone in the Huanan District, Heilongjiang, who doesn’t know of Old Mr. Bai. Prior to his recent death, he was there for forty years. In 1958, responding to the “calling of the Party” to “build up and industrialize the Northern Plains,” he came to Heilongjiang and settled in the 859 Farm in Huanan District. In terms of seniority, therefore, Old Mr. Bai’s household is probably the oldest in the area.
Old Mr. Bai originally came from Wujin District of Changzhou, in Jiangsu. He was born there in 1926 and grew up studying the ancient Chinese texts of Confucius, Mencius, and the other great classics. This was the standard education of the time, a method of study almost as old as China itself. He was greatly influenced by those ancient texts, and as with countless scholars before him, he gradually developed a virtuous but rather detached personality. Mr. Bai’s study of these philosophers filled him with a love of knowledge and truth. His insistence on truthfulness gave him a reputation for stubbornness.
When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power, it divided the population into various classes, according to how “proletarian” it deemed them. Mr. Bai was classified as a middle-class peasant farmer by birth, which was not “red” enough according to the Party.1 As a result, Old Mr. Bai had to be careful in almost everything he did since he could be publicly denounced at any time, which could cost him his livelihood or his very life. His difficult situation was made worse by a very serious problem: he didn’t like to lie, and, in fact, tended to speak his mind. In the end, he decided to do something that was suitable for him that would also keep him away from being too involved with the Party. He went to the arts section of the political science department at the Nanjing Military Academy. There, he could study and create art at the same time, and, just as importantly, he could escape attention. Since the arts section was part of an insignificant department, the Party leaders were not too concerned about him and, as long as he focused on painting, he was able to work there without much contact with the Party leaders.
Old Mr. Bai adopted the pseudonym “Bai Ding” for his artistic work. The name means “blank slate; uneducated and having no spiritual knowledge.” This name, which is derived from the quote “Talk to intellectuals, be friends with scholars,” from the ancient Chinese text “Article for My Humble Shack”
, was both a sign of his modesty and also a sign of his refusal to disavow intellectual pursuits, even though the Party advised citizens that “the more knowledge you have, the more counter-revolutionary you are.” Mr. Bai’s virtuous stance attracted many who shared similar artistic ambitions and interests, people who would become his friends and supporters.
In 1958, Old Mr. Bai responded to the “calling of the Party” by leaving the Nanjing Academy to go to the Northern Plains to settle there. Nevertheless, gold sparkles wherever you place it and, in this harsh new environment, Old Mr. Bai was still able to accomplish a great deal. The unique beauty of the vast landscape of the Northern Plains sparked his creativity, inspiring him to develop a new style of art not seen before in China.
The 1960s came quickly. Some of Old Mr. Bai’s paintings, including The First Chimney Smoke and Winter Sports Game in the Forest
were accepted at a national art exhibition. From his farm in the underdeveloped Northern Plains to Mudanjiang, the paintings travelled all over the country and were even reproduced in The People’s Daily and Beijing Nightly. His works then went on tour in Southeast Asia and Europe. His stunning landscapes were in a style never seen before, a unique fusion of Eastern and Western styles of painting. The artist’s paintings received excellent critiques at exhibitions held all over the world, and the National Arts Association in China quickly made him a member. Mr. Bai was the only painter representing the entire Huanan District. From then onwards, a new group of “Northern Plains” painters emerged. Mr. Bai’s memoir, describing his experiences creating art in the Northern Plains, also became a valued treasure in the Museum of Historical Literature.
His fame brought Mr. Bai problems, however. Once someone becomes famous in China, the Party leaders will try to draw that person into the Party. This serves the function of glorifying the Party, but it also inevitably colours that person’s accomplishments, causing them to be seen as “political achievements.” Old Mr. Bai did not appreciate the Party’s efforts and refused the offer. Much to the dismay of the Party leaders, he was not excited about having the “glorious honour” of entering the party. After years of dedicating himself to art, he lacked the knowledge of how to massage the Party and its public relations efforts by cooperating with the leadership. He was always like a square peg in a round hole—the odd one out.
Initially the Party leaders did not understand why Mr. Bai refused their offers of party membership. After getting to know him better, though, they better understood his straightforward and plainspoken nature; but, his refusal to cooperate irked many. However, although the Party leaders were not satisfied with Old Mr. Bai, they still needed to make use of his talents. So, whenever they needed to produce propaganda, Old Mr. Bai would be dragged out and, when the event was done, shuffled back into oblivion again. Over the course of decades, without being given the chance to become an official, Old Mr. Bai received only the few meagre pay raises that came during nationwide salary adjustments. He lived an impoverished and simple life, in spite of his fame and artistic accomplishments.
Despite his poor circumstances, Old Mr. Bai was well satisfied with everything. He would often tell this story to his family and friends. “In ancient times, there was an impoverished yet virtuous and knowledgeable person. When friends visited him at home in winter and saw him sleeping under quilts that could not even cover him from shoulder to toe, they would often advise him to ‘turn your quilt diagonally and it will be long enough!’ But this virtuous person would reply, ‘getting extra length diagonally in a crooked manner is not as good as being short but upright.’” The moral of the story was that it is important to maintain righteousness in all circumstances.
This lesson on the important of righteousness is one that Old Mr. Bai would pass on to his sons.
1. Red is the symbolic colour of the Communist Party. After the Communist Party gained power in China, it forced classifications upon people. Those who were born in a poor family were classified as “the good type,” named the “red” classes. People born in a rich family were classified as “the bad type,” named the “black” classes. Old Mr. Bai is born into a middle-class family, so he was classified as “half red and half black,” or “not red enough.”
[2]
Exceptional Children from an Exceptional Family
Despite Old Mr. Bai’s problems with the local Party leaders, he and his family, though poor, mostly enjoyed a peaceful and happy life. Both parents had achieved distinction: Old Mr. Bai was the most famous artist in the region and the founder of “Northern Plains” school of painting; his wife was a respected music teacher. They were also blessed with two wonderful children.
The parents believed in the will of heaven and believed too that each must find his own blessing, so they never forced their children to excel in anything. However, both Bai Xiaojun, the elder brother, and Bai Shaohua were boys who did many things very well. They made the old couple very happy. The Bai household also gained fame because the two children achieved the highest marks in the entire county on the high school examinations.
Not only did the two boys excel in school, they were also accomplished in the various skills and arts taught them by their parents. The entire house was filled with plaques and awards that the brothers won in such endeavours as calligraphy, singing, writing, painting, and academic competitions. Bai Shaohua was also an excellent sportsman and won many local sports competitions as well.
Bai Xiaojun and Bai Shaohua in front of their alma mater
Although both sons were bright and talented, the two brothers were completely different. Bai Xiaojun had a very reserved personality. He was very obedient to his parents and teachers, and won his school’s awards for scholastic, moral, and athletic excellence every year. Deeply trusted by his teachers, he was named the leader of the school’s Communist Party Young Pioneers. Every teacher praised him as an excellent student, full of respect for his elders and courteous to his peers, something increasingly rare in modern society.
No one was surprised, therefore, when he scored the highest marks on the high school examinations—although Xiaojun said that he still felt a little dissatisfied because he did not perform his best on them. He was subsequently admitted to Northeast Normal University.
Bai Shaohua, on the other hand, was mischievous. Every so often he would be reprimanded for disobeying his teacher or senior leaders. Teachers often went to Old Mr. Bai’s home with their complaints. However, Bai Shaohua also had his complaints. When he saw flaws in his teachers, rather than gossiping about these flaws behind the teachers’ backs, as others would do, he would criticize them openly and say what he thought was true. He believed that teachers and leaders should be role models for others to follow and should receive feedback if they did not perform well. As a result, Shaohua was often scolded and beaten by Old Mr. Bai.
Despite these punishments, Old Mr. Bai was still very pleased with both of his sons. When speaking of them, he was fond of saying: “These two sons of mine, one is good with books and the other is good with sports—they pretty much encompass everything.”
[3]
Another Way
Shaohua’s path to university was not as smooth as his brother’s. From a young age, Shaohua had felt that he deserved to enter a university. He was very smart and did well at his studies without putting in a lot of effort. He also did well in the many extra-curricular activities he participated in, winning many awards. The same was true for academic competitions as well. For a long time, he dreamed of attending a university in Beijing. In order to realize his dream, however, Shaohua needed top marks.
After entering high school, Shaohua thought, “If I can do well without putting in much effort, then I can definitely rise to the top if I study as hard as the teachers want me to.” From then on, he decided to focus his mind, listen to the teachers, and study hard.
The strangest thing happened, though. When he started hitting the books, memorizing everything, Shaohua got tired of studying and failed to do well in school. As a result, he became depressed.
To compound his troubles, the maturing Shaohua fell in love with a girl. However, high school students in China are not permitted to have relationships. Success in the high school exams is considered of crucial importance in China since it determines the future success of a student; it also affects the teachers, who receive bonuses if their students do well. As a result, the authorities discourage anything they feel will distract students from their studies. Pressured to focus on his studies, Shaohua reluctantly agreed to abandon his romance.
Doing poorly in school and forced to abandon his love, Shaohua felt very depressed. In order to forget his troubles, he would often go to isolated office buildings or large open spaces and, when no one was around, bring out his guitar and play a sad song and sing for an hour or two. He worried, though, that his playing was affecting his studies and he tried to limit the time he spent doing it. But the more he tried to stop himself from playing, the stronger the rebellious voice in his heart grew. He couldn’t stop himself. It brought him joy, and he was good at it.
There were other joys at this time also. Even though Shaohua was depressed and had given up quite a few activities in this period, he still excelled in what he did. He won first and second prizes in table tennis and volleyball competitions, respectively, and developed a knack for singing and break dancing.
